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2024 Best Systems Engineering Master's Degree Schools

56 Colleges in the United States
2,186 Master's Degrees
$101,131 Avg Early-Career Salary
a master's degree in systems engineering is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #67 out of 343 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 56 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Systems Engineering Master's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,186 master's degrees in systems engineering to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Systems Engineering School for Your Master's Degree

Best Systems Engineering Master's Degree Schools The systems engineering master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality systems engineering program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for systems engineering students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Systems Engineering Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Systems Engineering Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The systems engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Systems Engineering Master's Degree Schools.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Systems Engineering in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in systems engineering.

10 Top Schools for a Master's in Systems Engineering

1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in systems engineering. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.

Those systems engineering students who get their master's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology earn $32,554 more than the typical systems engineering graduate.

More information about a master’s in systems engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2

It is difficult to beat Johns Hopkins University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in systems engineering. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Master's recipients from the systems engineering major at Johns Hopkins University earn $13,024 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University

3
12 Annual Graduates

Washington University in St Louis is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in systems engineering. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a master’s in systems engineering from Washington University in St Louis

4

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in systems engineering needs to check out University of Southern California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Systems Engineering master's degree recipients from University of Southern California get an earnings boost of about $24,583 above the typical income of systems engineering graduates.

More information about a master’s in systems engineering from University of Southern California

5

Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Systems Engineering master's degree recipients from George Washington University receive an earnings boost of approximately $5,678 above the average income of systems engineering majors.

More information about a master’s in systems engineering from George Washington University

6

Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.

Those systems engineering students who get their master's degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus receive $7,108 more than the average systems engineering grad.

More information about a master’s in systems engineering from University of Virginia - Main Campus

7

Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, systems engineering master's recipients generally make an average of $95,847 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in systems engineering from Cornell University

8
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
41 Annual Graduates

UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in systems engineering from University of Pennsylvania

9
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

UF is a fairly large public university located in the city of Gainesville.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the systems engineering program earn around $90,155 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a master’s in systems engineering from University of Florida

10

Located in the suburb of Hoboken, Stevens is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the systems engineering program report average early career income of $90,973.

More information about a master’s in systems engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology

Systems Engineering by Region

View the Best Systems Engineering Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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One of 41 majors within the Engineering area of study, Systems Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

Systems Engineering Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Systems Engineering 2,186

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 8,658
Mechanical Engineering 7,218
Computer Engineering 5,020
Civil Engineering 4,884
Biomedical Engineering 3,089
General Engineering 2,969
Industrial Engineering 2,483
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 1,880
Chemical Engineering 1,558
Other Engineering 1,409

Notes and References

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