Program Structure and Requirements
Overall Program Structure
The MSc ESM consists of a minimum 30 credit hours, distributed as follows: 12 credit hours of Program Core courses, 9 credit hours of Program Elective courses, 9 credit hours of Master’s Thesis and a zero credit Research Methods course. Students may organize the selection of elective courses and the thesis topic to follow a concentration. The concentration will be noted on the transcript and the diploma. The components of the program are summarized in the table below.
| Program Component |
Credit Hours |
| Seminar in Research Methods |
0 |
| Program Core |
12 |
| Program Electives |
9 |
| Master’s Thesis |
9 |
| Total |
30 |
Program Requirements
Students seeking the degree of MSc in Engineering and Systems Management must successfully complete a minimum 30 credit hours as specified in the program requirements detailed below, with a minimum CGPA of 3.0. Course selection should be made in consultation with the student’s Main Advisor. All courses have a credit rating of three credits each, except the Seminar in Research Methods and the Master’s Thesis.
Program Core (12 credit hours)
Students must complete the core courses listed below.
Core Courses
Program Electives, Concentrations (9 credit hours)
Students must select any three elective courses from the list below, or from any core courses listed above that are not used to meet the Program Core requirement. Subject to approval of the Main Advisor, students can select up to two elective courses (6 credit hours) from other MSc programs in the College of Engineering at KU.
Program Elective Courses
| ESMA 601 | System Architecture | 3 |
| ESMA 602 | Product Design and Development | 3 |
| ESMA 607 | Management and Entrepreneurship for Engineers | 3 |
| ESMA 608 | Environmental Policy and Economics | 3 |
| ESMA 617 | Innovation and Creativity in Technology Organizations | 3 |
| ESMA 618 | Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation | 3 |
| ESMA 619 | Advanced Quality Management System | 3 |
| ESMA 621 | Production, Operations and Inventory Management | 3 |
| ESMA 623 | Advanced Lean Manufacturing | 3 |
| ESMA 633 | System Simulation: Modelling and Analysis | 3 |
| ESMA 641 | Supply Chain, Logistics and Transportation Networks | 3 |
| ESMA 642 | Global Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| ESMA 643 | Warehousing and Distribution | 3 |
| ESMA 671 | Healthcare Operations Management | 3 |
| ESMA 672 | Lean Service Systems | 3 |
| ESMA 673 | Healthcare Information Systems | 3 |
| ESMA 694 | Selected Topics in Systems and Engineering Management | 3 |
Concentration in Technology Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The MSc ESM offers an optional concentration in Technology Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This concentration allows students to conduct an in-depth study on managing the steps needed to translate new technologies into useful products and services. In addition to program specific core courses, students pursuing this concentration must successfully complete the courses listed below and a thesis in a field of research relevant to the general area of Technology Strategy, Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The concentration will be specified on the student’s diploma and official transcript.
Concentration Courses
| ESMA 607 | Management and Entrepreneurship for Engineers | 3 |
| ESMA 617 | Innovation and Creativity in Technology Organizations | 3 |
| ESMA 618 | Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation | 3 |
Master’s Thesis (minimum 9 credit hours)
Students must complete a Master’s Thesis that involves creative, research-oriented work within the broad field of ESM, under the direct supervision of a full-time faculty advisor from the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal thesis and defended successfully in a viva voce examination. Furthermore, the research should lead to publishable quality scholarly articles.
Thesis