M.S. in System Dynamics

Master of Science in System Dynamics

The Masters Degree program in System Dynamics prepares students for the professional practice of system dynamics computer simulation modeling, which includes an understanding of the endogenous feedback relationships that cause observed patterns of behavior in socio-technical-economic systems, and knowledge of the use of simulation modeling for experimental analysis aimed at solving a variety of problems in the private and public policy domains. This training will enable students to look across disciplinary boundaries to discern the impacts of well-intentioned policies and technological solutions holistically. It will also prepare the students to understand the policy implementation process in various organizational settings and create confidence in the success of policy interventions. Many companies are currently supporting the training of their middle level managers in systems thinking and system dynamics because they regard it as essential for senior management roles in industry and the public sector. The WPI Masters in System Dynamics will offer an enhanced level of training for such roles. Combined with an undergraduate degree in engineering, the life sciences, the humanities, or social science, a Masters Degree in System Dynamics will enable a decision maker to more fully understanding cross-disciplinary issues, thus making him or her innovative contributors to their respective work settings. The WPI Masters Degree in System Dynamics may be pursued on-line. For more information, go to WPI's Online Programs.

Degree requirements

Students must complete 30 credit hours of course work. At least 21 of these must be in system dynamics and the remaining nine must be in mathematics, organizational studies, economics, or system dynamics as applied to problem solving in a variety of domains. Up to six of these latter credit hours may be completed as supervised project work. Three of these credits can also be earned by double counting a part of the junior and senior undergraduate projects involving system dynamics, if the SS&PS Department views this work to be equivalent to a graduate course. All entering students must submit a plan of study identifying the courses to be taken and a prospective project topic before the end of the first semester in the program. If the student has earned a Graduate Certificate in System Dynamics from WPI, the plan of study must be submitted with the application for the Masters Degree program. The plan of study must be approved by the SS&PS Department.

  1. Required courses (6 credits)
    • SD 550 System Dynamics Foundation: Managing Complexity (3 credits)
    • SD 551 Modeling and Experimental Analysis of Complex Problems (3 credits)
  2. 6 to 9 credit hours of course work selected from the following courses:
    • SD 552 System Dynamics for Insight (3 credits)
    • SD 553 Model Analysis and Evaluation Techniques (3 credits)
    • SD 554 Real World System Dynamics (3 credits)
    • SD 555 Psychological Foundations of System Dynamics (3 credits)
  3. 9 to12 credit hours of course work selected from the following courses:
    • SD 560 Strategy Dynamics (3 credits)
    • SD 561 Environmental Dynamics (3 credits)
    • SD 562 Project Dynamics (3 credits)
    • SD 565 Macroeconomic Dynamics (3 credits)
  4. 3 to 9 credit hours of elective coursework selected from the following:
    • SS 590 Special Topics in System Dynamics (credit as specified)
    • MA 510/CS522 Numerical Methods (3 credit hours)
    • MA 512 Numerical Differential Equations (3 credit hours)
    • Approved graduate coursework in an application area (e.g., economics, psychology, management, engineering, or applied sciences)

    A selection from the following WPI online courses may be taken to meet this part of the degree requirement

    • ACC 501 Financial Accounting (2 credits)
    • FIN 502 Finance (2 credits)
    • FIN 508 Economics of the Firm (2 credits)
    • FIN 509 Domestic and Global Economic Environment of Business (2 credits)
    • OBC 503 Organizational Behavior (2 credits)
    • OBC 531 Managing Organizational Change (3 credits)
    • CE 574 Water Resources Management (3 credits)
    • CE 579 Planning & Designing for a Sustainable Built Natural Environment (3 credits)
  5. Up to 6 credit hours of directed research
    All courses selected by the student must appear in the graduate catalog and must be approved by the SS&PS Department.

Admission

Students will be eligible for admission to the program if they have earned an undergraduate degree from an accredited university consistent with the WPI graduate catalog. Admission will also be open to qualified WPI students who opt for a five-year Bachelors-Masters Degree, with the undergraduate major based on a student's interests. Admission decisions will be made by the SS&PS Department based on all of the factors presented in the application.

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Last modified: August 19, 2009 16:00:51