Social Science & Policy Studies

Program of Study

The Social Science & Policy Studies department offers a graduate certificate in System Dynamics, a master of science in System Dynamics, and an interdisciplinary master of science in systems modeling. Individuals may also utilize WPI's interdisciplinary Ph.D. program to create a unique doctoral program incorporating system dynamics research. Through these programs, graduate students create and learn from their own models in a variety of research areas.

Graduate Certificate Program in System Dynamics

System dynamics is a computer simulation- based approach to the construction and analysis of mathematical models of economic, social, and physical systems. System dynamics modeling is applied in a variety of application areas such as biology, ecology, economics, business, public policy, etc. There is a strong and growing demand for graduate-level training in systems modeling in industry and government organizations. To meet this need, the department of Social Science and Policy Studies at WPI has developed a program of several on-line graduate courses in system dynamics.

The Department of Social Science and Policy Studies offers a graduate certificate program to create meaningful training in System Dynamics for people who may not seek a graduate degree, or who might wish to acquire basic training in the area prior to entering a degree program. This graduate certificate can be pursued entirely on line through courses implemented by WPI's Advanced Distance Learning Network (ADLN). For information about the ADLN option, please contact Pam Shelley (pshelley@wpi.edu). The structure and requirements for the program are detailed below.

Requirements

  1. A student must work with a faculty advisor to delineate a Plan of Study comprising 15 credit hours of graduate coursework on system dynamics. To be counted towards the certificate, the plan must be developed not later than completion of his/her second course.
  2. A student must complete his/her coursework in System Dynamics selected from the following curriculum.
    1. At least 3 credit hours of coursework selected from the following courses or their equivalents:
      SD 550 System Dynamics Foundation: Managing Complexity (3 credits)
      SD 551 Modeling and Experimental Analysis of Complex Problems (3 credits)
    2. 9-12 credit hours of coursework 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)
      SD 560 Strategy Dynamics (3 credits)
      SD 561 Environmental Dynamics (3 credits)
      SD 562 Project Dynamics (3 credits)
      SD 565 Macroeconomic Dynamics (3 credits)
      SD 590 Special Topics in System Dynamics (credit as specified)

Admission

Students will be eligible for admission into the graduate certificate program if they have earned an undergraduate degree from an accredited university consistent with the WPI Graduate Catalog. Students should have a bachelor's degree in science or engineering. Students with other backgrounds will be considered based on their interest, formal education, and work experience. Admission decisions will be made by the SSPS department graduate program committee and approved by the department head based on all factors presented in the application, including prior academic performance, quality of professional experience, letters of recommendation, etc.

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-technicaleconomic 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 CPE online.

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:
    • SD 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 fiveyear 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.

BS/MS in System Dynamics

The requirements for the proposed Masters degree in System Dynamics are structured so that undergraduate students would be able to pursue a five year Bachelors/Masters degree, in which the Bachelors degree is awarded in any major offered at WPI and the Masters degree is awarded in System Dynamics.

WPI allows the double counting of up to 12 credits for students pursuing a 5-year Bachelors-Masters Degree program. This overlap can be achieved through the following mechanisms:

Interdisciplinary Master’s Degree in Systems Modeling

There is a strong and growing demand for graduate-level training in systems modeling. Interest in system dynamics and formal mathematical modeling in industry and government organizations increases every year. Many employees of these organizations, and those seeking career changes, desire to improve their skills in these methodologies. In addition, these modeling methods are growing as a research tool and many prospective Ph.D. students desire to build skills in them.

Systems modeling subsumes both formal and computer simulation-based approaches to the construction and analysis of mathematical models of economic, social, and physical systems. It builds on methodologies such as feedback control theory, optimization, numerical methods and computer simulation. Moreover, systems modeling is applied in a variety of application areas such as management, biology, ecology, economics, etc. Students of systems modeling study not only the basic courses in System Dynamics, but also explore its methodological underpinnings in other disciplines and apply the methods to other disciplines, preparing them to mobilize the modeling concepts they learn to problem solving in the real world.

To meet this need, the departments of Mathematical Sciences and Social Science & Policy Studies have established an interdisciplinary master’s degree in systems modeling. This interdisciplinary 30 credithour program utilizing courses taught in Mathematical Sciences, Social Science & Policy Studies, and electives taught in engineering, science and management departments.

Admission

Students should have a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering. Students with other backgrounds will be considered based on their interest, formal education, and work experience. Many students pursuing a 5- year bachelors/masters program also enroll for a masters in systems modeling along with a bachelors in a major of their choice to prepare for meeting the challenges of their future careers.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 30 credit hours of coursework: 15 credit hours in system dynamics and 15 credit hours in mathematical modeling and an applications area (e.g. industrial engineering, management, infrastructure planning, telecommunications planning, power systems). Up to 6 of these latter credit hours may be done as supervised project work. New 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 materials. The Plan of Study must be approved by the administering faculty who will serve as advisors.

The specific course requirements for the interdisciplinary masters in system modeling include the following:

  1. Nine credit hours of required System Dynamics coursework selected from among the following:
    • SD 550 System Dynamics Foundation: Managing Complexity (3 credit hours)
    • SD 551 Modeling and Experimental Analysis of Complex Problems (3 credit hours)
    • SD 552 System Dynamics for Insight (3 credit hours)
    • SD 554 Real-World System Dynamics (3 credit hours)
    • Independent graduate studies and selected topics as approved by the administering faculty (up to 3 credits)
  2. Six credit hours of elective courses in System Dynamics to be selected from among the following:
    • SD 553 Advanced Techniques for System Dynamics (3 credit hours)
    • SD 555 Psychological Foundations of System Dynamics (3 credit hours)
    • SD 561 Environmental Dynamics (3 credit hours)
    • SD 562 Project Dynamics (3 credit hours)
    • SD 560 Strategy Dynamics (3 credit hours)
    • SD 565 Macroeconomic Dynamics (3 credit hours)
    • Independent graduate studies and selected topics as approved by the administering faculty (up to 3 credit hours)
  3. Six credit hours of required Mathematics coursework selected out of the following:
    • MA 508 Mathematical Modeling (3 credit hours)
    • MA 510 Numerical Methods (3 credit hours)
    • MA 540 Probability and Mathematical Statistics I (3 credit hours)
  4. Nine credit hours in an application area (coursework and/or research) in mathematical sciences, engineering or science, excluding social science, to be selected from among the following:
    • MA 514 Numerical Differential Equations (3 credit hours)
    • MA 541 Probability and Mathematical Statistics II (3 credit hours)
    • MA 542 Regression Analysis (3 credit hours)
    • Approved graduate coursework in a related application area (mathematical sciences, management, engineering or science excluding social science)
    • Up to 6 credit hours of directed research

Interdisciplinary Doctorate in Social Science

The Social Science and Policy Studies Department offers doctoral studies under the WPI interdisciplinary category described on page 70.

Administering Faculty

Interdisciplinary doctoral programs involving SSPS have currently been formed in coordination with faculty in ME, CS, CEE, ECE, and MA departments. For administrative purposes, SSPS will serve as host department in each instance.

Admission

Admission criteria for the doctoral program are outlined on pages 12 and 14. Applicants to the SSPS interdisciplinary doctoral program must have prior BS and MS degrees. A GRE is required, but can be waived in special cases with consent of CGSR.

The Doctoral Committee and Plan of Study

Each program of study is tailored to the interests of the student and the interests of the participating faculty members. The first step in establishing a program is the selection of a doctoral program committee of no less than three faculty members, with at least one faculty member from each participating department. The doctoral program committee must be approved by CGSR.

A Plan of Study, of at least 60 credit hours, is then developed with the help of the student’s doctoral program committee to meet the degree requirements and the interests of the student and the participating faculty. This Plan of Study must also be approved by CGSR. Minimum and typical requirements for the Plan of Study are discussed below.

Requirements for the Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctorate at WPI

In addition to meeting the general requirements of the doctoral degree at WPI, students in the interdisciplinary social science doctoral program must also take a qualifying examination prior to earning 18 credit hours of work.

There are four stages toward an interdisciplinary doctorate involving SSPS: first, submitting an approved Plan of Study to the Registrar; second, passing a qualifying examination; third, defending a dissertation proposal and becoming a doctoral candidate; and fourth, defending the dissertation. The requirements stated below apply to students already having a master’s degree and are focused on 60 credits of graduate work beyond the MS degree.

Summary of Post-Master’s Degree Credits

Graduate coursework

Credits: 18 max
Pre-qualifying exam coursework

Graduate coursework

Credits: 6 min
Post-qualifying exam coursework

Dissertation

Credits: 18 max
Post-qualifying exam, pre-candidacy exam dissertation credits

Dissertation

Credits: 12 min
Post-candidacy exam dissertation credits to make at least 30 dissertation credits totally

Graduate coursework or dissertation credits

Credits: Balance
Post-candidacy exam credits to make at least 60 total credits
Total Post-MS Credits: 60

Initial Coursework Leading to the Qualifying Exam

The student may take no more than 18 credit hours of graduate coursework prior to taking a qualifying exam. The content of these 18 credit hours must be established and agreed to by the student’s doctoral program committee, and then approved by CGSR, as a part of the student’s Plan of Study. Graduate courses from other departments and universities may be included if recommended by the student’s doctoral program committee.

Credit Transfer

Up to 1/3rd of the credit requirements for the doctoral degree may be satisfied from courses taken elsewhere. All credit transfer requests must be approved by the student’s doctoral program committee and CGSR, and must be shown on the student’s Plan of Study.

Qualifying Exam

In addition to the general WPI requirements for a Ph.D., students studying for the SSPS interdisciplinary doctorate must pass a qualifying examination. This examination will test the basic knowledge and understanding of the student in the disciplines covered by the research. The exam questions will be developed by the student’s doctoral program committee, and may take the form of written, take-home, or oral questions at the committee’s discretion. Students are allowed at most two attempts at passing the examination, and may take a maximum of 18 credits prior to passage. The schedule of the qualifying examination must be approved by CGSR.

Post-Qualifying Exam Coursework, Research, and Candidacy Exam

Once the qualifying examination has been passed, the student continues toward preparation of a thesis proposal, and its defense in a candidacy exam. This preparation will involve at least 6 additional credits of graduate coursework, and at most 18 credit hours of dissertation research (prior to passing the candidacy exam). The student will prepare a thesis proposal and defend it in a candidacy exam. The exact format for the preparation of the proposal and its defense will be determined by the student’s doctoral program committee.

Residency

The student must establish residency by being a full-time WPI graduate student for at least one continuous academic year.

Dissertation - Final Defense

Following the passing of the candidacy exam, a minimum of 12 credit hours of dissertation research, under the guidance of the doctoral program committee, is required for the preparation and defense of the doctoral dissertation. At this time, additional balance credits of graduate coursework or dissertation credits should be taken to complete the 60 required total post-M.S. credits, and to make at least 30 credits of dissertation credits. All dissertations must be defended in an oral presentation and accepted by the student’s doctoral program committee. Revisions may or may not be orally defended at the discretion of the doctoral program committee, but must be approved by doctoral program committee chair.

For additional information on university requirements, see page 24.

Faculty

Khalid Saeed, Professor and Department Head; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1981; sustainable economic development, system dynamics; organizational development, political economy; saeed@wpi.edu

James K. Doyle, Associate Professor; Ph.D., University of Colorado/Boulder, 1991; judgement and decision making, mental models of dynamic systems, evaluation of system dynamics interventions

James M. Lyneis, Professor of Practice; Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1974; system dynamics, project dynamics and management, economic dynamics, market and industry behavior, (de)regulation, forecasting, business strategy; jmlyneis@wpi.edu

Oleg V. Pavlov, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., University of Southern California, 2000; economics of information systems, political economy, system dynamics, computational economics, complex economic dynamics; opavlov@wpi.edu.

Michael J. Radzicki, Associate Professor; Ph.D., University of Notre Dame du Lac, 1985; economic growth, environmental and energy policy, fiscal and monetary policy, combining post keynesian economics and institutional economics with system dynamics; mjradz@wpi.edu

Adjunct Faculty


Robert Eberlein, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, President, Ventana Systems, Inc
Andrew Ford, Professor; Ph.D., Washington State University; Regional Planning
James Hines, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kim Warren, Ph.D., Chairman, Global Strategy Dynamics

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Last modified: August 10, 2007 15:42:26