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The engineering programs at George Mason jumped ahead in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings. The online master of science degree program in systems engineering is ranked number one among public universities in the state of Virginia for industrial engineering.
The ranking contributes to Mason’s role in educating Virginia’s workforce, as many students within the program reside within the state.
“Systems engineering programs are generally selective and over the past few years we have focused on refining a number of aspects of our master of science program here at George Mason,” says Daniel Garrison, director of online and strategic initiatives in the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC). “We have raised the bar by attracting accomplished faculty and have seen the quality of students also increase.”
The systems engineering graduate program allows students to study virtually, but still visit the campus any time they want to connect with faculty and peers. This unique blend gives students the best of both worlds and the flexibility to navigate around any kind of schedule.
“This approach gives students greater flexibility to study on their terms and schedules,” says Garrison. “One nice benefit is that some classes are a mix of in person and online students, so virtual students have a chance to network with others more easily.”
Systems engineering graduate students often go on to careers in industrial engineering, systems analysis, digital engineering, and systems design. CEC graduates are often sought for roles within major tech companies including Amazon, Lockheed Martin, Mitre, and Boeing.
“We are excited to see the standing of the systems engineering program advance, as evidenced by its most recent industrial engineering ranking,” says Garrison. “We continually work with our programs to facilitate and ensure both academic and career success for students. We believe this ranking communicates to prospective students that pursuing an engineering education at Mason is rewarding and can open doors.”
Mason’s graduate online engineering programs as a whole are ranked 44th nationally, and are seen as some of the best in the nation.
U.S. News provides more than 100 different types of numerical rankings and lists to help students narrow their college search.