Graduate Certificate in Systems Engineering and Architecting
Admissions
Prerequisites
- A bachelor’s degree in math, hard science (like biology, chemistry, physics, etc.) or engineering from an accredited college or university
- GPA of at least 3.0
- Five years of technically relevant professional work experience (which may include internships, technically related summer and/or part-time positions, as well as participation in a cooperative education program)
Online Application
Admission is a competitive process, and we carefully review all facets of your application to help evaluate your potential for success. We only begin reviewing your application once we have received all supporting documents.
International Students
For international graduate applicants, please review the international student’s tab for additional requirements.
Only complete applications are forwarded to the admission committee for consideration. This means English Language Proficiency is satisfied, all academic history transcripts are present, and two recommendations are submitted. Although applicants can submit the application with these requirements unmet, they must be satisfied by the final application deadline to ensure your application can be considered for admission to your desired term.
Spring Enrollment:
Final Application Deadline: Oct. 1
Ready to apply? You're in the right place. We are accepting applications now!
What You Need
Applications are submitted electronically and include a non-refundable application fee. You will need to upload the following items as part of your application:
- Official transcripts from each institution attended. Transcripts not in English must be accompanied by a certified translation. If you are admitted, you will be asked to provide an official transcript if not submitted as part of the application. You will receive instructions at that time.
- Lawful Presence Document (if living in the United States). Applicants must verify their lawful presence in the U.S. prior to enrollment.
- English Language Proficiency. All applicants must satisfy this requirement before their application is considered for admission. U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents can satisfy the requirement with their lawful presence document. All other applicants should refer to the English Language Proficiency requirements.
- Two References. You will initiate the process through the online application by entering the name and email addresses of two references. Once entered, an email is sent to your recommender requesting that they submit the electronic recommendation in support of your application. Please inform your references that they must submit the form to complete your application.
- Test Scores (Optional). You may submit standardized test scores, such as GRE or GMAT. However, this is not required for admission into the program and most applicants do not provide test scores.
Program-Specific Questions/Materials
- Statement of Purpose. Describe your specific career goals and objectives, the decision to pursue an advanced credential, and other information that may be useful to the admissions committee.
- Professional Resume or Curriculum Vitae. No format preference. This should mirror what you use when applying for work.
Please set aside sufficient time — usually about two to three weeks — for Graduate Studies to receive and process your supporting documents. We cannot guarantee that the committee will review applications completed after the final deadline in time for the applied semester.
Application Fee
A non-refundable application fee must be paid online with a credit card or electronic check (if you have a U.S. bank account). The application fee is $95 for U.S. applicants and $105 for international applicants. Your application will not be received until the fee is paid.
Status Checking
Once your application is submitted, you should monitor its progress and ensure that recommendations and supporting documents are received, using the Status and Checklist tabs of your application portal.
Technical Requirements
There are technical requirements for this program. Please review the minimum requirements below.
- Form Factor: Laptop or desktop (*Notebooks and tablets are not supported). A minimum of 4 hours of battery life is recommended.
- Processor: 64-bit multi-core processor or better. **
- Memory: 8 GB or more. For best performance, we recommend you install as much memory as affordable at the time of purchase.
- Operating System: The recommended operating systems are Windows 10 or Mac OS X (10.11.14)
- Browser: The recommended browsers for web-based browsing should be the latest version of Internet Explorer/Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.
- Primary Hard Drive: 500GB minimum. You may work with large datasets, so larger hard drives are better. Solid-state drives (SSDs) are recommended as they are much faster than hard disk drives (HDDs).
- Backup Device or Service: For local backup, an external hard drive with double the size of the internal hard drive or a subscription to a cloud-based backup solution like Dropbox or OneDrive is needed. Having a quality backup of your important files is vital to your success as a student. While external drives are acceptable forms of backup, a cloud-based solution is also an excellent alternative. A quality backup service will run continuously as you work and will back up your documents to a cloud-based storage location. Even if your laptop becomes unavailable due to loss, theft, or physical failure, the files are saved and fully recoverable. The cloud-based backup will be accessible from any computer with an internet connection.
- Networking: Dual-Band (2.4 GHz/5 GHz) Wireless 802.11n capable.
- System options: Webcam and microphone are needed to communicate effectively with faculty and classmates during live sessions and group work.
*Note that most netbooks and tablets (e.g. Apple iPad, Galaxy Tab, and others that run on an operating system designed specifically for the device) do NOT meet the minimum hardware requirements above. While they may initially provide sufficient performance for basic tasks such as web browsing or simple word processing, it won’t be possible to use the required technical software.
**The use of VLAB (a Virtual Lab that provides Georgia Tech students with a way to access virtual machines on campus and use software such as MATLAB and AutoCAD from any computer with internet access) does not diminish these requirements. Your system will still need to independently support the required software, as you will need to be able to install a subset of the software locally to your notebook.
Start Your Application
You can submit your application to the Certificate in Systems Engineering and Architecting program at any time of the year. If you have any questions during the application process, please check our Frequently Asked Questions or contact the Student Services Team.
At Georgia Tech, you are considered an international applicant if you are:
- Living outside of the United States and will require an F-1 or J-1 visa to study in the United States
- Living in the United States on a non-immigrant visa
- Going through the process of becoming a United States permanent resident
- Living outside of the United States and planning to apply to a program as a non-U.S. citizen or non-U.S. permanent resident
For complete details on the admissions process for International Applicants, please review the Admissions Checklist for International Applicants provided by Graduate Education.
This program is ideal for professionals who:
- Have a bachelor’s degree (3.0+ GPA)
- Bring 5 years of experience.
- Work with complex systems or technical programs.