students working with computer

Master of Science in Software Engineering Systems

Master of Science in Software Engineering Systems

Engineer Complex Software Systems for Societal Impact

The Master of Science, MS, degree in Software Engineering Systems (formerly Computer Systems Engineering) approaches software development from the analytical and methodological perspective of an engineer. You’ll build advanced design and engineering skills, enhance knowledge in cloud computing, and develop machine learning algorithms. With your passion for high-performance technology, large-scale machine learning, and AI-type algorithms, you’ll become an intuitive problem solver, experienced engineering architect, and results-focused leader. Your knowledge of the three-way intersection of computer science, engineering, and ethics will enable you to have real-world societal impact in a high-demand field across industries.

At Northeastern, you have flexibility to select from coursework-only or thesis-based options, gain professional experience on co-op, work on real-world projects, and learn the latest technologies from industry-leading faculty.

Student experience in the MS in Software Engineering Systems (formerly Computer Systems Engineering) program

Innovative Curriculum - MS in Software Engineering Systems

Our master’s in software engineering systems program offers a multitude of courses in big-data engineering and analytics in addition to supplementary courses with the intention to deliver data-analytics results in a meaningful way to management.

The program covers data management, advanced data management, business intelligence, column databases, data science, and big-data engineering.

Advanced functional programming using the powerful Scala language and a course on advanced data science as well as cloud computing is offered. Multi-thread concurrent computing is also offered as it is important for synchronizing a huge set of servers working in parallel to do large-scale analytics to make things run faster by a hundredfold increase in speed. Due to the high-level mathematical operations required to run these programs, only software engineers have the capacity to work in such complicated areas. Only they can make the necessary mathematical algorithms execute quickly enough to get the finest results.

Our engineers become fluent in data science with the intention of building the actual system. They study how to write machine-learning algorithms on top of statistical packages.

Students Study:

  • The fundamentals of logical computing formulation and program construction as well as the mathematical modeling and analysis of algorithms—an essential aspect of data science analytics.
  • Clustering techniques, along with topic modeling and classification and logical regression techniques, as well as Bayesian statistics.
  • How to configure and operate a Hadoop environment (large clusters of commodity hardware) and in the process how to integrate data from diverse sources, to move and manage data through big-data platforms (in-house or in the cloud).  Data ingestion, the filtering and firing of millions of operations to run over large clusters of commodity hardware, is a software-engineering technique that we teach our students how to perform through Scala, multi-threading, Spark programming, and “map-reduce” techniques.
  • How to make the business case for analytics projects and how to follow an execution road map that involves understanding the architectures underpinning such gigantic platforms as well as the resourcing and cost issues.
  • A strong architecture and design skills in the implementations of complex socio technical systems
  • Ability to communicate effectively to a variety of industry professionals
  • An understanding of professional, ethical, and social issues as they relate to the use of technology be it digital, AI, and/or machine learning

In addition to Northeastern’s Boston campus, this program is available at our campus in Arlington, VA.

Over 15 graduate certificates are available to provide students the opportunity to develop a specialization in an area of their choice. Certificates can be taken in addition to or in combination with a master’s degree, or provide a pathway to a master’s degree in Northeastern’s College of Engineering. Master’s programs can also be combined with a Gordon Engineering Leadership certificate. Students should consult with their faculty advisor regarding these options.

Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership

Students may complete a Master of Science in Software Engineering Systems in addition to earning a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership. Students must apply and be admitted to the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program in order to pursue this option. The program requires fulfillment of the 16-semester-hour curriculum required to earn the Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership, which includes an industry-based challenge project with multiple mentors. The integrated 32-semester-hour degree and certificate will require 16 hours of advisor-approved software design engineering technical courses.

Experiential Learning

Northeastern combines rigorous academics with experiential learning and research to prepare students for real-world engineering challenges. The Cooperative Education Program, also known as a “co-op,” is one of the largest and most innovative in the world, and Northeastern is one of only a few that offers a Co-op Program for graduate students. Through this program, students gain up to eight months of professional experience employed in their field of  interest as part of the academic curriculum, giving them a competitive advantage after graduation. Northeastern has over 3,000 co-op employer partners, from large companies to entrepreneurial start-ups, and dedicated co-op coordinators to guide students through the process.

Program Goals

Educational Objectives

We are committed to shaping our MS in Software Engineering Systems students to be intuitive problem solvers, experienced engineering architects, and result leaders who will have a great impact at the exciting three-way intersection of computer science, engineering, and ethics.

Career Outlook

In 2021, the median salary for software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers was $109,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additionally, the job outlook from 2021 to 2031 is 25%, much faster than the industry average.

    Academic Advisors

    The Academic Advisors in the Graduate Student Services office can help answer many of your questions and assist with various concerns regarding your program and student record. Use the link below to also determine which questions can be answered by your Faculty Program Advisors and OGS Advisors.

    Admissions & Aid

    Ready to take the next step? Review degree requirements to see courses needed to complete this degree. Then, explore ways to fund your education. Finally, review admissions information to see our deadlines and gather the materials you need to Apply.

    Student Experiences

    2024 Lux. Veritas. Virtus. Inductees

    23 engineering graduate students were inducted into the newly established Lux. Veritas. Virtus. society, a prestigious honor that recognizes exceptional graduate students who exemplify the university’s mission, ideals, and values.

    Sharing the Power of Networking in Software Engineering Systems

    Simiao Wang, MS’24, computer software engineering, has mastered the art of the interview, helping her secure a competitive co-op at Costco and an internship offer from Goldman Sachs. On the Seattle campus, she has been provided many resources to connect with industry experts.

    Passionate About Inclusive, Innovative, and Ethically Driven Software Engineering

    Chaman Betrabet, an MS in software engineering systems student, is excitedly preparing to embark on a new career chapter as a mobile integration developer intern at SAP America.

    wearable device

    Developing Devices to Keep Employees Physically Distant

    Data Analytics Engineering student Jignesh Jadhav, MS’20, and Computer Systems Engineering student Yiqiang Wang, MS’20, while working on co-op at Iterate Labs, developed wearable devices to help judge physical distance and alerts the wearer if someone gets to close.