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The Bachelor of Science in Engineering Systems and Management at Khalifa University is designed for students who want to apply engineering knowledge to lead, create impact, and make effective decisions in complex systems.
The program prepares students to become analytical problem-solvers and future leaders in engineering-driven organizations. It focuses on developing the ability to understand, evaluate, and manage complex systems where technical, organizational, and economic factors interact. Students are trained to think broadly and systematically, approaching challenges with a mindset that integrates engineering insight with structured decision-making.
The curriculum is structured to develop strong engineering management capabilities, supported by a solid foundation in engineering, mathematics, systems thinking, and management science. Students learn to apply analytical tools such as optimization, data-driven analytics, and engineering economics to support effective planning, resource allocation, and operational decision-making. Core areas of engineering management, including project management, operational excellence, and performance improvement, are integrated throughout the program. This combination equips graduates to evaluate alternatives, manage uncertainty, and lead complex engineering initiatives in dynamic and interdependent environments.
Students apply these skills across a wide range of domains, including manufacturing, energy, healthcare, logistics, finance, and service systems. This exposure reflects the growing demand for professionals who can navigate complexity and deliver value across diverse sectors.
In parallel with technical capabilities, the program emphasizes the development of professional skills essential for effective decision-making and leadership. Students gain experience in teamwork, communication, and ethical reasoning, while considering sustainability, resilience and the broader societal impact of engineering solutions. Design is integrated throughout the curriculum and culminates in a senior design project, where students tackle open-ended, real-world problems that require both technical depth and sound judgment.
Graduates of the program are prepared for roles that require both engineering expertise and decision-making responsibility, including engineering management, operations and process improvement, project management, and analytical decision-support positions. The program also provides a strong foundation for advanced study in engineering management and related fields.
| Number of Enrolled Students | |
|---|---|
| TERM | COUNT |
| Spring 2024 | 64 |
| Fall 2023 | 179 |
| Fall 2022 | 153 |
| Fall 2021 | 143 |
| Fall 2020 | 133 |
| Fall 2019 | 102 |
| Fall 2018 | 177 |
| Number of Graduates | |
| Academic Year | Count |
| 2022 | 29 |
| 2021 | 42 |
| 2020 | 28 |
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2018 | 9 |
Students graduating with a BSc in Engineering Systems and Management degree will attain the following:
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(1) |
An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics. |
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(2) |
An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors. |
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(3) |
An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences. |
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(4) |
An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts. |
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(5) |
An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives. |
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(6) |
An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions. |
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(7) |
An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies. |
Engineering Systems and Management make decisions concerning the best use of people, material, equipment, energy, and cost in achieving an organizational aim. They can find work in:
Graduates of the program are well positioned for a wide range of roles, including:
IISE Student Chapter
The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) student chapter at Khalifa University of Science and Technology (#671) promotes the advancement of engineering systems and management by fostering professional development, knowledge exchange, and engagement with industry. The chapter supports students in exploring the integration of engineering, analytics, and management practices, and encourages active participation in areas such as operations, systems improvement, decision-making, and organizational performance.
Through organized activities, the chapter provides a platform for students to connect theory with practice, develop leadership skills, and engage with emerging trends in engineering management and systems-oriented disciplines.
The goals of the chapter are to:
Course Description of Industrial and Systems Engineering听
ESMA 200 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Engineering Economic Analysis
Prerequisite: 听听听听 MATH 112
Introduces engineering economics concepts like time value of money, interest rates, inflation and cost-benefit analysis; students evaluate project alternatives and case studies.
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ESMA 201听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Introduction to Engineering Systems and Management
Prerequisites:听 MATH 112 and COSC 114
Introduces fundamental concepts in engineering systems and management with emphasis on management theory and systems-based approaches; examines processes like organizational dynamics and leadership roles.
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ESMA 271听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Modern Methods of Manufacturing
Prerequisite:听 听 PHYS 121 and COSC 114
Focuses on digital manufacturing, automation, additive manufacturing, and interactions among product design, materials, energy usage and processes; includes hands-on machining and AI tools for process selection.
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ESMA 311听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Quality & Reliability Engineering
Prerequisite: 听听听听 MATH 321
Discusses principles and applications of quality and reliability engineering; skills in process variation analysis, measurement evaluation and data-driven methods for quality improvement and reliability enhancement; uses real data and statistical software.
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ESMA 340听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Energy Policy & Economics
Prerequisite:听 听 Junior Standing
Provides grounding in energy economics and policy, exploring relationships among energy, economics and environment; covers how economic systems shape energy policy, with case studies from developed and developing economies
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ESMA 341听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Simulation Modeling & Analysis
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 201, MATH 242 and COSC 114
Teaches discrete event simulation methodology, including statistical basis, simulation languages and design; applications to manufacturing and logistics simulations
ESMA 351 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Operations Management
Prerequisite:听 听 听MATH 242, MATH 251, ESMA 271 and ESMA 200
Introduces concepts and tools of operations management, including forecasting, inventory management, lean, scheduling, material and capacity planning; covers integrated production planning systems like MRP, MRP II and ERP
ESMA 352 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Lean Manufacturing
Prerequisite: 听听听听 ESMA 271听
Introduces lean philosophy and tools, focusing on design of lean manufacturing systems, differences between push and pull systems, and basics for lean service systems
ESMA 360听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Design for People
Prerequisite: 听听听听 ESMA 201
Introduces human capabilities and limitations in engineered systems; covers ergonomics, safety and design principles for products and workplace settings.
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ESMA 361听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Data and Information Engineering听
Prerequisite:听听听听听 ESMA 201
Introduces data modeling and database design; covers relational models, entity-relationship models, SQL, data visualization/analysis, and retrieving data from ERP systems and data warehouses.
ESMA 362 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Systems Project Management听
Prerequisite:听 听 Junior standing
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Uses a systems approach to managing engineering projects, covering life cycles, constraints, stakeholders, risk, cost, scheduling, and AI tools for risk assessment and decision-making.
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ESMA 377听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Undergraduate Research
Prerequisites:听 Junior standing with a minimum CGPA of 3.0
Students work individually or in small groups to develop research methods or creative practices, become integrated into the KU community and engage in research projects.
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ESMA 391听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Independent Study I
Prerequisites:听听听 Junior standing
Students undertake an individual/group project or research under faculty supervision; a formal report is required
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ESMA 395听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Special Topics in ISYE
Prerequisite:听 听 听 Junior Standing
Focuses on new trends in Industrial & Systems Engineering; course is repeatable if title/content differ.
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ESMA 399听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Engineering Systems & Management Internship
Prerequisite:听 听 听 GENS 300 and completion of 90 credit hours
Students participate in an internship of 8 weeks (240 hours) or 16 weeks (480 hours); integrates theory with real-world experience; supervised by faculty and company; a report is required.
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ESMA 401听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Advanced Systems Engineering听
Prerequisites:听听听 ESMA 201
Introduces advanced systems engineering methodology, design and management, relates to operations research, management science and economics.
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ESMA 402听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Risk Management and Decision Making
Prerequisites:听听听 MATH 242
Covers principles and applications of risk analysis in engineering systems; includes risk assessment tools, decision theory and probability.
ESMA 411听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Operational Excellence
Prerequisite:听听听听听 ESMA 331
Teaches principles and tools to create a culture of excellence; uses lean six sigma and other skills for operations in service and manufacturing.
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ESMA 422听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Reliability
Prerequisite:听 听 听 ESMA 344
Focuses on system-level reliability and maintenance, covering hazard functions, life distributions, reliability systems and replacement theory.
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ESMA 430 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Supply Chain and Logistics
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 351
Introduces supply chain and logistics concepts integrating production, operations and inventory management; uses mathematical programming/optimization.
ESMA 431听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Time Series Forecasting
Prerequisites:听 MATH 242 or MATH 243 or MATH 244
Introduces techniques for analyzing and predicting data over time; covers time series models and forecasting methods.
ESMA 432听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Advanced Stochastic Processes
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 331
Covers analysis and modeling of stochastic processes including measure theoretic probability, martingales, Brownian motion; applications to finance, insurance and queuing.
ESMA 433听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Advanced Statistics
Prerequisites:听 MATH 242
Introduces advanced inferential statistics, including design of experiments, non-parametric statistics and Bayesian statistics; uses programming languages like R or SAS.
ESMA 440听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Fundamentals of Business Analytics
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 311
听Covers tools and methods for analytics, emphasizes machine-learning methods; students learn to visualize, analyze data and forecast using R.
ESMA 441听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Advanced Simulation
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 341
Provides advanced simulation topics, focusing on agent-based models and analysis techniques for large-scale systems; includes input modeling, output analysis, and design of experiments.
ESMA 444听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Healthcare Analytics and Management
Prerequisites:听 MATH 242 and ESMA 351
Teaches healthcare analytics and management tools for decision-making; includes predictive analytics, process improvement, supply chain management, risk management, quality and safety.
ESMA 445听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Six-Sigma Methodology & Applications
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 311 and ESMA 352
Introduces Six Sigma methodology, DMAIC, quality management tools, project management and real-world applications.
ESMA 451听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Operations Research II
Prerequisites:听 MATH 251
听Introduces optimization problems with integer variables; topics include assignment, transportation, network flows; uses software to solve practical problems.
ESMA 461听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Engineering Psychology
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 360
Covers fundamentals of human information processing; focuses on designing human-machine systems compatible with human cognitive processes; includes case studies.
ESMA 462听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Engineering Systems Design
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 362
Describes systems engineering design process; emphasizes requirements analysis, functional analysis and synthesis, system architecture and design, and project management principles.
ESMA 475听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Facilities Planning and Warehousing
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 352
Focuses on efficient flow and storage of materials; includes facility location, layout, material handling, warehouse operations, and distribution systems.
ESMA 477听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Undergraduate Research
Prerequisites:听 Senior standing with minimum CGPA 3.0
Provides opportunity to work on research methods/creative practices; students develop project management and communication skills; fosters integration within the KU research community.
ESMA 480听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Financial Engineering
Prerequisites:听 MATH 242 or MATH 243 or MATH 244
Covers modern financial engineering concepts including interest, annuities, investment strategies, risk and return analysis; applies probability and statistics to financial decision-making.
ESMA 481听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Procurement and Supply Management
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 351
Explores procurement strategies, sourcing, supplier selection, negotiation, contract management and sustainability; emphasizes integration with supply chain and logistics.
ESMA 485听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Stochastic Manufacturing and Service Systems
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 331
Develops stochastic models for manufacturing and service systems; topics include queueing theory, inventory models, and reliability in complex systems.
ESMA 491听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Independent Study II
Prerequisites:听 Senior Standing
Students work individually or in small groups on a project or research topic under faculty supervision; requires formal report.
ESMA 495听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Special Topics in ISYE
Prerequisites:听 Junior Standing
Addresses emerging technologies and new trends in Industrial & Systems Engineering; content may vary by offering.
ESMA 497听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Senior Design Project I
Prerequisites:听 GENS 101, ESMA 311, ESMA 341, Senior Standing
Teams plan and design engineering systems projects including problem definition, feasibility, analysis, and design under multiple constraints; emphasises teamwork and communication.
ESMA 498听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Senior Design Project II
Prerequisites:听 ESMA 497
Continuation of senior design project focusing on implementation, evaluation, and completion of engineering systems project; includes prototype development and testing.
ESMA 499听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Engineering Systems & Management Internship
Prerequisites:听 GENS 300 and completion of 90 credit hours
Extended internship experience integrating academic theory with practical work in engineering systems and management; requires supervision and final report.
BUSS 150听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Introduction to Economics
Prerequisites:听 ENGL 102
Covers microeconomic concepts and analysis and provides an overview of macroeconomic issues such as demand/supply, market structures, employment and inflation.
BUSS 201听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance
Prerequisites:听 ENGL 102 and Sophomore Standing
Provides broad introduction to financial and management accounting; covers use of accounting information and financial statements for decision-making.
BUSS 202听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Business Communication
Prerequisites:听 ENGL 102
Develops effective business communication for proposals, meetings and presentations; covers professionalism, teamwork, leadership and cultural diversity.
BUSS 203听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Environmental Economics
Prerequisites:听 BUSS 150
Teaches economic thinking for environmental and sustainability issues; analyses market failures and market-based instruments for environmental protection.
BUSS 204听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Introduction to Organizational Management
Prerequisites:听 ENGL 102
Introduces managerial functions such as planning, organizing, leading and controlling; includes risk management and strategic planning.
BUSS 205听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Business Forecasting
Prerequisites:听 MATH 111
Focuses on forecasting techniques and quantitative methods for business applications and decision-making.
BUSS 296听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Directed Studies
Prerequisites:听 Sophomore Standing
Directed study allows students to explore an area of interest with faculty supervision; requires a formal written report.
BUSS 301听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Corporate Leadership and Human Resource Management
Prerequisites:听 Junior Standing
Prepares students for leadership roles through theoretical analysis and practical applications; emphasizes decision-making, strategy formulation, collaboration and communication.
BUSS 322听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Fundamentals of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Prerequisites:听 Junior Standing
Develops innovative and entrepreneurial mindset; teaches design thinking, lean startup methods, opportunity analysis and business plan development.
BUSS 339听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Econometrics
Prerequisites:听 BUSS 150 and (MATH 242 or MATH 243)
Introduces statistical methods used in business and finance; covers simple and multiple regression, time series, limited dependent variables and panel data techniques.
BUSS 344听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Managerial Finance
Prerequisites:听 BUSS 201
Emphasizes financial management, financial markets and tools for decision making; includes financial planning, working capital management, capital budgeting and international finance.
BUSS 350听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Economics
Prerequisites:听 None
Introduces microeconomic concepts and analysis and provides overview of macroeconomic issues; discusses demand, supply, market structures, competition and monetary and fiscal policies.
BUSS 361听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Business and Sustainability
Prerequisites:听 ENGL 102
Explores role of business in capital accumulation and socio-economic sustainability; examines responsible practices and contributions to economic, social and environmental well-being.
BUSS 374听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Managerial Accounting
Prerequisites:听 BUSS 201
Covers methods of preparing managerial accounting information; focuses on decision-making, production management, product design, pricing and internal operations.
BUSS 381听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Macroeconomics and the UAE Economy
Prerequisites:听 BUSS 150
Provides understanding of UAE and other national economies; uses principles of macroeconomic analysis to interpret UAE economic history, policy-making and global economic changes.
BUSS 395听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Special Topics in Business Studies
Prerequisites:听 None
Course is repeatable with different titles and content; topics vary according to emerging issues in business.
BUSS 456听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 Investments & Portfolio Management
Prerequisites:听 MATH 211 and MATH 231 and (MATH 242 or MATH 243)
Focuses on quantitative analysis of risk and asset allocation; teaches steps for portfolio optimization, statistical market modeling, and use of tools like Bloomberg terminals for portfolio analysis.