Non-Resident Degree Programs

359: Human Systems Integration

Human Systems Integration (HSI) is an interdisciplinary program that emphasizes human considerations as a priority in systems design and acquisition, to reduce life cycle costs, and improve total system performance. HSI has been divided into several distinct domains that include human factors engineering, manpower, personnel, training, human survivability, health hazards, system safety, and habitability. HSI is based on the understanding that people (operators, maintainers, and support personnel) are critical elements of the system and that a human-centered design perspective promotes system effectiveness, safety, and cost savings.

View the Human Systems Integration Certificate Program.

379: Master of Cost Estimating and Analysis

The Master of Science in Acquisition: Cost Estimating is a 24-month, distance-learning graduate degree program designed to improve the accuracy, credibility, and strategic value of cost estimates across the Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal agencies. Sponsored by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), the program equips students with the analytical skills, methodological tools, and policy insight needed to support high-stakes decision-making in defense and civilian acquisition environments.

This interdisciplinary curriculum prepares professionals for advanced roles in cost analysis, program management, scheduling, and acquisition planning. Emphasizing applied learning, the program covers all major domains of cost estimation—including shipbuilding, aircraft, software, space systems, and other complex systems.

Students take two courses per academic quarter over eight consecutive quarters, allowing them to maintain full-time employment while progressing through a rigorous, structured course of study. The program culminates in a two-quarter Capstone Project in which students apply their training to a real-world acquisition challenge, often in partnership with a government sponsor. The Capstone emphasizes interdisciplinary integration, stakeholder engagement, and the development of defensible, data-driven recommendations.

In addition to core instruction in cost estimation, the curriculum includes in-depth coverage of:

• Earned Value Management (EVM): Students learn to apply EVM principles to monitor and analyze program performance in accordance with DoD and ANSI/EIA-748 standards.
• Scheduling and Cost-Schedule Risk Integration: Coursework introduces critical path methods, Monte Carlo simulation, and integrated cost-schedule risk modeling to support forecasting and contingency planning.
• Technology Readiness and Program Risk: The curriculum covers Technology Readiness Assessments (TRAs) and systems engineering fundamentals to evaluate how technological maturity and integration risks impact cost and schedule outcomes.
• Agile Software Development Best Practices: Students examine how Agile and DevSecOps practices influence software cost estimation and lifecycle management, including case studies from government and industry.

Through this multi-domain, multidisciplinary approach, students gain practical expertise in developing credible, transparent, and mission-relevant cost estimates. The program is specifically designed for acquisition professionals supporting DoD, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy, and other federal agencies with major program responsibilities.

Graduates emerge ready to serve as cost estimators, acquisition managers, schedulers, and strategic advisors—ensuring that government investment decisions are grounded in sound analysis and aligned with best practices.

363: Systems Analysis

The Master of Systems Analysis (MSA) program is a distance learning, graduate degree program, designed to meet the needs of the Navy and other services in the Department of Defense (DoD) for technical graduate education in systems analysis as a basis for aiding key decisions on force requirements, weapon systems, and other defense matters. Students acquire foundation skills and hands-on experience in all aspects of analytical studies, which includes the skills to formulate problems, use the analytical process to design study requirements, highlight critical assumptions, recognize strengths and weaknesses of applied analytical methodologies, and evaluate study recommendations.