Systems Engineering Program Earns INCOSE Academic Equivalency, Membership

Florida Tech is proud to announce its systems engineering master’s degree program has been recognized by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) for academic equivalency, a milestone that places the Melbourne university alongside Johns Hopkins, Georgia Tech, Purdue and other leading institutions.

Florida Tech is now one of just two Florida universities to hold this distinction.

Earning academic equivalency means Florida Tech’s systems engineering curriculum meets INCOSE’s industry-aligned standards, said systems engineering program chair and professor Luis Daniel Otero. Overall, fewer than three dozen universities currently have INCOSE academic equivalency, and that public designation helps boost graduates’ marketability.

More importantly, the equivalency designation also means that, staring in Fall 2025, Florida Tech systems engineering master’s students who successfully complete the equivalent INCOSE coursework can bypass the INCOSE Knowledge exam required to earn the council’s widely recognized Associate Systems Engineering Professional (ASEP) and Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) certifications.

INCOSE certifications are globally respected credentials that demonstrate a strong foundation in systems engineering principles and best practices.

“Earning an INCOSE ASEP or CSEP certification is a powerful way to stand out in the job market, and with this academic equivalency, our students have a streamlined path to achieving that distinction—right from the classroom,” Otero said. “An INCOSE certification will perfectly complement our students’ master’s degrees in systems engineering.”

The nearly year-long effort achieved a second milestone as well: Florida Tech has been granted membership to the INCOSE Corporate Advisory Board, giving Otero and colleagues direct input into global systems-engineering best practices as well as access to INCOSE’s industry network.