Dartmouth Engineering to Graduate First Online Master's Degree Program Cohort

Naisha Sinha, a member of this year's inaugural graduating cohort of the online MEng: CE, shows some Dartmouth pride.

That realization led her to Dartmouth's new online Master of Engineering in Computer Engineering (MEng: CE), designed specifically for working professionals and with an AI focus towards intelligent systems. At a time when AI touches every sector of society, the program is structured to help students understand how to apply the technology responsibly, evaluate its societal implications, and think critically about where AI might be heading in the future.

Drawn by Dartmouth's reputation and the program's industry-relevant curriculum, Sinha saw an opportunity to continue advancing her career while building expertise in one of technology’s fastest-moving fields.

"Because I'm in Silicon Valley, AI is at the center of everything," Sinha said. "Dartmouth's program—because it's specifically focused on AI—will help me keep pace with all the changes."

At this year's Commencement on June 14, Sinha will be among 21 students from the program's inaugural cohort to receive their degrees. The MEng: CE, launched in 2023, is Dartmouth's first fully online degree and the first of its kind in the Ivy League. Though the program is entirely online, over half the graduates are making the trip next week to celebrate in person. For Sinha, this will be her second time on campus. 

Sinha, who will be one of this year's student speakers at Thayer's Investiture ceremony on June 13, said the online experience challenged her intellectually, broadened her technical expertise, and supported her growth both as an engineer and as a professional, and it was particularly meaningful because of the connections she formed with faculty and fellow students.

One of the program's distinguishing features is its integration of hands-on hardware coursework into an online learning environment. Students receive hardware kits that allow them to complete projects from anywhere in the world.

Eugene Santos Jr., the Sydney E. Junkins 1887 Professor of Engineering and director of the MEng Program, recalled how the groundwork for this model emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when faculty began rethinking how engineering education could be delivered remotely.

"During the COVID era, we discovered that we could successfully deliver hardware-based projects remotely and overcome the challenges of supporting and shipping kits directly into student hands," Santos said. "That experience gave us the pedagogical and logistical expertise needed to launch the online master's degree. The timing aligned perfectly, thanks to the efforts of outstanding people across every level—from faculty and support staff to the admissions team."

Santos said the program's defining characteristic is Dartmouth's systems-oriented, human-centered approach to engineering. Students are trained to solve problems within complex systems, consider the human and societal impact of the technologies they create, and complete a capstone project that integrates multiple AI components into functioning hardware-based applications. Most courses also integrate an element of group work, often across time zones and continents, allowing for sharing of skills, experiences and knowledge.

The nine-course curriculum spans topics ranging from machine learning and natural language processing to hardware development and intelligent systems design.

In Santos' Applied Natural Language Processing course, for example, students explored both the historical and technical foundations of modern AI language and information systems and how to apply what they learned in a collaborative final project. Teams built AI systems that were capable of both summarizing complex financial documents and answering questions about corporate annual reports, and students learned hands-on how to integrate technologies ranging from speech recognition to web search.

Sinha had the opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant in this course, a rewarding experience that allowed her to work alongside professors who were deeply committed to helping students succeed. "At the same time," she added, "it gave me the chance to interact with students I might not have otherwise worked with directly, and they often brought up questions I wouldn't have thought of myself. And they came from such diverse backgrounds that I ended up learning from them just as much as I was helping them."

The program attracts a highly diverse group of students, most of whom are working professionals balancing full-time jobs with part-time study. Students typically bring strong academic and professional backgrounds, including experience in mathematics and programming, along with significant industry expertise. They come from a wide range of fields, including big tech companies, defense contractors, legal professions, and the military. 

Online MEng student Emily Marciniak works on a hardware kit project.

As the Manager of Data Strategy and Engineering at Disney, Emily Marciniak joined the program to gain a stronger foundation in AI, and was selected to be a student marshal in this year's graduation processional.

A standout experience for her was the Machine Learning course with Professor Peter Chin, whose structured teaching style and strong engagement helped her quickly adapt to the online format and feel supported in the program.

"As an incoming student in this program, knowing it would be online, I felt a little hesitant because I had never been an online student in my career before, and I wondered if I was going to get as much out of it as I would if I were in person, but Professor Chin was exceptional," she said. "He was so well prepared. He had every single component of the week spelled out for us, and then we had sessions twice a week online where he listened through everyone's questions. He was so thoughtful and so present for us."

During the program, Marciniak was promoted from senior data engineer to her current position, and she credits the coursework for broadening her technical perspective and improving her leadership capabilities.

"A few times during the program, we were going over topics in class and solving problems that were directly applicable back to my day-to-day work, and it was helpful to think about them using a different perspective," she said.

Sinha also enjoyed the Distributed Computing course, taught by Professor Michael Kokko, where she worked on a group project that involved programming on-campus autonomous robots to map and navigate a maze. Despite being an online class, the course created a strong sense of community through Zoom sessions with TAs and live camera feeds of the robots in action. Students uploaded code remotely and could observe real-time results as the robots communicated and coordinated to solve the maze.

"We had Zoom calls with our TAs where they would have cameras set up and we could see the huge maze mapped out on the floor and we would upload our code to these robots and see how they were responding on campus, which was so cool," she said.

Throughout the program, a human touch is strengthened through collaboration tools like Slack and Canva, regular faculty office hours, career services and a strong alumni network. Students also receive additional support from teaching assistants and staff—who recently earned a Distinguished Team Award from the Northeast Regional Computing Program for their innovation and collaboration in advancing technology-enhanced education.

Sinha also made good use of the Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Network (DEN) and alumni connections. Through DEN, she was able to connect with peers and mentors, access helpful resources, and receive guidance for building her own projects. She also participated in a formal mentorship program that paired her with a Dartmouth alum.

"I learned a lot by connecting to others through the DEN program," she said. "All the people that were in DEN were willing to hop on calls and lead me to the right resources and talk through my questions."

Online MEng student Benson Liu takes a selfie with Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock in Tokyo, Japan.

Benson Liu had a similar experience. Born and raised in Australia and now living in Japan, Liu attended a Dartmouth event in the country to connect with alumni. He even got to meet Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock during her trip to Tokyo.

Initially motivated to enroll in the program by a desire to understand embedded systems and complex technologies like vending machine infrastructure, Liu found that the program turned him toward entrepreneurship. He credited Dartmouth with giving him both the technical foundation and confidence to launch a startup aimed at developing small, innovative medical devices for the public sector.

"Not only has the knowledge I gained through this program helped me in building engineering products," he said, "but also the Dartmouth community has become the bedrock that helped me start a new business in Japan."