The School of Industrial Engineering offers graduate instruction leading to the degrees of Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (M.S.I.E.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). In order to earn the M.S.I.E. degree, the student must be a graduate of an engineering curriculum. Students who received their previous degree(s) from an institution in the USA must have graduated from an ABET accredited engineering curriculum. Graduates from non-engineering curricula obtain the M.S. degree.
Admission Requirements: Students with undergraduate preparation in engineering, the physical sciences, or mathematics are encouraged to apply for admission. Although a baccalaureate degree in industrial engineering is advantageous in some areas of specialization, students with backgrounds in mathematics, computer science, physics, and other engineering disciplines (particularly mechanical and electrical engineering) have found that the graduate programs in industrial engineering offer useful professional opportunities. Students from psychology with a good background in mathematics and the physical sciences have been quite successful in the human factors area. Admission to the Masters program is based on total academic and professional achievement. Applicants must have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Applicants are required to take the aptitude test sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE General Test). Successful applicants usually have GRE test scores of at least 470 Verbal, 700 Quantitative and 600 Analytical. Applicants whose native language is other than English, or who do not hold a baccalaureate degree from a college or university of recognized standing which is located in the USA, are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Written English (TWE). These tests can be taken on the same day at no additional cost. Successful applicants usually have scores of at least 570 (paper-based total) or 220 (computer-based total) in the TOEFL and at least 4.5 in the TWE.
It is a University policy that graduate teaching assistants whose native language is not English must demonstrate adequate oral English proficiency before being assigned duties involving direct instruction of students. A score of 50 or higher on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) will satisfy the requirement. Although not required for admission to the Industrial Engineering graduate program, this requirement must be satisfied prior to applying for a Teaching Assistantship.
Two programs of study are available, the thesis option and the nonthesis option. The thesis option provides an opportunity for independent research in a given area of industrial engineering. Students who intend to earn the doctoral degree must pursue this option. The thesis option also prepares the student to enter professional practice immediately after graduation.
The nonthesis option is intended for students seeking a higher level of competence in the practice of industrial engineering upon entering professional practice after graduation and who do not intend to pursue the Ph.D. immediately after obtaining the master's degree. The program stresses breadth as well as depth in subject matter and provides an opportunity for engineering design experience.
Both programs build on the industrial engineering undergraduate curriculum. The following prerequisites are recommended for all incoming students:
Credits earned in basic prerequisite courses are not used in the plan of study for the master's degree. Some graduate courses can be taken concurrently with the above prerequisites.
Registration for First Semester of Graduate Study: New graduate students complete their registration for the first semester with the Graduate Advisor in the School of Industrial Engineering. The first semester's schedule should include the necessary prerequisite courses and those courses leading to advanced study in the specific area of interest to the student. In addition, all students must register every semester for the Graduate Seminar (IE 697). This course consists of a series of seminars on the current practice of industrial engineering and relevant research topics.
Registration for subsequent semesters will be done in consultation with the student's major professor. Listed on the next page is a schedule for the timely completion of the requirements for the master's degree.
English Proficiency Requirements: The English Proficiency requirements can be met by various means as described in the Graduate School Bulletin. All students should satisfy these requirements during their first semester of graduate study.
Advisory Committee: By the middle of the first semester of study (9 to 15 credit-hours of regular graduate course work), a major professor and an Advisory Committee should be selected by the student. The major professor and at least one other member of the committee must be from the School of Industrial Engineering. The remaining member should be a representative of the related area in the plan of study, and normally not an industrial engineering faculty member. The major professor/graduate student relationship must be a mutually acceptable one. The major professor will be the individual in charge of the thesis research or the engineering design project.
To facilitate the selection of an Advisory Committee, students should discuss their educational objectives with several members of the faculty within the first six weeks on campus. A list of the faculty interests can be obtained from the Graduate Office.
Plan of Study: After the selection of the Advisory Committee, the student should file a plan of study with the Graduate School through the Graduate Advisor as outlined in the Graduate School Bulletin. The plan of study should be worked out under the supervision of the major professor and members of the Advisory Committee. Changes in the plan of study can be made at a later date with the approval of the Advisory Committee, the School Head, and the Graduate School.
| Item | Deadline |
|---|---|
| 1.Satisfy Written English Proficiency Requirement if needed | Mid-term of first semester of study |
| 2.Selection of Major Professor and Appointment of Advisory Committee | During first semester of study |
| 3. File Tentative Plan of Study | During first semester of study |
| 4. File Final Plan of Study | As early as possible and no later than one week prior to the start of the last term of study |
| 5. Request Appointment of Final Examining Committee | Three weeks prior to final examination |
| 6. Check Thesis Format (Thesis Option) | Deliver thesis to major professor no later than three weeks prior to the end of classes |
| 7. Deliver Copies of Thesis to Members of Examining Committee and School Head (Optional for Students Completing a Design Project) | Two weeks prior to examination |
| 8. Final Examination Defending Thesis (Optional for the Nonthesis Program) | One week prior to the end of classes |
| 9. Deliver a Bound Copy of the Thesis to the Library Thesis Deposit Office (Thesis Option) | Last day of classes |
| 10. Deliver Two Copies of the Thesis along with Two Copies of the Abstract to the School of Industrial Engineering | Last day of classes |
| 11. Attend Commencement and Receive Congratulations from the Faculty, Family, and Friends! | Scheduled Engineering Commencement Exercises |
The purpose of the plan of study is to design an appropriate program to meet the specific needs of a given student in their chosen field of specialty as determined by the Advisory Committee. Ideally, a tentative plan should be formulated in advance of registration for the first semester of graduate work, and no later than at the time of registration for the second semester of study. The formal plan of study should be submitted to the Graduate School as early as possible and always at least one week prior to the start of the final term. Minor changes in the formal plan can be made easily in case of change in the area of specialization, course offering deletions, or schedule conflicts. These changes must also be filed one week prior to the final session of graduate study.
The course work must be selected to form a unified program of study. At least one related area of study outside the area of industrial engineering specialization is recommended. Typical related areas are other branches of engineering, mathematics, statistics, computer sciences, psychology, sociology, biology, economics, management, or industrial engineering.
Transfer Courses: Up to six credit-hours of transfer courses are allowed if the courses have been completed within the last seven years, fit into a cohesive plan of study, and are approved by the members of the Advisory Committee.
Graduation Requirements: An overall GPA of 3.00 is required for completion of the master's degree program.
Requirements for the Thesis Option: Courses selected for the thesis option are intended to provide some depth of study in a particular area of interest. The prerequisites to the program assure a minimal amount of knowledge in the general field of industrial engineering. The minimum requirements for the program are 21 credit-hours of course work with at least 12 hours in industrial engineering. At least 6 hours of course work is recommended from a related area. In addition, the student must take at least a total of 9 credit-hours of thesis research (IE 698), complete, and successfully defend in an oral examination a thesis representing evidence of independent research. The student must be registered for at least 3 credit-hours of IE 698 thesis research during the session the degree is conferred.
Requirements for the General Nonthesis Option: Courses selected for the nonthesis option should provide the student with a certain degree of breadth as well as depth in the field of industrial engineering in order to permit entering professional practice immediately upon graduation. The minimum requirements for the program are 30 credit-hours of course work with at least 21 hours in industrial engineering. At least 6 hours of course work is recommended from a related area. A relevant industrial engineering design project (IE 690) of significant value utilizing the course material in the plan of study that provides the candidate with an independent creative experience can be used to satisfy a maximum of three credit-hours of course work.
In addition to the General Nonthesis Option, there are seven other programs designed to provide a student an opportunity for greater specialization in one of the following five areas:
MANUFACTURING PROCESSES AND PRECISION ENGINEERING. Theory and application of metal forming, machining, and joining processes. Machine tool kinematics and dynamics. Principles of fixture design, process planning, accuracy, and economics. Design and control of automatic manufacturing systems. Advanced technology for cost-effective manufacture of high precision engineering products. Application of artificial intelligence in manufacturing.
PRODUCTION SYSTEMS DESIGN, AUTOMATION, AND CONTROL. Analysis and design of production systems for the manufacture, assembly, and distribution of discrete parts. Computer-aided design and control of work-stations, material handling systems, and production facilities. Applied robotics. Manufacturing information systems and decision methods. Capacity planning, production control, and scheduling theory.
MATHEMATICAL PROGRAMMING AND COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION. Linear, nonlinear, integer, and dynamic programming. Discrete optimization, network analysis, geometric modeling, and graph theory. Combinatorial analysis, complexity theory, and parallel algorithms. Routing, scheduling, search, control, and allocation problems. Reasoning and logic programming with applications to artificial intelligence.
ENGINEERING STATISTICS, STOCHASTIC ANALYSIS, AND COMPUTER SIMULATION. Probabilistic and stochastic modeling. Queueing theory, networks, and computational problems. Computer simulation theory, languages, and application. Time series forecasting, reliability, systems analysis, and statistical quality control.
Financing Graduate Study: Graduate study is financed from graduate appointments, special fellowships, loans, personal funds, and combinations of these sources. Detailed information on financing graduate study can be obtained from The Graduate School. Ask for their publication entitled "Financing Graduate Study". Some specific information relative to the School of Industrial Engineering follows.
Timely Completion: The total elapsed time of a completed master's degree program from admission to passing the final examination shall be no more than eight calendar years.
The remaining five courses should be selected to form a cohesive plan of study using the following general guidelines:
1 or more
IE 559
IE 659
1 or more
STAT 512
STAT 522
STAT 524
Plus a three-credit hour design course (IE 690), if desired.
1 or more
IE 670
IE 672
IE 675
IE 676
1 or more
IE 530
IE 532
IE 533
1 or more
IE 535
IE 536
IE 580
IE 581
1 or more
IE 582
IE 583
Plus a three-credit hour design course (IE 690), if desired.
1 or more
IE 632
IE 674
IE 676
1 or more
IE 545
IE 546
IE 548
IE 566
IE 646
IE 666
1 or more
IE 530
IE 535
IE 580
IE 581
Plus a three-credit hour design course (IE 690), if desired.
1 or more
IE 630
IE 631
IE 633
IE 634
IE 635
IE 639
MA 511
Plus a three-credit hour design course (IE 690), if desired.
1 or more
IE 640
IE 680
IE 681
1 or more
IE 539
IE 636
IE 637
IE 638
1 or more
MA 519
STAT 519
STAT 517
Plus a three-credit hour design course (IE 690), if desired.
The specific courses offered during a given term vary from year to year depending upon student demand and faculty availability. Listed below are the courses currently being offered. However, you should consult the most recent schedule for any changes.
| Courses | Fall Semester | Spring Semester |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Control | IE 530 | IE 530 |
| Reliability | IE 532 | |
| Industrial Applications of Statistics | IE 533 | |
| Linear Programming | IE 535 | |
| Stochastic Models in Operation Research I | IE 536 | |
| Discrete Optimization Models | IE 537 | |
| Nonlinear Optimization Models | IE 538 | |
| Stochastic Service Systems | IE 539 | |
| Engineering Economic Analysis | IE 545 | |
| Economic Decisions in Engineering | IE 546 | |
| Knowledge-Based Systems | IE 548 | |
| Job Design | IE 556 | |
| Safety Engineering | IE 558 | |
| Cognitive Engineering of Interactive Software | IE 559 | |
| Production Management Control | IE 566 | IE 566 |
| Manufacturing Process Engineering | IE 570 | IE 570 |
| Precision Manufacuring Systems | IE 572 | |
| Industrial Robotics | IE 574 | |
| Computer Aided Manufacturing I | IE 575 | IE 575 |
| Human Factors | IE 577 | IE 577 |
| Advanced Production Control | IE 579 | |
| Systems Simulation | IE 580 | |
| Simulation Design and Analysis | IE 581 | |
| Advanced Facilities Design | IE 582 | |
| Design and Evaluation of Material Handling Sys. | IE 583 | |
| Multiple Objective Optimization | IE 630 | |
| Heuristic Optimization (Alternate Years) | IE 631 | |
| Scheduling Models | IE 632 | |
| Dynamic Programming | IE 633 | |
| Integer Programming | IE 634 | |
| Theoretical Foundations of Optimization | IE 635 | |
| Stochastic Models in Operations Research II (Alternate Years) | IE 636 | |
| Computational Methods for Queueing Networks | IE 637 | |
| Engineering and Technological Forecasting Methods | IE 638 | |
| Combinatorial Optimization | IE 639 | |
| Network Simulation Languages | IE 640 | |
| Advanced Decision Theory | IE 646 | |
| Research Seminar in Human Factors | IE 656 | |
| Human Aspects in Computing | IE 659 | |
| Production Management Analysis | IE 666 | |
| Advanced Topics in Manufacturing Engineering | IE 670 | |
| Automatic Manufacturing Systems (Alternate Years) | IE 672 | |
| Computer and Communication Methods for Production Control | IE 674 | |
| Computer Aided Manufacturing II | IE 675 | |
| Flexible Manufacturing Systems | IE 676 | |
| Advanced Simulation Design and Analysis | IE 680 | |
| Theory of Modeling and Simulation (Alternate Years) | IE 681 | |