Graduate Program

Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering
The Ph.D. in IE program prepares students for careers in consulting, industry research, and academia. It provides an opportunity to explore challenging research problems and make a research contribution to the field of industrial engineering.   Students  learn how to write proposals, plan and conduct research, write research papers, and make technical presentations.

Course work
A total of 21 credits (typically 7 courses) at the graduate level are required beyond the M.S. degree. 

Dissertation
The primary focus of the program is on the research process. Students must successfully complete and defend a dissertation that describes the significance, methods, and results of their reserach investigations.

Examinations
Students must demonstrate knowledge of industrial engineering principles at an advanced level and an ability to conduct sound independent research.  Each student must pass three examinations.

• Qualifying Exam - A combination of course work and a research paper
• Preliminary Exam - Oral examination on the dissertation proposal
• Final Exam - Oral examination on the completed dissertation

More details on the Ph.D. program can be found in the IMSE Graduate Handbook.
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M.S. in Industrial Engineering
The M.S. in IE program prepares students for more challenging career assignments, more complex engineering problems, and Ph.D. studies.  It provides an opportunity to gain more in-depth knowledge of industrial engineering and introduces students to the research process.  

M.S. Thesis Program
Students studying on campus complete a thesis based on research under the direction of a professor. A total of 21 credits of course work (typically 7 courses) at the graduate level are required.  The remaining 9 credits are thesis research.

M.S. Non-thesis Program
Distance education students have a non-thesis option which involves a focused investigation called a creative component.  A total of 27 credits of course work (typically 9 courses) at the graduate level are required.  The remaining 3 credits are creative component research.

Examinations
All students must demonstrate  knowledge of industrial engineering principles at an advanced level and an ability to perform  research.  The final examination is an oral examination on the completed thesis or creative component.

More details on the M.S. program can be found in the IMSE Graduate Handbook.
Apply for admission