Industrial Engineering

Coordinator: Ira H. Kleinfeld, Professor, Eng Sc. D., Columbia University

As an established engineering discipline, industrial engineering in its modern juncture, designs, builds, and optimizes systems in all parts of modern life, including manufacturing, government, education, aerospace, transportation, logistics, and service industries. The M.S.I.E. program provides graduate education for industrial engineers and for engineers and scientists in other disciplines who seek advanced course work in systems optimization, quality assurance, manufacturing, engineering management, procurement, and the efficient use of both human and technological resources. The program offers excellent preparation for advancement in manufacturing organizations and for those seeking management positions in operations, supply chain, and technology.

Admission Policy

Candidates for admission are expected to hold an undergraduate degree in engineering, science, or business with strong quantitative background granted by a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a recognized foreign university. Competency in mathematics through calculus is also expected. Deficiencies can be remedied by enrolling in certain undergraduate and graduate courses at the university. Courses are taught in English, and proficiency scores must satisfy Graduate School requirements. Decisions on admission are made after a careful review of candidates' application portfolio.

M.S.I.E. Course Placement

For candidates holding the B.S.I.E. or similar degree, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher from an ABET-accredited program, the M.S.I.E. can be earned by successfully completing ten courses for 30 credits. Inadequate undergraduate preparation or prerequisite deficiencies identified by the coordinator or faculty advisor may result in a requirement of more than 30 credits. Candidates not holding a B.S.I.E. from an ABET-accredited program would be required to take, at a minimum, preliminary course work - INDE 6607 and INDE 6609 - if that material had not been satisfactorily completed prior to enrollment.

A plan of study incorporating required courses and any applicable substitutions is prepared for each candidate in the first term of attendance at the university. In requesting a course substitution, transcripts, course syllabi, and textbooks are the usual evidence of equivalent learning.

Capstone Project/Thesis Requirement

A capstone project is required of all candidates, and may be satisfied by completion of the designated courses with a project component or by INDE 6690. Projects are often team efforts involving an industrial or corporate problem.

Students who wish to go beyond the minimum graduation requirement of the research project as described above may elect to undertake a thesis for six credits as part of the elective course work. Graduate School thesis requirements are described elsewhere in the catalog.