Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering
Head of Department: Jong-Shi PangAssociate Head for Graduate Studies: Carolyn L. Beck
117 Transportation Building
104 South Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 244-5703
E-mail: ge-grad@uiuc.edu
Major: Industrial Engineering
Degrees Offered: M.S., Ph.D.
Major: Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering
Degrees Offered: M.S., Ph.D.
Joint Degree Program: Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Master of Business Administration
Degrees Offered: M.S. and M.B.A.
Joint Degree Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering and Doctor of Medicine (Medical Scholars Program)
Degrees Offered: Ph.D. and M.D.
Joint Degree Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering and Doctor of Medicine (Medical Scholars Program)
Degrees Offered: Ph.D. and M.D.
Graduate Degree Programs
The Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering (IESE) offers graduate study leading to master’s and doctoral degrees in Industrial Engineering (IE) and Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering (SEE). The program offers an approach to industrial engineering and systems engineering, engineering design, and entrepreneurial engineering that crosses disciplinary lines. The IE program is based in advanced studies that focus on operations research, optimization, supply chain management, financial engineering, quality and reliability engineering and production management, with the aim to advance modeling, simulation, analysis and decision making for complex engineering systems. The SEE program is founded on the premise of dual competency in both traditional engineering and in the business side of engineering. The SEE program offers flexibility by permitting the student to select from a menu of advanced courses and take a wide range of electives to meet individual career goals. Graduates of these programs are prepared to enter professional engineering positions in industry, government, and private practice. Opportunity also exists for specializing in computational science and engineering within the department’s graduate program via the Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) Option.
Admission
Industrial Engineering
An unofficial minimum grade point average of 3.25 (A = 4.00) for the last 60 hours of undergraduate study is required and a 3.50 for any previous graduate work completed.
Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering
Applicants who have completed degree requirements in an accredited engineering program or its equivalent are eligible to apply for admission. Qualifications for admission include a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 (A = 4.00) for the last 60 hours of undergraduate work.
Both Programs
Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test are required of all applicants. Based upon the previous preparation of the student for either program, prerequisite courses may be specified by the advisor, but the credit may not be applied toward a degree.
All applicants whose native language is not English must submit a TOEFL score of at least 103 (iBT), 257 (CBT), or 613 (PBT); or an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) academic exam overall score of at least 7.0 with at least a 6.0 in all subsections. Applicants may be exempt from the TOEFL if certain criteria are met. Full admission status is granted for those taking the TOEFL or IELTS since the scores required for admission to IESE are above the minimum scores demonstrating an acceptable level of English language proficiency.
Applicants to joint degree programs must meet the admissions standards for both programs and be accepted by both programs. The application to the Medical Scholars Program will also serve as the application to the Mechanical Engineering graduate program. Specific admissions information for the Medical Scholars Program may be found at the MSP information Web site and the MSP graduate department summary Web site.
Degree Requirements–Master of Science
Industrial Engineering
A total of 32 graduate hours is required for the thesis option including 24 hours of formal graded course work and 8 hours of IE 599 (Thesis Research). Of the 24 hours of formal graded course work in the thesis option, 8 hours must be at the 500 level with 4 of these hours in the major field. No more than 8 hours of IE 599 can be applied towards the degree. For those students terminating their studies with the M.S. degree, a non-thesis option is also available upon consent of the advisor and approval by departmental petition. Those pursuing the non-thesis option are required to complete a minimum of 36 graduate hours including 32 hours of formal graded course work and 4 hours of IE 597 (4 hours maximum allowed towards the M.S. degree), since each student is required to show evidence of the ability to do independent research. Of the 32 hours of formal graded course work in the non-thesis option, 8 hours must be at the 500 level with 4 of these hours in the major field. Continuous registration is required in IE 590 throughout the Master’s program. Also as part of the requirements to obtain the M.S. degree, students should register for, and take, MSE 492. Credit obtained in this course may not be used toward a degree.
Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering
A total of 32 (thesis option) or 36 (project option) graduate hours of credit are required. For both the thesis and project options, 28 hours of course work must be completed: 12 hours of 500-level GE courses with 8 of these on the technical side and 4 on the business side of engineering; 16 additional hours of course work with at least 4 hours in an engineering department. A maximum of 4 hours of GE 597 may be used to satisfy the 500 level course work requirement. In addition to 28 hours of course work, 4 hours of GE 599 are required to complete the thesis option or 8 hours of GE 594 to complete the project option. Continuous registration is required in GE 590 throughout the Master’s program.
Degree Requirements–Doctor of Philosophy
Industrial Engineering
For those students entering the program with a master’s degree, a total of 32 graduate hours of formal graded course work is required. Of these 32 hours, 16 must be at the 500 level. A maximum of 4 hours of IE 597 (Independent Study) may be used to satisfy the 500 level course work requirement. Thirty-two hours of IE 599 (Thesis Research) credit is required in addition to the 32 graduate hours of course work. Qualifying examinations are required and should be taken no later than the second calendar semester after initial enrollment.
A student entering with a bachelor’s degree has the option of a direct Ph.D. program. A total of 56 graduate hours of formal graded course work (including 24 at the 500 level) is required in addition to 40 graduate hours, minimum, of IE 599 credit. Qualifying examinations should be taken as early as possible, generally no later than the third semester of enrollment.
As part of the requirements to obtain an IE Ph.D. degree, students must take MSE 492. Credit for this course may not be used towards the degree. Students must also maintain continuous registration throughout the program in IE 590.
Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering
A total of 96 graduate hours of credit including a Ph.D. thesis are required for the Ph.D. in Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering. At least 64 of the hours of credit, which may include thesis credit, must be earned in residence. In addition, the student must take the departmental Ph.D. Qualifying Examination, and by passing it be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy, and then must pass the Preliminary and Final Examinations for the Ph.D. degree. Students in the SEE masters program must take the Qualifying Examination before obtaining the M.S. degree; students entering the program with a masters degree earned elsewhere must pass the Qualifying Examination before or during their third semester in the Ph.D. program.
The 96 graduate hours of credit may be divided into three stages of 32 hours each, consisting of 32 hours generally represented by an M.S. degree or equivalent (Stage I), 32 hours of course work beyond the M.S. degree (Stage II), and 32 hours of thesis work for the doctoral thesis (Stage III). Stage I requirements are satisfied by completion of an M.S. degree in the Department or in a related engineering or technical discipline from the University of Illinois or other accredited university. A non-technical M.S. or MBA would normally not count toward the completion of Stage I. Such students would be required to enroll in one of the Master of Science Programs in the Department and satisfy the requirements therein in order to satisfy Stage I of the Ph.D. degree.
In Stage II, a total of 32 hours of formal graded course work are required, at least 16 of which must be 500-level engineering courses and at least 16 of which must be from the list of approved GE courses. A maximum of GE 597 (Independent Study) may be counted toward degree requirements. To advance to Stage II all students must pass the Qualifying Examination. To advance from Stage II to Stage III the student must pass the Preliminary Exam. Stage III is comprised of a minimum of 32 hours of GE 599 (Thesis Research) credit and a written dissertation followed by a final oral thesis defense.
For both the IE and SEE Ph.D. programs, the Preliminary Examination is taken after the Qualifying Examination. A minimum of six months should elapse between the successful completion of the doctoral Preliminary Examination and the doctoral final examination (oral dissertation defense). Continuous registration is required in GE 590 throughout the Master’s and Ph.D. programs.
Joint Degree Programs
The Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Master of Business Administration program is under revision at this time, and potential applicants should contact the department for the most up-to-date information.
For the Ph.D.-M.D. joint degree program, the specific requirements of both the graduate and medical programs must be met. Students enrolled in the Ph.D.-M.D. program take an average of eight years, including summers, to complete both degrees. The first year of the program is typically spent meeting requirements of the Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering graduate degree.
Faculty Research Interests
Faculty research by Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering faculty is pursued in the following fields: computer-aided design, optimization, design systems, manufacturing systems, nondestructive testing and evaluation, system dynamics and simulation, control, robotics, real-time decision making, reliability, entrepreneurial engineering, operations research/management science, and biomechanics. In Industrial Engineering, research is conducted in operations research, production engineering, quality and reliability engineering, and human factors. Study in the areas of cognitive engineering, computer-aided manufacturing, ergonomics, facilities planning, human-machine interaction, large-scale systems analysis, machine tool systems design, mathematical programming and optimization, production planning and control, and project management is aimed at improving the design and implementation of integrated systems of persons, materials, and equipment.
Facilities and Resources
Members of the IESE Department have access to a wide range of excellent research facilities. These laboratories support a wide range of activity and are described at the department’s research laboratories Web site.
Financial Aid
Qualified students may compete for financial assistance in the form of teaching/graduate/research assistantships, fellowships, grants, and tuition waiver scholarships. Under certain conditions, fellowships may be augmented by part-time assistantships. All applicants, regardless of U.S. citizenship, whose native language is not English and who wish to be considered for teaching assistantships must demonstrate spoken English language proficiency by achieving a minimum score of 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE), 24 on the speaking subsection of the TOEFL iBT, or 8 the speaking subsection of the IELTS. For students who are unable to take the TSE, iBT, or IELTS, a minimum score of 50 is required on the SPEAK test, offered on campus.