Industrial Engineering

Graduate study and research are conducted in manufacturing, operations research-management science, production engineering, process design, systems engineering, human factors, ergonomics, service systems, and data analytics.

Admission Requirements

Applicants apply for admission to the program via the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies.

Graduates in engineering, physical sciences, and mathematics with a 3.00 grade-point average will be considered for admission. GRE scores are highly recommended for M.S. applicants only.

The language of instruction at Penn State is English. English proficiency test scores (TOEFL/IELTS) may be required for international applicants. See GCAC-305 Admission Requirements for International Students for more information.

Degree Requirements

Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) 

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-700 Professional Degree Policies.

The Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering is offered online through Penn State World Campus in partnership with the Penn State College of Engineering. 

Students must complete 30 course credits at the 400-, 500-, or 800-level, of which 21 course credits must be earned at Penn State (i.e., only 9 credits can be transferred from other institutions).  In addition:

• All students must successfully complete three credits of IE 894: Capstone Design.
• At least 18 credits must be in 500-level or higher courses (including IE 894).
• At least 15 credits must be in 500-level or higher IE courses (including IE 894).
• At least 21 credits of the 30 credits must be IE courses (including IE 894).

The Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering has limited formal course requirements; the program tailored specifically to suit the student’s needs and educational goals.  The list of IE 400- and 500- level courses can be found here: Courses - Industrial Engineering Master's Degree Online - Penn State World Campus (psu.edu).

Students may select from a list of elective courses maintained by the program.  This list may change over time in response to market demand.  Students may also use the graduate certificate courses in Additive Manufacturing and Design, Supply Chain Management, and Engineering Leadership and Innovation Management. 

For a full overview of the M ENG program, please visit:  Industrial Engineering Master's Degree (M.Eng.) Online - Penn State World Campus (psu.edu).

Master of Science (M.S.)

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies.

MASTER OF SCIENCE (THESIS and NON-THESIS TRACKS)
All M.S. students must be continuously registered for at least one credit during fall and spring semesters until completion of all degree requirements, including approval of the paper or thesis if pursuing those tracks. This is a college and department requirement.

M.S. Coursework Requirements
A minimum of 32 credits, including two credits of IE Colloquium, are required to complete an M.S. degree in Industrial Engineering. A minimum GPA of 3.00 is required for graduation. M.S. students may select either the thesis or non-thesis degree track. All degree status changes, including degree-track changes, must be approved by the student’s research advisor. The course requirements for an M.S. degree (Non-Thesis Track and Thesis Track) in Industrial Engineering are shown here. 
M.S.--Non-Thesis Track-27 Course Credits

• IE 505 Linear Programming (3 credits)
• IE 511 Experimental Design in Engineering (3 credits)
• 21 additional course credits with the following restrictions:
•      •Minimum of 9 credits must be IE 500 level course credits
•      •Minimum of 12 credits must be 500 level course credits
•      •Minimum of 12 credits must be IE course credits     * Research credits (IE596, 3 credits) or Capstone Credits (3 credits)
• IE 590 Colloquium (2 credits)

NOTE: OR 590 may be substituted for 1 credit of IE 590
Total Credits for M.S. –Non-Thesis Track: 32

M.S.--Thesis Track-24 Course Credits

• IE 505 Linear Programming (3 credits)
• IE 511 Experimental Design in Engineering (3 credits)
• 18 additional course credits with the following restrictions:
•      •Minimum of 3 credits must be IE 500 level course credits
•      •Minimum of 6 credits must be 500 level course credits
•      •Minimum of 9 credits must be IE course credits
• Research Credits (6 credits)
•      •IE 600
• IE 590 Colloquium (2 credits)

NOTE: OR 590 may be substituted for 1 credit of IE 590

Total Credits for M.S.—Thesis Track: 32

Notes:

• Students seeking a dual-title degree title in IE and Operations Research may substitute one credit of OR 590 for one of the two required credits of IE 590. 
• Only 400 level courses approved by the IE faculty can be taken for graduate credit.
• Certain courses taught by other departments duplicate course topics in IE courses. Students may not count the IE course and the corresponding duplicate course from another department toward their degree requirements.
• IE 596 (Individual Studies) credits cannot be applied toward course requirements. 
• Students enrolled in the dual-title IE-OR degree must complete more specific coursework requirements as part of the minimum course credits for their dual-title M.S.

M.S. Non-Thesis Track - Capstone Requirements 

For the Capstone Course, all degree requirements must be met prior to taking this course or be met concurrently in the same semester this course is taken.

M.S. Non-Thesis Track - Paper Requirements 

The M.S. paper must demonstrate the capability of the student to integrate and apply concepts and techniques learned in the courses to solve an engineering problem. The scope of the culminating project resulting in this paper must be specified by the student's research adviser who is selected by the student during the first semester of coursework. 

The electronic copy of the approved culminating research paper must be submitted to the IE Department by the paper deadline which is typically near the midpoint of the final semester. This scholarly paper will be made publicly available through the IE Department. At least one faculty reader other than the student's adviser must read and approve the paper, in addition to final approval by the IE Graduate Program Coordinator. The adviser must be a member of the graduate faculty from the IE Department; however, the reader can be a faculty member from within the department or graduate faculty member outside the department. Students should consult the student handbook regarding additional IE-OR Dual Title paper requirements.

M.S. Thesis Track – Thesis Requirements
The content of the M.S. thesis should be of quality sufficient for publication in a refereed journal. The thesis should follow the format specified by the Graduate School. The adviser must be a member of the IE Department Graduate Faculty; however, the reader can be a Graduate Faculty Member from either within the IE Department or outside the Department. The approval of the Department Head or the Graduate Program Coordinator is also required. Additional IE-OR Dual Title thesis requirements are described at https://www.or.psu.edu/masters-degree/. Students in the M.S. Thesis Track are exempt from taking the Capstone Course.

The review and approval of M.S. thesis is initiated by the student on the Graduate School Thesis Submission website https://gradschool.psu.edu/completing-your-degree/thesis-and-dissertation-information/. Final submission and departmental approval deadlines for M.S. thesis must be completed as per current deadlines well before the end of the semester.

Failure to meet these deadlines will delay the official awarding of your degree.  

Obtaining an Operations Research Dual Degree During Your M.S.
Students enrolled in Operations Research Dual Title degree program as part of their M.S. program should refer to the Operations Research Dual Title degree requirements for additional coursework and research paper/thesis approval requirements, http://www.or.psu.edu/.

Typical M.S. Time Sequence
Most M.S. non-thesis track and M.S. thesis track students complete their degree requirements in 3 or 4 semesters. However, it is possible to complete M.S. degree requirements in one calendar year as follows:

Non-Thesis

•  1^st Semester: 12 credits coursework, 1 credit IE 590
• 2^nd Semester: 12 credits coursework, 1 credit IE 590
•  Summer: 3 credits coursework, 3 credits of capstone or IE 596

Thesis

• 1^st Semester: 12 credits coursework, 1 credit IE 590, 1 credit IE 600 (Research)
• 2^nd Semester: 12 credits coursework, 1 credit IE 590, 1 credit IE 600 (Research)
• Summer: 4 credits IE 600 (Research)

Note: Students on assistantship may take longer to complete.

DOCTOr of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies.

The Ph.D. program emphasizes scholarly research, and prepares students for research and development careers in industry, government, and academe. Official entrance into the Ph.D. program occurs upon successful completion of a written qualifying examination. The Ph.D. is awarded upon completion of a program of advanced study that includes a minimum period of residence, passing the English competence and comprehensive examinations, completing a satisfactory dissertation, and passing the final oral examination. To earn the Ph.D. degree, doctoral candidates must write a dissertation that is accepted by the Ph.D. committee, the head of the graduate program, and the Graduate School. The degree requirements consist of 45 credits of course work and four IE 590 credits. Of the 45 credits of required course work, 36 must be prefixed IE, and at least 30 must be at the 500 level. Nine credits must be from outside the Department and must include a six-credit sequence, with at least three credits at the 500 level. A Ph.D. dual-title degree program in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research is also available.

Continuous registration is required for all graduate students until the paper, thesis, or dissertation is approved.

Dual-Titles

Dual-Title M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAC-208 Dual-Title Graduate Degree Programs.

Admission Requirements

Students must apply and be admitted to the graduate program in Industrial Engineering and The Graduate School before they can apply for admission to the dual-title degree program. After admission to their primary program, students must apply for admission to and meet the admissions requirements of the Operations Research dual-title program. Refer to the Admission Requirements section of the Operations Research Bulletin page. Doctoral students must be admitted into the dual-title degree program in Operations Research prior to taking the qualifying examination in their primary graduate program.

Degree Requirements

To qualify for the dual-title degree, students must satisfy the degree requirements for the degree they are enrolled in Industrial Engineering. In addition, students must complete the degree requirements for the dual-title in Operations Research, listed on the Operations Research Bulletin page.

The qualifying examination committee for the dual-title Ph.D. degree will be composed of Graduate Faculty from Industrial Engineering and must include at least one Graduate Faculty member from the Operations Research program. Faculty members who hold appointments in both programs’ Graduate Faculty may serve in a combined role. There will be a single qualifying examination, containing elements of both Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. Dual-title graduate degree students may require an additional semester to fulfill requirements for both areas of study and, therefore, the qualifying examination may be delayed one semester beyond the normal period allowable.

In addition to the general Graduate Council requirements for Ph.D. committees, the Ph.D. committee of an Industrial Engineering and Operations Research dual-title Ph.D. student must include at least one member of the Operations Research Graduate Faculty. Faculty members who hold appointments in both programs’ Graduate Faculty may serve in a combined role. If the chair of the Ph.D. committee is not also a member of the Graduate Faculty in Operations Research, the member of the committee representing Operations Research must be appointed as co-chair. The Operations Research representative on the student’s Ph.D. committee will develop questions for and participate in the evaluation of the comprehensive examination.

Students in the dual-title program are required to write and orally defend a dissertation on a topic that is approved in advance by their Ph.D. committee and reflects their original research and education in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. Upon completion of the doctoral dissertation, the candidate must pass a final oral examination (the dissertation defense) to earn the Ph.D. degree. The dissertation must be accepted by the Ph.D. committee, the head of the graduate program, and the Graduate School.

Minor

A graduate minor is available in any approved graduate major or dual-title program. The default requirements for a graduate minor are stated in Graduate Council policy GCAC-218 Minors.

Student Aid

Graduate assistantships available to students in this program and other forms of student aid are described in the Tuition & Funding section of the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School’s website. Students on graduate assistantships must adhere to the course load limits set by the Fox Graduate School.

In addition, the following awards typically has been available to graduate students in this program:

Harold & Inge Marcus Graduate Fellowships

Consideration for these fellowships shall be given to students exhibiting academic excellence who have been admitted to Penn State as candidates for a graduate degree in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, College of Engineering.

Benjamin W. Niebel Manufacturing Fellowship

Consideration for this fellowship shall be given to students exhibiting academic excellence who have been admitted to Penn State as candidates for a graduate degree in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, College of Engineering.

Courses

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

Industrial Engineering (IE) Course List

Learning Outcomes

Master of Engineering (M.Eng.)

1. KNOW: Students will be able to describe how core principles and methods from selected sub-fields of Industrial Engineering apply to their profession.
2. APPLY/CREATE: Students will adapt and apply industrial engineering methods and techniques to effectively solve problems in the workplace.
3. COMMUNICATE: Students will proficiently articulate and concisely convey findings, analysis, and insights from industrial engineering projects in widely accessible language.
4. THINK: Students will be able to analyze workplace data to prepare a problem solution using common methods and techniques in Industrial Engineering.
5. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Students will apply best practices and ethical standards for the industrial engineering profession.

Master of Science (M.S.)

1. KNOW: Students will be able to apply advanced core principles and methods from selected sub-fields of Industrial Engineering to a research problem.
2. APPLY/CREATE: Students will apply analytical skills gained through coursework to solve a research problem in industrial engineering.
3. COMMUNICATE: Students will adeptly articulate and succinctly present, both orally and in written form, research approaches and processes.
4. THINK: Students will survey methods and techniques in industrial engineering to design an effective problem-solving method.
5. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Students will apply best practices and ethical standards in conducting research in industrial engineering.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

1. KNOW: Students will be able to identify appropriate resources to summarize what is known, contextualize their research, and identify gaps in knowledge.
2. APPLY/CREATE: Students will survey content from coursework and apply methods to solve research questions.
3. APPLY/CREATE: Students will develop a research question and propose a solution process to a committee of faculty.
4. COMMUNICATE: Students will adeptly articulate an original research question and succinctly present, both orally and in written form, their approach, analyses, findings, and conclusions.
5. THINK: Students will review and analyze existing research in industrial engineering to formulate a research problem and to create an effective methodology to address the problem.
6. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Students will apply best practices and ethical standards to advance research in the industrial engineering profession.

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