www.ohio.edu/industrial

The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) offers three degree options leading to a Master of Science degree: engineering management, manufacturing systems and manufacturing information systems. Other specialized study concentrations are available in areas of faculty interest, including artificial intelligence, systems simulation, process planning, distribution systems, genetic algorithms, data  mining, and location science. The focus of graduate educational and research activities is on structuring the decision process, system analysis, and the design of complex systems that integrate technical, human, and economic resources within a variety of constraints and environments.

The engineering management option is desired for individuals holding undergraduate degrees in engineering, physics, or other technical areas. This option will help students develop appropriate skills for the management of technology-based companies. The program requires a set of courses emphasizing skills required of technology managers including coursework in quality systems, economic analysis, information technology, and manufacturing systems. This program requires the completion of the nonthesis option.

The option emphasizing manufacturing systems has been developed to meet the needs of engineers and other technical graduates who plan to perform industrial and systems engineering and management functions in manufacturing organizations. The option is designed to build upon mathematical and analytical expertise gained from a technical education and professional experience. It is heavily directed toward using the computer to solve production problems and includes courses from other departments to provide valuable interdisciplinary experiences.

The option in manufacturing information systems educates students who intend to work as industrial and systems engineers in the areas of manufacturing systems and manufacturing management. Information being the key to successful control of these complex systems, students will learn both the fundamentals of database theory and manufacturing applications. The focus of this area is computer integrated manufacturing through information integration.

A plan of study must be submitted to the IMSE Graduate Chair for approval before the end of the second quarter of study.

The department also participates in the integrated engineering Ph.D. program, emphasizing industrial engineering. For more information, see the department
Web site.

Each of these options and other concentration areas may be taken with or without a thesis. The thesis option requires a minimum of 45 quarter hours including a maximum of 6 hours of thesis (ISE 695). The nonthesis option requires a minimum of 51 credit hours including a three-credit-hour scholarly project  (ISE 694), a formal written report, a nonthesis committee, and formal defense. All full-time graduate students are expected to register for three successive quarters of ISE 630 beginning with their first quarter in residence. Up to six hours of independent study may be taken for degree credit in addition to hours earned in ISE 694 or 695.

A maximum of 12 credit hours of elective graduate level courses may be taken outside the department or the University, provided they are included in an approved plan of study. You are also required to complete at least one-third of your total required hours in graduate-only courses, while the other two-thirds  may be in graduate courses that are cross-listed with certain undergraduate courses.

The department welcomes applications from engineering students and qualified students with a bachelor’s degree in physical sciences, including mathematics and computer science. Each candidate is evaluated on previous academic record, work experience, and career goals. All applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), except in extenuating circumstances. International students desiring a graduate assistantship must pass a test of clarity of speech (SPEAK test).