Graduate

Graduate Degrees

  • Master of Science (M.S.) in Industrial and Operations Engineering
  • Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) in Industrial and Operations Engineering
  • Dual M.S. in Industrial and Operations Engineering/ Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Industrial and Operations Engineering

M.S. and M.S.E. in Industrial and Operations Engineering

The Master of Science degree in Engineering in Industrial and Operations Engineering is available to students who complete the M.S.E. course requirements and have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized program in engineering. The Master of Science degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering is available to students with a bachelor’s degree from a recognized program in physics, mathematics or other fields related to engineering. Students who hold bachelor’s degrees from other fields and who wish to receive an M.S. in Industrial and Operations Engineering should consult with the program advisor as specialized programs (usually involving additional credit hours over basic requirements) can be developed.

The basic requirements include 30 credit hours of approved graduate courses subject to the following restrictions:

  1. At least 18 credit hours of IOE courses.
  2. At least five courses (equal or greater than 14 credit hours) must be at a 500 or greater level. At least four IOE courses (equal or greater than 12 credit hours) at a 500 or greater level. IOE 590 (Masters Directed Study, Research, and Special Problems) may be used for at most 3 credit hours of the required 12 credit hours of IOE courses at the 500 level or above. Other directed study courses, courses graded S/U and one- and two-credit seminar classes may not be used to satisfy 500 level requirements.
  3. At least one cognate course (equal or greater than 3 credit hours) from outside the IOE Department.
  4. No more than six credit hours of independent study.

Students are required to make up deficiencies in their preparation in probability, statistics, computer programming, linear algebra and English. An overall grade point average of “B” or higher in graduate courses taken in the program is required.

Special options, for which recommended courses have been defined, include:

  1. BUSINESS OPERATIONS ENGINEERING
  2. DATA ANALYTICS & APPLIED STATISTICS
  3. HEALTH & HUMAN SAFETY
  4. HUMAN SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
  5. OPERATIONS RESEARCH & ANALYTICS
  6. QUALITY CONTROL & RELIABILITY ENGINEERING

Health Engineering and Patient Safety Concentration:

The HEPS Concentration is a three semester program with its own requirements, which is conducted while simultaneously fulfilling the IOE Masters requirements. It has its own additional application procedure after admission to the Master’s program.

Requirements for Concentration in HEPS:

  1. Fulfill all requirements for IOE master’s program
  2. 3 semesters (Fall, Winter, Fall)
  3. Complete year long, program-designed, hands-on project (3 credits in the second semester, full-time in the summer, 3 credits in the 3 rd semester
  4. Satisfy the following course requirements:
    • IOE 813: Seminars in Healthcare Systems Engineering — must be taken first semester (Fall)
    • Statistics/Data Analysis: 1 course
    • Intro to Healthcare: 2 courses
    • Technical Core: 2 courses
    • Methodology: 2 courses
    • Program Focus: 2 courses
  5. Students may petition for special permission to count additional courses towards the HEPS requirements
  6. Please review the HEPS Master’s Concentration website for material describing these options and other details of the graduate programs.

Ph.D. in Industrial and Operations Engineering

The doctoral degree is conferred in recognition of marked ability and scholarship in some relatively broad field of knowledge. A part of the work consists of regularly scheduled graduate courses of instruction in the chosen field and in such cognate subjects as may be required by the committee. In addition, the student must pursue independent investigation in a subdivision of the selected field and must present the result of the investigation in the form of a dissertation.

A student becomes an applicant for the doctorate when admitted to the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies and accepted in a field of specialization. There is no general course or credit requirement for the doctorate.

At the end of the first year in the program, a student must pass a qualifying process  to continue in the program. This qualifying process is a holistic evaluation of the student’s potential for scholarly research, and more details on the required coursework, GPA, and research experience are provided on the IOE web site. Most students, at the end of their second year, take a preliminary examination in their chosen area of concentration. The student must also satisfy a breadth requirement before taking the exam. After successfully passing this exam, the student is admitted to candidacy and selects a doctoral committee to supervise preparation of the dissertation. A defense of the dissertation in the presence of this committee is required.

Information that describes the general procedure leading to the doctorate is available on the Rackham Graduate School website.

Dual M.B.A. / M.S. in Industrial and Operations Engineering

The Ross School of Business and the College of Engineering Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering offer a dual degree program enabling a student to pursue concurrent work in Business Administration and Industrial and Operations Engineering leading to the M.B.A and M.S. (I.O.E) degrees. The program is arranged so that all requirements for the degrees are completed in two and one-half years of enrollment with the required 65 credit hours completed.

Students interested in the M.B.A./M.S. (I.O.E) dual program must apply to, and be admitted by, both schools, using their respective application forms and indicating that application is being made to the joint program. Only one application fee is necessary. Students are expected to meet the prerequisites for each program. In particular, the statistics requirement for the IOE program should be discussed with an advisor prior to beginning either program. This program is not open to students who have earned either the M.B.A. or M.S. (I.O.E) degrees. However, students registered in the first year of either program may apply.

Students admitted to this joint program must satisfy the following degree requirements:

  1. The M.B.A 60-credit-hour degree program including:
    • the 31.5-credit-hour M.B.A core (no credit is awarded for Business Administration core courses successfully waived; credit must be earned with Business electives);
    • 5 elective hours in Business Administration (12 of the 13.5 must be approved by IOE);
    • 15 credit hours of transferable electives from the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering.
  2. The 18 hours of graduate-level IOE courses, including at least twelve credit hours in courses numbered 500 or above. Directed study courses and seminar classes may not be counted toward the IOE 500-level or above requirement.
  3. A 2-credit independent study in IOE or the Business School which would lead to a paper integrating business and IOE perspectives on a particular area of interest.

The total credit hours for the joint degree program will be at least 65.

The dual program can begin with studies in either school; however, because of the sequential nature of the core courses in the M.B.A program, most students will find it advantageous to start the first year in the Business School. Students who wish to begin with Industrial Operations Engineering should consult a counselor in the Business School to work out an appropriate plan of study.