Program Overview

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Doctor of Philosophy Program

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in Industrial and Systems Engineering is designed to prepare students for careers in academia and advanced professional careers in research and development. The program focuses on developing students' capabilities to advance the frontiers of knowledge through independent research and scholarship.

Ph.D. Program Information

The doctoral program is tailored to the needs and interests of individual students, with a focus on developing their research skills and expertise. The program requires a minimum of 90 graduate credit hours beyond the Bachelor's Degree, with at least 30 credit hours dedicated to research on the doctoral dissertation.

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination is a critical component of the Ph.D. program, assessing a student's aptitude for conducting independent scholarly research at the doctoral level. The examination is administered according to the following procedure:

1. Students submit a written request to the graduate liaison, suggesting the names of two or more ISE professors in their area of research interest who might serve as examiners.
2. A committee of at least two faculty members administers the exam, including the student's advisor when one is declared.
3. The examiners prepare an exam designed to assess the student's aptitude for conducting independent scholarly research.
4. The student works independently on the exam and prepares a scholarly written report for evaluation by the examination committee.
5. The examination committee may request an oral examination covering the report.
6. The examiners report the outcome of the exam (pass or fail) to the ISE graduate committee.

Outcome of Qualifying Examination

Failure of the qualifying exam is grounds for disenrollment from the doctoral program. If a student fails the exam, a committee of two faculty members (including the student's advisor) will be formed to determine the next steps. The committee may uphold disenrollment, allow the student to continue with a change of advisor, or recommend transfer to the M.S. program.

Advisory Conference

The advisory conference is a meeting between the student and their advisory committee to develop an overall plan for attaining a doctoral degree. The conference is typically held within the second semester of enrollment in the doctoral program.

Coursework Requirements

The coursework requirements for the Ph.D. program include:

• A minimum of 9 credit hours of core courses, including:
  • ISE 5013 Fundamentals of Engineering Statistical Analysis
  • ISE 5023 Systems Optimization
  • ISE 5033 Systems Engineering
• At least 9 credit hours of electives approved by the advisory conference committee and graduate liaison
• At least 12 credit hours of coursework in Industrial and Systems Engineering at the 5000-level or above
• At least 3 credit hours of 6000-level courses in Industrial and Systems Engineering

Transfer Credit

Students may request an evaluation to determine whether transfer credit can be given for graduate-level coursework completed at another institution. Transfer credit cannot be more than five years old at the time of admission to the graduate program.

Doctoral Committee

The doctoral committee is responsible for advising, directing, assisting, and encouraging the student throughout their career as a doctoral candidate. The committee must be composed of at least five members, including one member from outside the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

General Examination

The general examination is a critical component of the Ph.D. program, testing the student's mastery of related fields and their capacity for synthesis and sound generalization. The examination consists of a written portion followed by an oral portion, and is typically taken after all required coursework has been completed.

Proposal Defense

The proposal defense is a separate event from the general exam, typically occurring at a later point in time. The purpose of the proposal is to update the doctoral committee on the status of the doctoral student's research and improve the likelihood of a successful dissertation defense.

Preparation for Dissertation Defense

A number of items must be completed during the semester in which a student expects to defend the dissertation, including:

1. Applying for graduation
2. Completing a degree check
3. Distributing a reading copy of the dissertation to each doctoral committee member
4. Scheduling the defense
5. Obtaining authorization for the defense

Dissertation Defense

The dissertation defense is an oral examination of a doctoral candidate's dissertation research, conducted by the doctoral committee and open to the public. The defense must be held no later than the last day of classes of the semester in which it is authorized.

Depositing the Dissertation

After the dissertation has been successfully defended, the student must incorporate any corrections and comments into the final dissertation copy. The student must then submit the final dissertation to the SHAREOK repository no later than 60 calendar days after the dissertation defense.