Industrial Engineering (PhD) – Post-Master’s Track

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Industrial Engineering is designed to produce highly skilled researchers with both broad knowledge of industrial engineering and in-depth knowledge of specialty fields for careers in academia, industry, and government. The program allows a candidate to thoroughly study some aspect of industrial engineering through faculty expertise in research areas such as management systems, systems simulation and modeling, operations research, quality systems engineering, interactive simulation and training systems, systems engineering, and human systems engineering, human-computer interaction, and ergonomics.

The Post-Master's PhD track is intended for students with a master's degree in Industrial Engineering or a closely related discipline.

This track requires completion of 42 credit hours at the graduate level post-Master's degree. Up to 15 credits of those must be comprised of a combination of graduate level classes, a maximum of 12 credit hours must be devoted to doctoral research, while 15 credit hours must be devoted to the doctoral dissertation. The program is designed for students who have an earned M.S. degree and are seeking a higher-level education and research training.

Total Credit Hours Required: 42 Credit Hours

Track Prerequisites

Applicants to the Post-Master’s Track must have already earned an MS degree in Industrial Engineering a closely related discipline and are seeking higher level graduate education and research training.

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

6 Total Credits

• Complete the following:
  • ESI6891 - IEMS Research Methods (3)
  • ESI6247 - Experimental Design and Taguchi Methods (3)

Elective Courses

9 Total Credits

• Earn at least 9 credits from the following types of courses: Earn at least 9 credits from the following:  EIN5248 - Ergonomics (3)  EIN5251 - Usability Engineering (3)  EIN6258 - Human Computer Interaction (3)  EIN6271 - Human Reliability (3)  ESI6225 - Quality Design and Control (3)  ESI6224 - Quality Management (3)  EIN6336 - Production and Inventory Control (3)  EIN6336 - Production and Inventory Control (3)  ESI5227 - Total Quality Improvement (3)  EIN6182 - Engineering Management (3)  EIN5117 - Management Information Systems I (3)  EIN6370 - Innovation in Engineering Design (3)  EIN6339 - Operations Engineering (3)  EIN5108 - The Environment of Technical Organizations (3)  ESI6336 - Queueing Systems (3)  ESI5306 - Operations Research (3)  ESI6418 - Linear Programming and Extensions (3)  ESI6532 - Object-Oriented Simulation (3)  ESI5531 - Discrete Systems Simulation (3)  EIN5255C - Interactive Simulation (3)  EIN6528 - Simulation Based Life Cycle Engineering (3)  EIN6936 - Seminar in Advanced Industrial Engineering (3)  ESI6217 - Statistical Aspects of Digital Simulation (3)  ESI6358 - Decision Analysis (3)  ESI5359 - Risk Assessment and Management (3)  EIN6215 - System Safety Engineering and Management (3)  ESI5236 - Reliability Engineering (3)  EIN5346 - Engineering Logistics (3) o Other accepted electives from other departments  Computer Applications CAP5XXX, CAP6XXX  Communications COM6XXX  Criminal Justice CCJ5XXX, CCJ6XXX , CCJ7XXX  Civil Engineering CGN5XXX, CGN6XXX  Computer and Information Systems CIS5XXX, CIS6XXX  Criminal Justice Law Enforcement CJE6XXX  Computer Networks CNT5XXX, CNT6XXX  Computer Theory COT5XXX, COT6XXX  Engineering: Aerospace EAS5XXX, EAS6XXX  Education: Foundations EDF5XXX, EDF6XXX  Education: Higher EDH5XXX, EDH6XXX  Engineering: Electrical & Electronic EEE5XXX, EEE6XXX  Engineering: Electrical EEL5XXX, EEL6XXX  Engineering: Mechanical EML5XXX, EML6XXX  Experimental Psychology EXP5XXX, EXP6XXX  Interdisciplinary Computing IDC5XXX, IDC6XXX  Industrial & Applied Psychology INP5XXX, INP6XXX  Information Systems Management ISM5XXX, ISM6XXX  Mathematics Analysis MAA5XXX, MAA6XXX  Mathematics Discrete MAD5XXX, MAD6XXX  Mathematics Education MAE5XXX, MAE6XXX  Mathematics Applied MAP5XXX, MAP6XXX  Mathematics Applied MAS5XXX, MAS6XXX  Mathematics MAT5XXX  Mathematics Topology and Geometry MTG5XXX  Optical Sciences OSE5XXX, OSE6XXX  Philosophy PHI5XXX, PHI6XXX  Statistics STA5XXX, STA6XXX  Sociology Analysis SYA5XXX, SYA6XXX  Transportation and Traffic Engineering TTE5XXX, TTE6XXX  Psychology EXP 5256  Psychology EXP 6257  Learning Sciences and Educational Research EDF 7415  Learning Sciences and Educational Research EDF 7463  Learning Sciences and Educational Research EDF 7405  Psychology PSB6352  Computer science CAP5610  Mathematics CAP6545  Interdisciplinary studies IDS5741  Psychology PSB6348  School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training IDS 6938  College of Community Innovation and Education EDF 7415  Institute of Simulation and Training IDC 6700  Institute of Simulation and Training IDS 6146  Learning Sciences and Educational Research EDF7463  College of Medicine PCB5838  College of Sciences PSB6328  College of Sciences PSB7349  College of Community Innovation and Education EME6646  Modeling, Simulation, and Training College of Graduate Studies IDS5142  “Elective courses beyond those listed in the graduate catalog, and others outside the department and/or program, are permitted at the discretion of the student’s advisor and/or graduate program director in the form of a signed and approved Program of Study.”

Doctoral Research

12 Total Credits

• Earn at least 12 credits from the following types of courses: Earn a maximum of 12 hours of Independent Study and/or Doctoral research: EIN 7919

Dissertation Hours

15 Total Credits

• Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: EIN 7980 Dissertation

Qualifying Exam

0 Total Credits

• The first exam is the Qualifying Examination (QE). o The QE's objective is to determine whether the student has a thorough understanding of methods and techniques discussed in the literature in his/her area(s) of interest. o At this stage, students should know their intended direction of research, but they do not necessarily know their specific topic/problem. o The IEMS PhD Qualifying Examination is a take-home exam designed to test the student's knowledge of fundamentals within the discipline and to assess the student's ability to conduct independent research and to think analytically, creatively, and independently. o Exam questions address the student's global research awareness as well as his/her analytical thinking, research potential, and communication skills. The student must be able to understand the field's literature, as well as to summarize and discuss research findings. o It is strongly recommended that students take ESI 6891 IEMS Research Methods prior to taking the Qualifying Examination. o While thinking about taking the Qualifying Examination, students are strongly encouraged to evaluate their options for research and make informed decisions about their area of research interests. o It is recommended that students seek advice from faculty members whose research interests match their own research areas in order for the students to properly select their electives and develop the appropriate plan of study.

Candidacy Exam

0 Total Credits

• The second exam is the Candidacy Examination. o The objective of the Candidacy Examination is to determine if the student has the breadth and depth of knowledge required to conduct independent research in the proposed area. o The Candidacy Examination may be taken any time after successful completion of the Qualifying Examination, but not in the same semester. o This Exam includes an oral presentation of a detailed dissertation proposal, which becomes the oral candidacy document, and the written component of the Candidacy Examination is satisfied by the proposal document, which becomes the required candidacy document.

Dissertation Defense

0 Total Credits

• The third exam is the Dissertation Defense Examination. o The Dissertation Defense Examination is an oral examination taken in defense of a completely written dissertation. o The College of Engineering and Computer Science requires that all dissertation defense announcements are approved by the student's adviser and posted on the college's website and on the Events Calendar of the College of Graduate Studies website at least two weeks before the defense date.

Grand Total Credits: 42

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

The Accelerated MS to PhD Track in Industrial Engineering requires successful completion of a minimum of 42 credit hours at the graduate level beyond an earned MS Degree (a combination of 6000, and 7000 level classes) and the successful defense of a PhD dissertation. Specifically, the accelerated MS-to-PhD track requires:

(1) 42 hours beyond an earned MS degree in Industrial Engineering or a closely related discipline (comprised of 6 credit hours of required courses, a minimum of 9 credit hours of elective courses, a maximum of 12 doctoral research hours, and 15 hours of Doctoral Dissertation).

(2) Successful completion of the PhD Qualifying Examination.

(3) Successful completion of the Candidacy examination.

(4) Successful defense of the doctoral dissertation.