The PhD in industrial engineering program is intended for students who wish to prepare themselves for a career creating and cultivating new knowledge. In addition to a broad selection of technical research courses, the program emphasizes original research under the close supervision of a faculty member. Students develop an individualized research project that typically includes the design and analysis of experimental or theoretical work or the invention of new processes, techniques, or devices, which ultimately leads to original publications in the academic literature. The training is appropriate for people seeking a career in academia or in research and development in industry.

The coursework requires some diversity of technical skills in three major areas: systems, human factors, and analytics. The systems area emphasizes the design, construction, and analysis of complex systems with interdependent parts that include people and machines. The human factors area emphasizes the interaction of people with systems and includes the study and analysis of people's cognitive and physical limitations. The analytics area emphasizes the application of mathematical formulas, including statistical approaches, as well as algorithmic and computational approaches to deriving knowledge from data. Each area is supported by several faculty members, and many faculty members support multiple areas; see Facilities in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering section of the catalog to learn more about each research lab and its activities.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• demonstrate a broad knowledge of the field of industrial and systems engineering and deep knowledge in their specific area of study;
• identify and solve problems of value to industry and society;
• demonstrate independent thinking and forge new paths to discovery;
• make meaningful and novel contributions to knowledge in a single or multiple domains;
• disseminate research results to the research and application community;
• demonstrate the ability to lead interdisciplinary teams in pursuit of research; and
• demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in industrial engineering requires a minimum of 72 s.h. of graduate credit. Students must maintain a minimum Graduate College program grade-point average of 3.50 to earn the degree.

Students are typically expected to completed three academic years of PhD study at the University of Iowa. For students who earned an MS at the University of Iowa, no more than 36 s.h. from the MS may be counted toward the PhD. For students who earned an MS from another institution, a maximum of 30 s.h. may be transferred toward the doctoral program. The director of graduate studies reviews the transcripts of new students to determine which requirements have been met from previous coursework.

Excellence in research is the principal requirement for the degree. It is expected that the PhD dissertation research project represents an original and significant contribution to the body of knowledge in the field. At least one accepted research article in a peer-reviewed journal as first author with the research advisor as a co-author, in addition to the presentation of the research in a departmental seminar, are requirements. Submission of three first-authored papers and at least one research presentation at a national conference is typical. In addition, students must fulfill the qualifying requirement, pass the comprehensive examination, submit the Final Examination: Advanced Degree form, complete a Report of Thesis Approval, and submit a copy of their thesis to the Graduate College by following the published guidelines and deadlines.

Engineering Ethics and Graduate Seminar

Students must complete ENGR:7270 Engineering Ethics (1 s.h.), typically in the first or second fall semester of enrollment. Students must enroll in ISE:5000 Graduate Seminar: Industrial Engineering (1 s.h.) in the first two consecutive semesters of enrollment and once per year (either fall or spring semester) in each subsequent academic year. Credit from ENGR:7270 and ISE:5000 may count as elective courswork.

Required Coursework

All students complete a minimum of 36 s.h. in industrial and systems engineering (prefix ISE) courses numbered 3000 or above, excluding ISE:5000 and ISE:5999. A minimum of 24 s.h. of this coursework must be numbered 5001 or above and cannot include ISE:7999. All required coursework must be taken on an A–F graded basis except for ISE:7999 Research: Industrial Engineering PhD Dissertation.

Breadth Areas Requirement Coursework

As a part of the required ISE coursework, students must complete at least two courses in each of the three breadth requirement areas: analytics, human factors, and systems. The academic advisor and/or examining committee may decide that a student must complete other requirements such as additional coursework or the acquisition of specific skills. The actual amount of coursework required is determined with the advice and consent of the academic advisor. Students who earned an MS at the University of Iowa may have satisfied this requirement. Students with a relevant academic background in these areas may be excused from the breadth requirement with the approval of the director of graduate studies.

Analytics

Course List

Course #	Title	Hours
Two of these:
ISE:5380	Deep Learning	3
ISE:5730	Digital Industry	3
ISE:5740	Design and Analysis of Computer Experiments	3
ISE:6300	Innovation Science and Studies	3
ISE:6760	Pattern Recognition for Financial Data	3
ISE:6780	Financial Engineering and Optimization	3
ISE:6790	Advanced Data Analytics and Informatics	3

Human Factors

Course List

Course #	Title	Hours
Two of these:
ISE:6211	Human Factors in Healthcare Systems	3
ISE:6220	Cognitive Engineering	3
ISE:6420	Human/Computer Interaction	3
ISE:6450	Human Factors in Aviation	3
ISE:6480	Unmanned Aircraft Systems	3

Systems

Course List

Course #	Title	Hours
Two of these:
ISE:5310	Advanced Computational Design and Manufacturing	3
ISE:5350	Logistics Engineering and Management	3
ISE:5520	Renewable Energy	3
ISE:5620	Design of Experiments	3
ISE:5650	Mechatronics Engineering for Smart Device Design	3
ISE:5810	Advanced Additive Manufacturing	3
ISE:6350	Computational Intelligence	3

Thesis and Electives

Students complete additional credits as needed to bring the total credit for the PhD to a minimum of 72 s.h. For many students, this will primarily consist of enrollment in ISE:7999 Research: Industrial Engineering PhD Dissertation. 

Students may select other elective courses as needed from industrial and systems engineering (prefix ISE) courses numbered 3000 or above. Students who have previously taken ISE:5998 and ISE:5999 in pursuit of their industrial engineering MS may count these courses toward their PhD electives; however, once students have completed the MS, they are expected to enroll in ISE:7998 and ISE:7999 and are not permitted additional enrollments in ISE:5998 and ISE:5999.

Students may also select electives from courses numbered 3000 or above in the following engineering and engineering-related areas: biomedical engineering (prefix BME), chemical and biochemical engineering (prefix CBE), civil and environmental engineering (prefix CEE), core engineering courses (prefix ENGR), electrical and computer engineering (prefix ECE), mechanical engineering (prefix ME), and statistics (prefix STAT). 

Additional Information

Qualifying Exam

Students interested in pursuing a PhD are initially admitted as MS nonthesis students until they have completed the qualifying examination. This is typically achieved within their first three semesters if beginning the program without an MS, or within the first two semesters if beginning the program with an MS. Once the exam is passed, students are formally admitted to the PhD program. The purpose of this qualifier is to determine a student’s proficiency in research and scholarship.

Comprehensive Examination

The general rules for the administration of the PhD comprehensive examination are contained in the policies and procedures of the Graduate College. The tradition in the department is for the comprehensive examination to consist of a written and oral component. Students write and submit a comprehensive examination document, usually called the dissertation research proposal, to each member of the examination committee two weeks before the examination date. During the examination, students make a roughly 30-minute presentation on the content of the research proposal. Committee members may ask questions regarding the proposal before, during, or after the oral presentation. Having satisfactorily completed the comprehensive examination, students are accepted as candidates for the PhD.

Final Examination (Dissertation Defense)

Each student must defend the completed dissertation in the final examination, which is conducted by the examining committee.

En Passant Option

Students admitted to the PhD program may elect to earn their MS through the en passant option, with the permission of their PhD committee. This option allows students to write an English-language manuscript as the first author and submit it to a peer-reviewed research journal in lieu of writing the MS thesis. With this option, students, in conjunction with their academic advisor, author a paper that serves as the foundation for the PhD research. The decision to select this option must be made before the qualifying examination. The committee may determine, based on the published or submitted scholarship to peer-reviewed journals, that the presentation of a separate research thesis is not necessary. In this case, up to 9 s.h. in ISE:5999 Research: Industrial Engineering MS Thesis may be counted toward the nonthesis option of the MS. Students choosing the en passant option generally receive an MS without the thesis designation.

For more detailed information about program requirements, see Graduate Student Handbook on the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Graduate Program website.

Graduate education prepares students with advanced knowledge and skills in specialized fields. At the University of Iowa, the Graduate College advocates for student-centered graduate education and supports equitable application of rules and policies across graduate programs.

Academics

University of Iowa graduate credentials are regulated by policies and requirements found in the Graduate College Manual of Rules and Regulations. This includes minimum grade-point average (GPA) requirements for academic standing and degree conferral. The Graduate College sets the minimum requirement. Individual graduate programs may establish higher GPA requirements.

Admissions

Graduate student applicants must meet admission requirements for both the Graduate College and the program to which they have applied. University of Iowa graduate admission requirements are published by the Graduate College and on the Graduate Admissions website.

Financial Support

Graduate students might be eligible for financial support. Several contingencies apply, including degree program and award type, satisfactory progress toward degree, satisfactory completion of all duties related to an appointment, and availability of funding. Graduate students should inquire directly with their program for more information about funding availability. The Graduate Student Employment Standards govern the employment relationship between the University of Iowa and all graduate teaching and research assistants in all matters except wages, which are covered by an existing collective bargaining agreement or the conditions of an applicable federal grant.

Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College; for detailed information about Graduate College policies, see the Manual of Rules and Regulations on the Graduate College website.

Admission to the graduate program is competitive and based on an applicant's previous coursework, research, and industrial experience. The general admission standards are intended to maintain the quality of the graduate program and to ensure the sufficient preparation required for timely degree completion. Specific admission standards may be waived by the Graduate Admissions Committee when other evidence of competence is compelling. These standards are minimum standards, and meeting these standards does not ensure admission to the program; admitted students typically exceed these standards. 

Applicants are expected to have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale and have earned a BSE in industrial engineering degree or in a related science or engineering discipline. Applicants are not required to submit the results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test.

Applicants must arrange to have three letters of recommendation sent to the department online through the University of Iowa Admissions website. The letters should be completed by persons who are well acquainted with the applicant and the ability of the applicant to undertake graduate work in industrial or systems engineering.

While the department considers applications at any time, first consideration is given to students who have their application materials, including their application, transcripts, English language test scores (DET, IELTS, or TOEFL), and the required letters of recommendation, completed by the admission priority deadline as found on the Graduate Admissions website. The director of graduate admissions is responsible for overseeing the graduate recruiting activities and the admissions procedures in the department. The director serves as the point of initial contact between prospective graduate students and the department and maintains a record of each qualified applicant in the departmental office. The director, in consultation with the Graduate Admissions Committee and the department chair, screens applicants and ultimately determines which applicants are extended offers of admission.

Applicants With Degrees Not in Industrial or Systems Engineering

The department encourages students with degrees in other scientific disciplines, such as computer science, mathematics, physics, or other engineering disciplines, to apply for admission. Some students may have already completed MS degrees; however, these students are expected to attain proficiency in specified core areas of industrial and systems engineering equivalent to entering graduate students who hold a BSE degree in industrial engineering. The background of each student admitted to the program with a degree other than in industrial or systems engineering is reviewed by the faculty members. These proficiencies are intended to ensure that each admitted graduate student is able to fully participate in all industrial and systems engineering discipline areas at some level, even while advanced courses in certain areas may not be immediately accessible to all graduate students.

Industrial and systems engineers have many opportunities for employment and service in industrial, government, research, and public service organizations. Employment opportunities are among the most varied in the engineering field. Industrial and systems engineers are employed by manufacturing and energy firms, government agencies, and service organizations such as airlines, banks, hospitals, health care groups, and consulting companies.

The PhD is a gateway toward careers of learning and creation. Employers typically hire people with doctorates to run laboratories, create research directions, and supervise other engineers at the boundaries of knowledge. PhD-level researchers generally enjoy great freedom and tailored work environments as they explore and learn to help create new visions of tomorrow. A PhD opens up academic, research, and entrepreneurial possibilities limited only by one’s drive and creativity. Positions are often found through announcements in trade journals, international conferences, and specialized job-posting services. Students often work with faculty to identify and apply for appropriate positions. It is rare that students do not find an appropriate position before completing their thesis.

Sample Plan of Study

Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection and sequence will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor. For additional sample plans, see MyUI.

Industrial Engineering, PhD

This sample plan is currently being reviewed and will be added at a later date.