Nov 25, 2024

2013-2014 Graduate Catalog

2013-2014 Graduate Catalog [NOTE!!!! THIS IS AN ARCHIVED CATALOG. FOR THE CURRENT CATALOG, GO TO CATALOG.NIU.EDU]

Master of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering

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Check departmental information for any additional requirements.

The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering offers an M.S. degree with a major in industrial and systems engineering. Students may choose to pursue the degree culminating in a thesis (to develop research abilities in industrial and systems engineering), or in a project (to prepare for advanced practice in industrial and systems engineering). Industrial and systems engineers are employed in a broad variety of organizations, including manufacturing industries, utilities, transportation, health care systems, financial institutions, and all levels of government agencies. Students with a baccalaureate degree in engineering or science or other disciplines are encouraged to consider graduate study in industrial and systems engineering.

At the discretion of the department, a maximum of 9 semester hours of graduate-level credit from other accredited institutions may be accepted for graduate credit towards the requirements of the degree.

Educational Objectives

The department’s graduate program is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and tools to become proficient in the application of advanced industrial and systems engineering concepts and techniques to design, analyze and improve manufacturing, as well as service systems; become capable of conducting in-depth, independent research/projects and reporting the results of that research in both written reports and formal presentations; and to recognize the need for engaging in life-long learning.

Program Outcomes

The department’s graduate program is designed to provide graduates with the ability to use math and scientific tools to design, describe, predict, improve, and optimize the performance of human-technology systems; the ability to independently research and learn new topics; and the ability to effectively communicate ideas/concepts and research findings through technical reports and professional presentations.

Requirements

The student must submit to the department, with the help of a faculty adviser, a program of courses which must be approved by the student’s graduate committee.

For the thesis and project option, the student must complete at least 31 semester hours of graduate-level course work. For the paper option, the student must complete at least 32 semester hours of graduate-level course work. For all options, at least 50 percent of the non-capstone hours must be earned from 600-level courses. Capstone hours are defined as those earned in ISYE 699A, ISYE 699B, or ISYE 698.

If a student has completed a 400-level course for undergraduate credit at NIU with a grade of B or better, that course may not be retaken for graduate credit to be applied to the M. S. program in industrial and systems engineering.

Students in this program may apply 12 semester hours of courses earned in a certificate of graduate study from any department in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. The program requires proficiency in statistics and computer programming. To achieve this proficiency, students must have course work in statistics and computer programming such as ISYE 335, STAT 350, or UBUS 223, as well as CSCI 240 or OMIS 351 or alternatives approved by the department chair.

Thesis Option

Complete 1 semester hour of ISYE 695, Graduate Seminar, 12 semester hours of industrial and systems engineering courses, 12 additional semester hours of graduate course work, as approved by the department, and 6 semester hours of thesis, ISYE 699A, on a topic approved by the student’s graduate committee. The thesis must be satisfactorily defended at an oral examination. A portion of the research required by ISYE 699A may be performed in off-campus facilities if approved by the student’s graduate committee.

Non-Thesis Option

Master’s Project

Complete 1 semester hour of ISYE 695, Graduate Seminar, 18 semester hours of industrial and systems engineering courses, including 3 semester hours of graduate project, ISYE 699B on a topic approved by the student’s adviser, and 12 additional semester hours of graduate courses, as approved by the department.

Master’s Paper

Complete 1 semester hour of ISYE 695, Graduate Seminar, 18 semester hours of industrial and systems engineering courses, excluding 1 semester hour of ISYE 698, Master’s Paper, on a topic approved by the student’s adviser, and 12 additional semester hours of graduate courses, as approved by the department.

Integrated B.S./M.S. Sequence

This plan is open to all industrial and systems engineering majors who have finished at least 90 semester hours of undergraduate work and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00. To enter the integrated sequence, a student must obtain early admission to the NIU Graduate School, and formulate a detailed plan of study, working closely with a faculty adviser

Students in this sequence must satisfy all the requirements of the undergraduate industrial and systems engineering curriculum with the exception that 9 semester hours of graduate credit may be included during the student’s final undergraduate semester. These hours must be approved by the department.