Department of Industrial Engineering

Contact Information

Interim Department Chair: Lisa Maillart
Main Office: 1025 Benedum Hall
412-624-9830
Fax: 412-624-9831
E-mail: maillart@pitt.edu
http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/industrial/

Additional information concerning the department’s graduate program may be obtained from the graduate secretary; please send email to gradie@pitt.edu.

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Industrial Engineering’s graduate programs prepare engineers to assume leadership positions in industry, government, and service organizations. The Master of Science in Industrial Engineering program is very flexible, and students could either choose to focus on some specific area of interest or opt for a more broad-based curriculum with coursework spanning multiple areas. Narrower concentration areas in Data Science, Engineering Management and Safety Engineering are also available.

In addition, the department offers two options in cooperation with the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business: a joint degree MSIE/MBA program and a joint degree MSIE/MSSCM (Master of Science in Supply Chain Management) program. The department also offers several other options with the Master’s program, including (1) a Graduate Certificate in Safety Engineering , (2) opportunities for Lean Six Sigma Certification, (3) a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Systems Engineering in cooperation with the School of Public Health, and (4) a Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Engineering in cooperation with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree is the department’s flagship graduate program. Currently, the primary areas of research include all aspects of operations research, analytics, and data science; and manufacturing science and nontraditional manufacturing. Doctoral graduates are qualified for academic research careers as well as technical leadership positions in industry.

Admissions

Applicants must possess an undergraduate or graduate degree from an ABET-accredited program in any engineering discipline, or a degree in a complementary technical discipline, such as mathematics, statistics, or computer science. Outstanding applicants from other disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology, economics, information systems and quantitative business will also be considered, as long as they have the required prerequisites of undergraduate calculus, linear algebra, and calculus-based probability and statistics. Proficiency in computer programming is also an asset.

Applicants for admission must submit the application form and fee, transcripts of all college-level work, three letters of recommendation, and a statement of career goals/objectives. Submission of scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is optional. International applicants whose first language is not English must take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) administered by the Educational Testing Service with a minimum score of 550 (paper-based test)/213 (computer-based test)/80 (internet-based test), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam with a minimum Band of 6.5 (taking the academic writing and reading modules of the test), or the Duolingo English Test with a minimum score of 105. It is desirable for PhD applicants to have an interview with a faculty member, although this is not a requirement for admission.

All applicants are considered on an ongoing basis. However, the following deadlines are strongly recommended for international applicants: Fall term - April 15, and Spring term - September 30. Also, all PhD applicants who wish to be considered for financial assistance must apply before January 31. International applicants are not accepted for enrollment beginning in a summer term. Prospective students are encouraged to apply early whenever possible.

Applications may also be completed online by going to https://www.engineering.pitt.edu/departments/industrial/admissions/graduate-admissions/.

Applicants to the MSIE-MBA and MSIE-MSSCM programs must apply through the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business.

Financial Assistance

It is the department’s policy to provide graduate teaching or research assistantships to as many PhD students as possible. However, these awards are limited in number and highly competitive, and are awarded on the basis of merit and departmental research/teaching requirements. Financial support comes from the department, not individual faculty, and is generally restricted only to students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree. All decisions on assistantships are made by the chair based upon the recommendations of the departmental graduate committee. Barring unforeseen circumstances, students who are awarded financial support will have their financial support continued as long as they maintain their level of academic excellence and make satisfactory progress toward their degree objectives. For full consideration, students must apply early for financial support and in no case later than January 31 for the fall term and July 31 for the spring term.

Programs

Certificate

Doctoral

Industrial Engineering, PhD

Joint Degree

Master’s

Industrial Engineering, MSIE

Courses

Industrial Engineering

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