The Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) department offers four graduate degrees - the MS, MISE, MEM, and PhD. There is also a dual degree MISE/MBA program.  University requirements for graduate degrees can be found in the "Graduate School" section of the Auburn Bulletin and should be referred to by students pursuing graduate degrees from the ISE department.  There is no intended discrepancy between the information in the Bulletin and that found here.

MS Degree (Master of Science, 31 Credit Hours)

The MS degree requires a minimum of 31 credit hours including three INSY graduate core courses, at least two INSY elective courses, four to six hours of master's thesis (INSY 7990), no more than three INSY-related courses, and one hour of graduate seminar (INSY 7950). If only four hours of thesis is taken, an additional INSY elective course must also be taken.  The thesis is supervised by an advisor (a graduate faculty member in the ISE department) and an advisory committee (at least two other graduate faculty members). Students are responsible for selecting an advisor and, together with the advisor, developing the thesis idea and plan of study. Students typically select an advisor after the first or second semester of coursework and the student and advisor together select the additional committee members.  In general, this degree option is not available to outreach students.

MS Degree Non-Thesis (Master of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 31 Credit Hours)

The MISE degree requires a minimum of 31 credit hours including three INSY graduate core courses, at least four INSY elective courses, no more than three INSY-related courses, and one hour of graduate seminar (INSY 7950). The MISE degree has a "Coursework Only" and a "Project" option.

MEM Degree (Master of Engineering Management, 30 Credit Hours)

The MEM degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours.  To complete this degree, you must choose one of four options:  Manufacturing, Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, Product Innovation, and Systems.  All of the degree options have five core (required) courses in common.  In addition, each degree option has an additional five courses.  

PhD Degree (60 Credit Hours)

The PhD degree requires a minimum of 60 credit hours including three INSY graduate core courses, at least four INSY elective courses, no more than three INSY-related courses, one hour of graduate seminar (INSY 7950), and a minimum of ten hours of research and dissertation (INSY 8990). The content of the remaining 19 course hours is determined by the student in consultation with his/her advisor and committee. PhD students complete a research-based dissertation supervised by the advisor and the advisory committee. PhD students should refer to the Graduate School section of the Bulletin regarding the requirements for the doctoral degree.

We do not have an online PhD program. However, in most cases, PhD students can complete their graded courses online.  The research and dissertation hours (INSY 899x) must be completed in agreement with the student’s committee and advisor. Whether that work can be completed while not in residence is determined on a case-by-case basis by the student’s committee and major professor.  All PhD students are responsible for establishing an advisory committee with a major professor as the primary advisor, who agrees to work with them and supervise their research.  Selection of the major professor should take into account the student’s availability to conduct research at the times and places required by the major professor.  Please refer to the Bulletin for further clarification. 

Dual MBA/MISE (55 Credit Hours)

The MISE/MBA is a 55 semester-hour program administered jointly by ISE and the MBA program.  The program saves the student six hours of course work over completing both degrees separately. The MISE part of the program consists of 15 hours of INSY core courses, a minimum of six (6) hours of INSY electives, an additional six (6) hours of INSY or related electives, and a one (1) hour INSY seminar course. The MBA part of the program consists of twenty-one (21) hours of BUSI required courses, and an additional six (6) hours of BUSI or related electives.  For the MBA, students without two years full time work experience will be required to do a 3-credit hour internship in summer in place of one of the 3-hour BUSI or related electives. For more information about this program click here.

Related Links

• Auburn University Bulletin