The Russ College’s Mechanical and Systems Engineering Ph.D. program is a collaborative effort between the departments of industrial and systems engineering and mechanical engineering. The mission of the Mechanical and Systems Engineering Ph.D. program is to graduate engineering professionals who continue to contribute to their discipline after graduation, who can contribute to the wellbeing of society, and who are prepared to become leaders in research and teaching in academic, government, and industry positions.
Read what our graduates have to say about our PhD program.
Tracks
We offer two specialization tracks, one in Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) and one in Mechanical Engineering (ME). The ISE track includes specialization areas in manufacturing systems, manufacturing information systems, artificial intelligence, systems simulation, process planning, warehousing, genetic algorithms, data mining, human factors, transportation logistics, supply chain management, reliability, and neural networks.
Curriculum
A minimum of 60 semester hours beyond the Master of Science (M.S.) degree is required consisting of:
- A minimum of 30 semester hours beyond an M.S. of dissertation work and
- 30 semester hours of approved graduate coursework
An interdisciplinary component, for which graduate coursework is taken outside the program track, is a general program requirement. In addition to general program requirements, specific track requirements must also be satisfied. Students must pass qualifying and comprehensive exams, and must successfully propose and defend a doctoral dissertation.
A plan of study is approved by the student’s dissertation advisory committee, the specialization track coordinator, and the chair of the program steering committee.
Program Resources
Program guidelines (.doc)
Plan of study (.doc)
Dissertation Forms
Proposal defense scheduling form (.doc)
Final defense scheduling form (.doc)
Statement of Originality (.pdf)
Admission Requirements
To apply for our doctoral program, you’ll need:
- A Master of Science degree in engineering or a highly related field, i.e., chemistry, physics, or applied mathematics, computer science, production/operations management. (Applicants holding degrees in closely related fields or from non-accredited engineering institutions may be required to compensate for deficiencies with additional coursework.)
- Minimum M.S. GPA of 3.3
- GRE general test with a quantitative score of at least 158
- TOEFL or IELTS test with a score that meets the minimum university requirement, if applicable
- Three letters of recommendation from persons who can attest to the applicant’s academic and research aptitude
Admission to the program is restricted to those students whose educational plans fall within one of the two specialty areas.