MS Degree Requirements

MS Degree Requirements

Credits:  The MS degree requires a minimum of 30 credits. Depending on the MS option that a student chooses, either 18 or 21 credits must be taken from the ISE department at Rutgers – these courses begin with the number 540.  MS students in the thesis option may not take independent study course Special Problems 540:550 for degree credit.

Seminar: Each student must register three semesters for the ISE seminar (540:691 or 692), a zero credit course.  In the ISE seminar, speakers from industry and academia present their latest research. The seminar course is pass/fail. 

Non -Thesis Option: MS students in the non-thesis option must write a research report and make a presentation at a public seminar on an ISE topic.  Graduate students and at least two faculty members will attend the presentation. 

Each student will identify a faculty member as his or her supervisor who will approve the topic. Possible topics include work that was done individually for a class project, an extension of class material, or review and synthesis of several journal articles. 

The presentation will be 20 minutes long.  Arrange the date with the Graduate Director well in advance. The report must be approximately 20 pages, double-spaced, 12-font.  The format will be typical of scientific papers: abstract, introduction, two or three sections of a body, conclusions, references, and appendices if necessary. The final report must be approved by at least three members of the Graduate Faculty. If the presentation and report is not accepted, the student will be required to make revisions.

Thesis: Students may elect to write an MS thesis in place of six credits of coursework. The thesis is a closely supervised project of original research. The principles of academic integrity should be adhered to in preparation of the MS thesis. Most of our master’s theses have been published in leading ISE journals. The administrative steps for students who write an MS thesis follow: 

MS thesis proposal:

  • By the end of the first year identify an advisor.   
  • Select a committee of at least three members of the ISE program.   
  • Set the date with the committee, reserve the conference room, and provide an abstract to the graduate secretary to distribute to faculty and graduate students.  Submit proposal form electronically to the Graduate Director.
  • Distribute the written proposal at least one week in advance to committee members. 
  • Give a formal 30-minute presentation on your proposal.

MS thesis defense:

  • Prepare the Admission to Candidacy Form for the MS degree, which can be obtained from the ISE office. 
  • Fill in all your courses and submit it to the ISE office for verification.
  • Set the date with the committee, reserve the conference room, and provide an abstract to the graduate secretary to distribute to faculty and graduate students. Submit defense form electronically to the Graduate Director.
  • Distribute the written proposal at least ten days in advance to committee members.   
  • Give a formal one-hour presentation on your thesis.

MS Options:  The ISE program offers three MS options:

  • Industrial and Systems Engineering
  • Manufacturing Systems Engineering
  • Quality and Reliability Engineering

The options vary in the proportion of required and elective courses.  The advisor must approve all elective courses. Students who have taken a required course to fulfill undergraduate requirements may substitute an additional elective in place of the required course. The student does not retake it in graduate school but selects an additional elective such that the total number of graduate credits is 30. 

The MS options are summarized in the following table and then described below.

Requirement

ISE

Mfg

Quality

Total credits

30

30

30

Minimum ISE credits

21

18

18

Seminar 3 semesters

Yes

Yes

Yes

Thesis option

Yes

by arrangement

Yes

Required courses

15 credits

12 credits

21 credits

Summary of MS Requirements -three options

Industrial and Systems Engineering

The Industrial and Systems Engineering is the most flexible option allowing students the opportunity to select electives focusing on their areas of interest.  The required courses provide a firm foundation in mathematical modeling, simulation, and production systems. The option requires 30 credits with at least 21 credits from the ISE department at Rutgers – these courses begin with the number 540. 

Required courses: 
540:510           Deterministic Models in Industrial Engineering      
540:515           Stochastic Models in Industrial Engineering           
540:555           Simulation of Production Systems
540:560           Production Analysis
960:590           Design of Experiments  

Production and Manufacturing Systems Engineering

The Production and Manufacturing Systems Engineering option offers students a rich specialty in production systems, simulation, supply chain engineering, automation and manufacturing.  This option requires 30 credits of course work.  Students take 4 required courses, six technical electives.  At least 18 credits must be taken from the ISE program at Rutgers.

Required Courses:
540:520           Supply Chain Engineering
540:555           Simulation of Production Systems
540:560           Production Analysis
540:573           Advanced Manufacturing Processes
Recommended Technical Electives:
540:510           Deterministic Models in Industrial Engineering
540:530           Forecasting and Time Series Analysis
540:552           Production and Manufacturing Project
540:565           Facilities Planning and Design
540:570           Applications of Robotics in Mfg. Systems
540:572           Manufacturing Processes and Control
540:568           Automation and Computer Integrated Manufacturing I
540:575           Advanced Engineering Economics
540:650           Discrete Event Dynamic Systems
540:655           Performance Analyses of Manufacturing Systems
540:660           Inventory Control
540:665           Theory of Scheduling
540:668           Automation and Computer Integrated Manufacturing II
540:673           Laser Based Micro-Manufacturing
540:675           Advanced Engineering Economics II
540:682           Process Modeling and Control
960:540           Statistical Quality Control
960:590           Design of Experiments
22:799:607      Supply Chain Management Strategies
22:799:608      Procurement Management and Global Sourcing
22:799:659      Supply Chain Solutions with ERP/SAP I
22:799:669      Supply Chain Risk Management
 
Students who have taken a required course to fulfill requirements may substitute an additional elective in place of the required course such that the total number of graduate credits is at least 30.

Quality and Reliability Engineering

The Quality and Reliability option, offered in cooperation with the Statistics department, prepares students with a specialty focusing on design of experiments, process control, reliability, and quality management. This option requires 30 credits with at least 18 from the ISE department at Rutgers – these courses begin with the number 540.  Following are the required courses:

Industrial and Systems Engineering
540:560           Production Analysis
540:580           Quality Management
540:585           Systems Reliability Engineering I
540:685           Systems Reliability Engineering II
 
Statistics
960:540           Statistical Quality Control I
960:542           Life Data Analysis
960:590           Design of Experiments

Prerequisite Override – Statistics courses: To register for a course in the Statistics Department (course number is 960:xxx) the ISE graduate director can give you a prerequisite override form which you must use to register in person.