Mar 28, 2024  
2014-2015 Graduate Catalog 
    
2014-2015 Graduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]

Industrial Engineering, Ph.D.


Doctor of Philosophy


In addition to continued study of a broad range of engineering fundamentals, candidates for the doctoral degree enjoy intensive exposure to a specific field of engineering research. Individual research is the major focal point for these students, who are expected to expand the frontiers of knowledge in their area of endeavor. Moreover, candidates learn and experience the general philosophy, methods, and concepts of research and scholarly inquiry, so that they may contribute after graduation to substantive issues completely unrelated to their doctoral research. Acceptance into full-time Ph.D. program is generally accompanied by departmental financial support. Ph.D. programs are available in Biomedical EngineeringChemical EngineeringCivil EngineeringElectrical EngineeringEnvironmental EngineeringIndustrial EngineeringMaterials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

A fast-track Ph.D. program, available to undergraduate students upon completion of a bachelor’s degree within that program, is also available in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering.

Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering


Specific Requirements for Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering

  • Students are required to take 84 semester hours of approved graduate courses beyond the Bachelor’s Degree; this includes 54 semester hours of approved graduate courses plus 12 hours of doctoral research and 18 hours of dissertation.
  • Students who earned both their BSIE and MSIE degrees from an accredited university must take minimum 24 semester hours of approved graduate courses, and 12 hours of doctoral research and 18 hours of dissertation.
  • Candidates with MS degrees in other disciplines are required to take 54 semester hours of approved graduate courses.  Students with Masters in Science and Engineering disciplines may receive a maximum credit of 18 hours of course work, which will result in their taking minimum 36 semester hours of approved graduate courses, and 12 hours of doctoral research and 18 hours of dissertation.
  • Students transferring from other institutions may petition up to 6 semester hours with a minimum grade of “B” to be transferred upon approval of the IE Chair and the Associate Dean of the Cullen College of Engineering.
  • In addition, the Department requires that all graduating Ph.D. students must complete at least 30 semester hours in IE courses.  It is expected that a Ph.D. student would have completed the core course requirements for the Master’s degrees at UH.
  • The course selection must be approved by the student’s dissertation advisor.
  • Students whose primary language is not English may be required to complete an engineering communications course (INDE 8397).  The engineering communications course is not required for the international students who score 50 percentile or higher for the verbal section of the GRE exam.
  • Students are required to complete one year residency with full time enrollment.
  • Satisfactory performance on the Ph.D. screening examination and oral defense of proposal is required prior to final defense of the Ph.D. dissertation.
  • The Ph.D. degree will be confirmed upon the successful defense of the dissertation followed by submission of the approved copy of the dissertation to the UH Graduate School.