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PhD Program

Admission

Admission to the PhD program requires an undergraduate degree and academic background that meets the admission criteria for the master’s program in industrial engineering or a master’s degree in industrial engineering (or a closely related field), and previous academic performance that clearly demonstrates the capacity to do original research and technical investigative work with potential for a successful scholarly career.

Taking the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) test is optional when applying for admittance to any engineering PhD program. A student may apply for admission to candidacy after passing the comprehensive examination and successfully defending the dissertation proposal. All IE degree requirements can be accomplished through our distance program. Non-Tennessee residents who are online students and do not use any on-campus facilities will pay a reduced rate for Out-of-State Tuition at only $75/hour in addition to In-State Tuition.

For more information about the departmental policy regarding our graduate program, please check the Graduate Handbook For your convenience, all forms are available in MS Word.

Engineering Management Concentration

The engineering management concentration has an additional admission requirement of two years of relevant experience as a practicing engineer or scientist. This concentration is fully supported off-campus, utilizing electronic media for interactive distance teaching methods.

Requirements

The program of study requires a minimum of 72 graduate hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, exclusive of credit for the master’s thesis. This includes a minimum of 36 graduate hours of course work beyond the bachelor’s degree and 24-36 hours of doctoral research and dissertation work. For a master’s program completed at another institution or in another field, the requirement may exceed the 36 hours of course work (other than research and dissertation) dependent on the previous program of study.