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Program Details

Graduate Program: Systems and Industrial Engineering (PHD)

General Information

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Program/Degree
Systems and Industrial Engineering (PHD)  
Program Description

The Systems and Industrial Engineering Doctoral program is designed for those individuals wishing to pursue research at an advanced level.  Only those who have already demonstrated an ability to pursue independent and scholarly work should consider applying for this program.

To be considered for admission to the Doctoral program, the candidate must have attained a Bachelor's in Systems Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.  Other factors that will be considered are as follows:

  • GPA in previous undergraduate work of at least 3.25 and graduate work of at least 3.50
  • A minimum of 3 Letters of recommendation
  • GRE scores of at least 500 verbal, 750 quantitative, and 700 / 5.0 analytical are expected. 
  • Iinternational students should submit TOEFL scores (at least 575) and TSE scores (at least 50).
  • A match between faculty and student interests

Applicants requesting an applicaiton fee waiver due to financial constraints may submit a request here. 

 
Department/Academic Unit(s)

Systems & Industrial Engineering

The Systems and Industrial Engineering (SIE) Department at the University of Arizona was established in 1961 as the nation's first department of systems engineering.  Since then, the SIE Department has achieved international prestige for its contributions to the inter-disciplinary design of large-scale complex systems involving people, technology, and information.  With the introduction of a modern industrial engineering curriculum in 1972 and a reliability and quality engineering degree in 1987, the department offers a truly diverse and successful graduate program.  Career opportunities for graduates of the Systems and Industrial Engineering programs are outstanding.  Over the years, graduates from these programs have found employment in the nation's leading corporations, research institutes, and universities.

 
College

College of Engineering

 
Campus where offered

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

 
Contacts
Admissions Contact
Cindy T Nguyen
520-626-4644
Graduate Program Coordinator
Cindy T Nguyen
520-626-4644
Director of Graduate Studies
Vignesh Subbian
520-621-6559
Graduate College Degree Counselor
Guadalupe Estrella
520-621-3484
 
Tuition and Fees
Please refer to the UA Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees. 
Please refer to the UA Registrar's's Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees. 

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Doctoral program, the candidate must have attained a Bachelor's in Systems Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.  Other factors that will be considered are as follows:

  • GPA in previous undergraduate work of at least 3.25 and graduate work of at least 3.50
  • Letters of recommendation
  • GRE scores of at least 500 verbal, 750 quantitative, and 700 / 5.0 analytical are expected.  In addition, international students should submit TOEFL scores (at least 575) and TSE scores (at least 50).
  • A match between faculty and student interests

Application Fee Waiver Request: If an applicant feels they face extenuating circumstances that prevents from paying an application fee, an application fee waiver request for the Systems and Industrial Engineering PhD program can be submitted through here. The Graduate Studies Committee will review the requests to determine an approval or denial. 

 
Standardized Tests

Update as of 11/2020: Although GRE scores are usually required for the Systems and Industrial Engineering program,  the  submission GRE scores will be optional specifically for Fall 2021 admissions to accomodate the current public health environment. 

Required test(s):GRE 
Required GRE Subject tests: Verbal,  Quantitative, Analytical 

  • Minimum GRE Verbal: 153 (500)
  • Minimum GRE Quantitative: 159 (750)
  • Minumum GRE Written: 5.0

For International Applicants who do no have a degree from an English Speaking nation:

  • Minimum TOEFL:  79
  • Minimum IELTS: 7 (no subject less than 6)
 
Funding Opportunities

It is recommended that both international and domestic applicants apply by January 5th if they wish to be considered for departmental funding. 

The Systems and Industrial Engineering Department offers Graduate Assistantships (Teaching & Research) students demonstrating outstanding performance in their undergraduate and graduate careers.  Unfortunately, we cannot offer Graduate Assistantships to all new incoming students. 

 
Admissions Deadlines


Domestic and International Applicants:

  • Fall: January 5
  • Spring: We do not offer spring admission 

 

 
International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information
The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

NRC Taxon(a) for this program: Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

72 

Core Coursework Requirements

The Doctor of Philosophy in Systems and Industrial Engineering requires a minimum of 72 credit hours (including the docoral minor). This includes:

  • A minimum of 54 units of course work
  • Of the 54 units, at least 36 of which must be SIE-type courses approved by the faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate StudiesIn addition and at least 21 units of the course work must be taken from the SIE Department
  • A minimum of 2.00 units of SIE 695A Doctoral Seminar (Colloqium). No more than 3.00 units can be taken. 
  • A minimum of 18.00 units of SIE 920 Dissertation. 

Systems and Industirla Engineering Core Coursework: 

Prior to taking Systems and Industrial Engineering Doctoral Qualifying Exam at the end of the first year, students are required to complete the following 12.00 units of core coures:  

  • SIE 520 Stochastic Modeling I (3.00 credits) 
  • SIE 530 Engineering Statistics (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 545 Fundamentals of Optimizaiton (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 550 Theory of Linear Systems (3.00 credits) 

For the above required core coures, students must have a minimum core coursework GPA of 3.5

 

 

           

 
Elective Coursework

The remaining SIE graduate elective credits will be selected with the approval of their Faculty Advisor. Students are welcome to take non-SIE graduate electives but must seek approval with their Faculty Advisor.

A list of approved SIE graduate electives can be found below and on the SIE website.

  • SIE 506: Quality Engineering (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 508: Reliability Engineering (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 511: Human-Machine Interaction (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 512: Human Factors Engineering Research Methods (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 513: Ergonomics for Inclusive Design (3.00)
  • SIE 514: Law for Engineers and Scientists (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 515: Technical Sales and Marketing (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 522: Engineering Decision Making under Uncertainty (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 525: Queuing Theory (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 531: Simulation Modeling and Analysis (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 533: Fundamentals of Data Science for Engineers (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 536: Experiment Design and Regression (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 540: Survey of Optimization Methods (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 544: Linear Programming (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 546: Algorithms, Graphs, and Networks (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 550: Theory of Linear Systems (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 552: Space Systems Engineering (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 554A: Systems Engineering Process (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 555: Sensor Systems Engineering (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 557: Project Management (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 556: Fundamental of Guidance for Aerospace Systems (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 558: Model-Based Systems Engineering (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 561: Traffic Modeling and Simulation (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 562: Advanced Production Control (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 563: Integrated Logistics and Distribution Systems (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 564: Cost Estimation (3.00 credits) 
  • SIE 565: Supply Chain Management (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 566: Life Cycle Analysis (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 570: Intelligent Control Systems & Applications (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 571: Systems Cyber Security (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 572: Information Security and Research (INSuRE) (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 577: Introduction to Biomedical Informatics (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 578: Artificial Intelligence for Health and Medicine (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 583: Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems (CIM) (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 596: Special Topics in SIE (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 606: Advanced Quality Engineering (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 608: Advanced Reliability Engineering (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 631: Distributed Multi-Paradigm Simulation Systems (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 640: Integer and Combinatorial Optimization (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 645: Nonlinear Optimization (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 654: Advanced Concepts in Systems Engineering (3.00 credits)
  • SIE 678: Transportation Systems (3.00 credits)
 
Additional Requirements

On the way to a PhD degree, students must pass three exams:  the Doctoral Qualifying Exam, the comprehensive exam (both a written and an oral component), and the final oral defense exam. 

Subject to the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee, course work applied toward a Master's degree may be applied toward the PhD as well. Research credit that was applied toward a Master's degree cannot be applied toward the PhD degree.

At most 3 units of SIE 699 Independent Study may also be included for the major, provided the study covers a topic not available through normal courses. A tangible course project is submitted to the Graduate Studies Committee, and prior approval is obtained from the Graduate Studies Committee.  SIE 900 Research units may not be counted toward a PhD Degree.  

 
Minor Requirements for Doctoral Students in this Program

All PhD students must choose at least one minor subject area.  The purpose of choosing a minor is to add breadth to their training.  Minors are normally taken outside the department, but students may petition the Graduate Studies Committee for minor courses within the department.  A split minor between two departments is also possible.  All selections are subject to the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee.  The minor requires 12 units. Even if the doctoral minor the student selects only requires 9 units, students within this program will still be required to complete 12 minor units. Split, minors require 6 units from each area.

 

 
Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate 45.65%
Med. Time-to-degree (years) 4.50
 
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male 86.05%
Enrollment Percent Female 13.95%
Enrollment Percent International 86.05%
Enrollment Percent URM 0%

Back to statistics
  • All application, admit, and enrollment data are from Fall 2020.
  • Median Time to Degree calculates how long graduates in the last 5 years (2015-2019) took to complete their degrees, counting back to the first semester entering their program. This measure uses the methodology established in the 2011 Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs by the National Research Council.
  • Underrepresented Minorities (URM) includes domestic students of ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education: African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders.

Persistent link: https://grad.arizona.edu/catalog/programinfo/SIEPHD
Last revised 18 Nov 2020
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