Ph.D. Concentrations

The Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering has a reputation as one of the top ISE Ph.D. programs in the world. This reputation stems from the cutting edge research conducted here by the collaboration of a strong and experienced faculty with the top graduate students in the field. Doctoral students in ISE experience rigorous academic study requiring independent investigation that results in original scholarly work of the highest quality. Graduates are well prepared for positions in both academia and the private or public sector.

Prospective Ph.D. students should have a strong academic background that is commensurate with their desired field of study within the department. Students will need to select one of the Ph.D. Concentrations. Please click a name of the concentration to obtain more details about the respective domains, curriculum requirements, and specific faculty supporting each concentration.

Common Requirements for Concentrations

The following apply to all concentrations.  Please note, however, that several of these are minimum requirements that may be exceeded by the requirements of a given concentration, and that additional requirements may exist in some concentrations.

• Students who entered the ISE Ph.D. program prior to the Fall of 2016 may follow earlier Ph.D. requirements (“tracks”) or switch to one of the current concentrations.
• All Ph.D. students must complete a minimum of 36 graded credit hours, including 24 graded ISE course hours (post BS, and not including ISE 5024). Note that ENGR 5004 and ENGR 5014 can be counted toward the ISE course-hour requirement, unless otherwise indicated for a given concentration.
• P/F and other non-graded courses cannot be counted toward minimum credit-hour requirements.
• All required courses in a concentration must be taken for a grade (i.e., A‑F).
• Courses not listed as pre-approved electives in a concentration may be taken, or substitutions for required concentration courses made, pending approval of the student’s Ph.D. advisory committee.