All doctoral degrees awarded in the IME Department are in the combined discipline of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. Doctoral students seeking specialization in selected fields within either industrial engineering or manufacturing engineering achieve their concentration through elective coursework and selection of dissertation topic.

Degree Requirements:

• total of 60 credits beyond the MS
• 27 credits of didactic course work
• minimum of 15 credits of didactic coursework at 7xx level
• minimum of 30 credits of dissertation
• balance of credits as agreed between student and faculty advisor and approved by the department

For either the M.S. or Ph.D., the student's academic advisor must approve all courses taken outside of the IME Department in advance. The total course of study must be approved by the student's academic advisor, thesis committee and department chair. Students completing graduate degrees within the IME Department are expected to exhibit demonstrable expertise in the core competencies of either industrial engineering or manufacturing engineering. Students whose undergraduate major is in another field may be required to include some or all of the core competencies in their graduate coursework. For further information in this regard, please consult the IME Department.

In addition to the listed credit requirements, all students who receive departmental stipends or who are active in disquisition research are expected to register for and contribute to the departmental Research Seminar (IME 790, 1 credit) each semester.

To be admitted for Ph.D. studies with full standing, the applicant must:

1. Have earned a master's degree from an educational institution of recognized standing.

2. Have obtained adequate preparation in industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a closely related field;

3. Have demonstrated a potential to undertake advanced study and research, through such evidence as prior academic performance and/or professional experience and/or recognized academic or professional examination;

4. Have demonstrated a potential to undertake advanced study and research, through such evidence as prior academic performance and/or professional experience and/or recognized academic examination;

5. Have earned, at the baccalaureate level, a cumulative grade point average [GPA] in all courses of at least 3.0 or equivalent. Students who have earned a graduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or equivalent may be admitted in full standing.

6. Graduate Record Examination [GRE]:

• Composite (Verbal + Quantitative) of 1200 or better
• Analytical Writing score of 4.5 or better

7. For students applying from countries where English is not the official language, achieve a minimum score of 550 (paper test) or 213 (computer test) or score of 79 (internet based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and 4.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE).

Our department code is 67 and the NDSU code is 6474.

For students admitted without an IME degree, they may be required to show proficiency in basic industrial and manufacturing engineering subjects such as methods (IME 311) and manufacturing processes (IME 330). Additionally, students are required to take a minimum of three courses from the following:

• IME 611 Human Factors
• IME 630 Process Engineering
• IME 631 Production Engineering
• IME 640 Engineering Economy
• IME 656 Project Management
• IME 660 Evaluation of Engineering Data
• IME 661 Quality Assurance & Control
• IME 670 Operations Research I
• IME 672 Simulation
• IME 680 Production and Inventory Control

Six credits earned in these courses can be counted towards degree requirements.

Exceptionally well-qualified BS degree holders may be admitted directly to doctoral study upon the recommendation of the IME Graduate Studies Committee.

Applications for admission to graduate study are also used for selection of awards for assistantships and fellowships. There is no separate application for financial assistance. However, applicants seeking either teaching or research assistantships should pay special attention to the essay on personal preparation, capabilities and interests. This is used by the IME Graduate Studies Committee to match applicants with active research projects and departmental teaching needs.

Full assistantships require twenty hours per week in research work or instruction. It is generally expected that graduate students working on assistantships will require more time to complete their degree studies. Each assistant works directly under the supervision and tutelage of a professorial faculty. University tuition is waived for all students appointed 10 hours or more per week on an assistantship.

Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) - involves any type of teaching responsibility, including lectures, labs or tutoring.

1. Domestic GTAs and international GTAs possessing a US bachelor's degree or higher are not required to present a TOEFL score, provided that the degree included a minimum of two years in residence. In all cases, the requirements in #3 below apply.
2. All students awarded a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) involving any type of teaching responsibility, including lectures, labs, or tutoring shall be evaluated with respect to overall communication proficiency during the 3^rd week of the first semester of his or her teaching duties. While the format may be determined by individual units, the evaluation must be documented and it must address the comprehensive English proficiency of the teaching assistant, including speaking and listening ability, commensurate with his or her assigned duties. A copy of the evaluation instrument and the results for each teaching assistant shall be made available to the Graduate Dean upon request.
3. International GTAs whose first language is not English and who do not meet the criteria in #1 above must meet minimal requirements on measures of general English language proficiency, spoken English language proficiency, and written English language proficiency. At the present time, the accepted measure of language proficiency will be the TOEFL ibT.

All GTA's must have a minimum TOEFL ibT score of 81 (IELTS of 7), a TOEFL ibT Speaking subscale score of 23 or above and a TOEFL ibT Writing subscale score of 21 or above.

Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) - assists in research projects under the direction of a faculty member or PI.

Graduate Service Assistant (GSA) - provides non-academic support in departments, such as office and computer tech assistance.

Grader - provides grading assistance and has no direct contact with students.

Graders are individuals who will have no direct contact with students in their role as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. These individuals must have a minimum TOEFL ibT score of 79 (IELTS of 6.5) and must score at or above the 40^th percentile on the TOEFL ibT Speaking and Writing subscales (currently 19 and 21 respectively). Individuals may serve in this capacity for no more than 1 calendar year. To continue as a GTA after 1 year, students must have a minimum TOEFL ibT score of 81 (IELTS of 7), a TOEFL ibT Speaking subscale score of 23 or above and a TOEFL ibT Writing subscale score of 21 or above.

Applications for graduate study in the IME Department should be sent to The Graduate School. Fully completed applications will be evaluated by the IME Graduate Studies Committee in the order received.

In order to be assured of full consideration for fall admission, completed applications should be received by The Graduate School before March 1. Applicants seeking admission for spring semester should ensure that the application file is complete before November 1.

Applicants are advised to ensure that all required pieces of the application are complete. In particular, official undergraduate transcripts from all schools attended, official transcripts of graduate study (if applicable), official test score notifications, and financial capability forms must be completed before the application will be evaluated.

Official transcripts (transcripts having an appropriate seal or stamp) of all previous undergraduate and graduate records must be received by the Graduate School before the application is complete. When a transcript is submitted in advance of completion of either undergraduate or graduate studies, an updated transcript showing all course credits, grades, and degree completions must be provided prior to initial registration at NDSU. Three letters of recommendation are required before action is taken on any application. Personal reference report forms are available from Graduate School.

Thank you for being interested in IME graduate program.

For more application information, please go to NDSU Graduate School.