Industrial Management

The Master of Science degree in Industrial Management (MSIM), offered through the College of Engineering, is a program for professionals interested in expanding their ability to manage technical functions in an organization as the next logical step in their career path. The program of study offers the student development in core areas that span financial, human resources, information systems, leadership and motivation, and systems management as a way to provide the necessary skills and knowledge tools needed to succeed in today’s business environment. Individuals from a variety of disciplines can benefit from the MSIM degree as it has been constructed as a multidisciplinary program with few prerequisites for the courses that have been identified to develop core competence in technical and business systems management.

There are three methods of progress toward the MSIM degree. Students may elect to pursue the traditional thesis route: this is valuable for individuals who anticipate future graduate work toward achieving the terminal degree in a related field. Most students select the research/design paper route: this requirement generally takes the form of a project in collaboration with local or regional industry to solve a problem or to improve a system or process. A third option is a non-thesis program with additional coursework culminating in a Comprehensive Exam. Regardless of the option selected, the student works closely with his/her Major Advisor to develop the program of study plan, make consistent progress toward completion of the degree, and to show proficiency in integrating and applying industrial management concepts through the Final Oral Exam.