Requirements
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is awarded to students who demonstrate high academic achievement and research competence in the field of industrial engineering. To earn a PhD, a student must complete approved and advanced coursework and submit and defend an original dissertation of independent research. The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) expects all successful doctoral candidates to show depth of knowledge and research innovation in their chosen field of specialization.
The MIE department admits applicants to the PhD program either directly after earning a suitable bachelor’s degree (i.e., bachelor's entry) or after earning a master’s degree (i.e., advanced entry). Upon acceptance into the program, an applicant is designated as a doctoral student. This designation is changed to doctoral candidate upon successful completion of the doctoral qualifying examinations (both written and oral exams) as well as all the required coursework.
Academic and Research Advisors
PhD students must find a research advisor within their first year of study. The research advisor must be a full-time or jointly appointed faculty. If the research advisor is outside the MIE department, a faculty member with 51 percent or more appointments in the MIE department must be chosen as co-advisor, and a petition must be filed and approved by the co-advisor and the MIE Graduate Affairs Committee. Students are advised by the faculty advisor of their discipline before they select their research advisor(s). The research advisor and co-advisor (if applicable) must serve on the PhD student’s oral examination, dissertation proposal, and dissertation defense committees.
Change of Research Advisor
Students who want to change their research advisors need to use the MIE petition form. The petition form needs to be signed both by the student and the student's current and future research advisors. The signed form then needs to be submitted to the MIE department for further processing.
Course Requirements and Plan of Study
Each doctoral student, together with his or her research advisor, should develop an initial program during the first semester of study. The final program is also subject to the approval of the dissertation committee, who will add the program of study to the student’s record upon admission to doctoral candidacy.
Direct Entry
A typical program of study includes at least 40 semester hours of coursework beyond a bachelor’s degree. Students who choose to get a master's degree along the way to PhD must complete a total of 52 semester hours (32 semester hours to earn a master's degree and an additional 20 semester hours in order to earn a PhD). The 32 semester hours of coursework that apply toward the master's degree may include up to 8 semester hours of thesis or 4 semester hours of project or approved independent study coursework. Students may petition the MIE Graduate Affairs Committee to substitute up to 4 semester hours of Independent Study (IE 7978) as part of their required coursework. An independent study must be approved by the research advisor. When thesis or project is selected, an independent study course cannot be taken.
Advanced Entry
A typical program of study includes at least 20 semester hours of coursework beyond a master’s degree. Students may petition the MIE Graduate Affairs Committee to substitute up to 4 semester hours of Independent Study (IE 7978) as part of their required coursework. An independent study must be approved by the research advisor.
PhD Candidacy
To qualify as a doctoral candidate, a doctoral student must successfully complete the doctoral qualifying examinations (both a written comprehensive exam and an oral exam—see below) as well as all the required coursework.
Doctoral Qualifying Examinations
Background and motivation: To demonstrate breadth and depth in each of the subject exams, crossover and merging exams are necessary in an effort to provide students with an opportunity to master the core disciplines in mechanical or industrial engineering (at both undergraduate and graduate levels) along with a focus area of importance to their specialization. These exams also provide an assessment as to whether students have adequate knowledge to pursue advanced study and possess attributes of a doctoral candidate by demonstrating understanding of and the ability to apply fundamental principles. Also, an oral exam tied to the written exams is necessary in an effort to evaluate a student’s potential to perform independent research in the chosen field of specialization for the doctoral program.
Doctoral qualifying examinations framework: The doctoral qualifying examinations consist of the following two parts:
- Two written comprehensive exams, which are respectively referred to as exam A and exam B
- An oral exam to be administered no later than the end of the semester in which the written exams are taken and passed
Written Comprehensive Examinations
All doctoral students admitted directly with a bachelor’s degree must take the written comprehensive exams no later than the first time that they are offered after their first two years of study. The written comprehensive exams include two exams, exam A and exam B, which are given on the Thursday and/or Friday of the first week of classes during regular semesters. A complete list of these exams along with topical coverage and details are provided in the PhD Qualifying Examinations Guidelines on the MIE department graduate website. Students should also consult extensively with their research advisor regarding all aspects of the qualifying exams.
Written Comprehensive Exams Rules
Exam A, about four to six hours in length, should be selected from the list of major exams based on the student’s concentration (i.e., industrial engineering—IND, sample list provided). No deviation from this rule will be permitted. Exam B, about two to three hours in length, should be selected from the list of exams B for PhD degree program in industrial engineering (a sample list is provided below), and only one exam from this list should be selected. All students are required to have their research advisor’s approval on selection of exam B prior to registering to take the written comprehensive exams. Note that exam B cannot be similar or close to one of the topics covered in exam A.
List of exams A and B based on student's research concentration:
Samples of exam A for industrial engineering PhD students:
- Industrial Engineering (IND): Probability and Probabilistic OR (IND1), Statistics (IND2), and Deterministic OR (IND3)
Samples of exam B for industrial engineering PhD students:
- Data Mining (DMN)
- Human-Machine Systems (HMS)
- Manufacturing Systems (MFS)
- Networks and Advanced Optimization (NAO)
- Reliability and Quality Assurance (RQA)
- Supply Chain Engineering (SCE)
Oral Examination
The objective of the oral exam is to assess a student’s potential to perform independent research in the chosen field of specialization. This exam shall be administered no later than the end of the semester in which the written exams are taken and passed. The exam shall be publicly advertised at least one week in advance and all faculty members and students may attend and participate.
Oral examination procedure: The student’s research advisor convenes and chairs an oral examination committee comprised of a minimum of three faculty members deemed appropriate by the research advisor. This committee provides a set of technical papers pertinent to the student’s research area at least one month before the examination. The oral examination committee will then conduct the exam that comprises the following two parts (both completed in a one-hour session):
- A 30-minute oral presentation on a selected number of papers out of the assigned technical papers
- A 30-minute oral exam by committee members’ questions and evaluation of the student covering topics specifically related to the student’s research area
Grading Procedure
Grading procedure and results of the written comprehensive examination: The MIE Graduate Affairs Committee will review all students’ performance in the written comprehensive exams. Depending on the results of both major and minor exams and in consultation with the student’s research advisor, the Graduate Affairs Committee will recommend one of the following three possible options:
- No invitation to oral exam: The student will be dismissed from the program. He or she may be granted a master's degree if the requirements are already met; otherwise, the student may continue to fulfill the requirements for a master's degree in industrial engineering (IE), mechanical engineering (ME), or other MIE departmental MS degree (e.g., operations research (OR)).
- No invitation to oral exam yet: The student will be asked to retake the written exam(s) again in the next offering and/or take additional courses.
- Student is invited to oral exam.
The Graduate Affairs Committee makes its final recommendation considering all aspects of the exam including, but not limited to, examiners’ reports and results and the student’s research performance and coursework. The Graduate Affairs Committee reserves the right to recommend option 1 above for students who register for the exams but do not show up.
Grading procedure and results of the oral examination: If the student's performance in the oral exam is not satisfactory, the student will be dismissed from the program. He or she may be granted a master's degree if the requirements are met; otherwise, the student may continue to fulfill the requirements for a master's degree in industrial engineering (IE), mechanical engineering (ME), or other MIE departmental MS degree (e.g., operations research (OR)).
Upon successfully passing the oral exam, the student continues in the PhD program. Upon passing all the required coursework, he or she will become a PhD candidate. The results of written and oral exams and any recommended coursework will become part of the student’s record.
Appeal Procedure
The preliminary qualifying examination process provides means for reevaluation for students who fail one or more exams to appeal the Graduate Affairs Committee decision. All communications related to these examinations should be coordinated through the student’s research advisor. Only the student’s research advisor may request the MIE Graduate Affairs Committee to reevaluate the student’s failed exams.
PhD Students Annual Review
After the completion of their doctoral qualifying examinations, all PhD students in the MIE department must complete the PhD students' annual review form with their research advisor(s) and submit any supporting documents. This review should occur during the fall semester of each academic year and all subsequent years thereafter. Annual reviews will be filed with the MIE department's graduate affairs office.
PhD Students Changing Their Program
PhD students who, for any reason, decide to change their program (i.e., from PhD in ME to PhD in IE or vice versa) must take (or retake) the doctoral qualifying examinations (both written comprehensive exams and oral exam) based on the student’s new major research area (i.e., industrial engineering, materials, mechanics, mechatronics, or thermofluids).
Interdisciplinary PhD Students with MIE as the Home Department
Students pursuing the College of Engineering (COE) interdisciplinary PhD program with the MIE department as their home department must take one of the major written comprehensive exams (exam A) of the MIE doctoral qualifying examinations. The minor exam (exam B) can be substituted with appropriate exam(s) from other department(s) involved with the student’s interdisciplinary PhD program. Students dismissed from the ME or IE PhD programs in the MIE department cannot enroll in the PhD interdisciplinary engineering program with MIE as the primary affiliation.
Dissertation Proposal Preparation and Presentation Timing
Students must present their dissertation proposal no more than 18 months after successfully completing the oral exam. In addition, the presentation of the dissertation proposal and the actual dissertation defense (see below) shall be no less than six months apart. The student’s dissertation committee will invite any additional faculty deemed appropriate to that field; this dissertation committee will then conduct the dissertation proposal session. Each student’s dissertation committee must be comprised of at least three members, including the research advisor. At least two of those three members must be full-time MIE faculty members. At least three committee members should hold a PhD and at least two shall be Northeastern University faculty members. The chair of the dissertation committee shall be a full-time tenured or tenure-track member of the faculty of Northeastern University and will hold a PhD or an appropriate terminal degree for the discipline. Exceptions to this policy will be considered and, if appropriate, approved by the provost or their designee.
Dissertation Course Requirements
Upon successful completion of the doctoral qualifying examinations (both written preliminary and oral exams) as well as all the required coursework, the doctoral candidate, in consultation with his or her research advisor, must register in two consecutive semesters (may include full summer term) for Dissertation Term 1 (IE 9990) and Dissertation Term 2 (IE 9991). Upon completion of this sequence, the student must then register for Dissertation Continuation (IE 9996) in every semester (in each fall and spring semester and also in the summer term if summer is the student's last semester) until the dissertation is completed. Students may not register for Dissertation Continuation (IE 9996) until they complete the two-semester registration sequence for Dissertation Term 1 (IE 9990) and Dissertation Term 2 (IE 9991).
To meet the full-time registration requirement for PhD students who have completed the majority of their coursework and not yet reached PhD candidacy, a zero-credit course, Candidacy Preparation—Doctoral (IE 8960), can be taken if needed to meet the full-time course registration requirement. Candidacy Preparation—Doctoral (IE 8960) is an individual instruction course, billed as 1 semester hour, and graded as S or U. This course does not have any course content, and students must register in a section for which their research or academic advisor is listed as the “instructor" in the online registration system.
Final Oral (Dissertation Defense) Examination
All doctoral candidates must pass a final oral exam. This exam will be scheduled once the dissertation committee agrees that the candidate’s research has reached a stage where it is appropriate for a formal presentation and after completion of all other requirements for the PhD, including all coursework approved in the final program of study. The objective of the exam is for the candidate to present and defend the results of the dissertation research and to demonstrate depth of knowledge and significant expertise in the area of that research under questioning from the dissertation committee and other attendees.
The exam shall be publicly advertised at least one week in advance and all faculty members may attend and participate. At the conclusion of the presentation and subsequent questions period, the dissertation committee will convene to determine the outcome. The committee may recommend that the candidate be awarded the PhD or may require additional research and/or modifications of the dissertation. In some cases, candidates may be asked to present an additional final oral dissertation defense.
Residency Requirement
After achieving PhD candidacy, the university residency requirement is satisfied by two semesters of full-time graduate registration or four semesters of part-time graduate registration. Students must be continually enrolled during the pursuit of their dissertation.
Bachelor's Degree Entrance
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Milestones
Doctoral qualifying exams (both written comprehensive and oral area exams)
Annual review
Dissertation committee formation
Dissertation proposal
Dissertation defense
Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended Courses | ||
| Note: Semester hours can be counted toward coursework component with advisor approval. | ||
MEIE 6830 Graduate Traineeship I (Technical Writing and Communications) (2 SHs) | ||
MEIE 6860 Graduate Traineeship II (Research Ethics and Professional Development) (2 SHs) | ||
| Approved Coursework | ||
| Requires 40 semester hours of coursework, including up to 4 semester hours of Independent Study (IE 7978). | 40 | |
Dissertation
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following (must register in two consecutive semesters, which may include full summer term): | ||
| Dissertation Term 1 | ||
| Dissertation Term 2 | ||
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
40 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required
Master's Degree Entrance
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Milestones
Doctoral qualifying exams (both written comprehensive and oral area exams)
Annual review
Dissertation committee formation
Dissertation proposal
Dissertation defense
General Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended Courses (semester hours can be counted toward coursework component with adviser approval) | ||
MEIE 6830 Graduate Traineeship I (Technical Writing and Communications) (2 SHs) | ||
MEIE 6860 Graduate Traineeship II (Research Ethics and Professional Development) (2 SHs) | ||
| Approved Course Work | ||
| Requires 20 semester hours of coursework, including up to 4 semester hours of Independent Study (IE 7978). Please consult your faculty adviser for acceptable courses. | 20 | |
Dissertation Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following two courses. Must register in two consecutive semesters (may include full summer term): | ||
| Dissertation Term 1 | ||
| Dissertation Term 2 | ||
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
20 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required