PhD in Engineering Management

Candidates for the PhD in Engineering Management should possess a master’s or bachelor’s degree in engineering or closely related discipline. A cumulative GPA of at least a 3.5 (4.0 scale) will be required for admission. A GRE score* from the last five years, with a combined verbal and quantitative score of at least a 300 with a quantitative score in at least the top 40th percentile will be required for consideration. Candidates below established GPA and GRE requirements will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Candidates whose primary language is not English will be required to demonstrate proficiency in English. Applicants must also have evidence of completion of a probability and statistics course with a grade of at least a “B” and be able to demonstrate competence in at least one structured programming language (R, Python, C++, etc.).

*The College of Engineering will consider waiving the GRE requirement based on progressive industry experience, academic performance, a recommendation from a research advisor, and an interview. The interview can be scheduled at any point during the application process by emailing Dr. Christian Salmon, Department Chair for Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, at christian.salmon@wne.edu.

Admissions Process

The personal attention you’ll receive from our faculty is unparalleled. They’ll become your mentors, learning partners, and colleagues during your education. Not only will you work with them in the classroom, but you’ll also have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on research and development projects. Their interests are in areas such as supply chain management, discrete event systems, quality, reliability, global health, human factors, and risk management.

Faculty

Course Delivery: In-class or online*
Total Credits: 57-72

Options for attending courses include fully in-class, fully online, as well as hybrid in-class and online to accommodate work and family. All lectures will be captured and available for online review. The program will capture all lecture-based presentations using the echo360 lecture capture system.

If you are interested in completing the program fully online, you will have an initial consultation with the Department Chair to discuss your goals and how an online approach could work for you, with particular attention to dissertation requirements. Once enrolled in program, you will be paired with a faculty advisor who will be a content expert in their field based on your research interests.

*International candidates will be required to attend in-class sessions in order to be in compliance with student visa requirements.

It is the philosophy of the program to graduate students who have the ability to create, evaluate, improve, design, and manage complex human technological systems. Additionally, students will demonstrate the ability, through dissertation research, to contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of engineering management. The systems include engineering/manufacturing systems, service systems, and logistical systems.

Goals/Principles

The goal of the program is to prepare graduates with the appropriate technical depth and breadth of knowledge so that they may be successful educators, researches, and practitioners in the management of complex human technological systems. The program will follow three principles in pursuit of this goal. In addition to passing the required coursework, students must also pass a comprehensive examination to demonstrate a mastery of Principles 1 and 2.

Principle 1: Provide a Solid Foundation and Depth in Engineering Management Theory and Practice

A solid fundamental understanding of a field is essential in order for students to be considered an expert in that field. This is true for Engineering Management as well. It is the fundamentals that a student will need to expand upon in order to contribute new knowledge to the field of engineering management. We place an emphasis on the fundamentals of the management of complex human technological systems and an emphasis on the modeling and analysis of such systems.

Principle 2: Provide Breadth Across Multiple Types of Human Technological Systems

Principles, tools, and fundamentals of engineering management have been rooted in engineering and manufacturing systems. These tools have also been successfully applied to other systems such as service and transportation/logistical systems. Today engineering managers can be increasingly found in banks, hospitals, amusement parks, airlines, and a variety of delivery agencies. On the surface, these industries appear different however; they all involve people, materials, information, equipment, energy, and capital. Therefore, the program will emphasize case studies and examples within the coursework that are applications in the following three areas: 

• Engineering and Manufacturing Systems
• Service Systems
• Logistical Systems

Principle 3: Contribute to the body of Knowledge in Engineering Management

A requirement of any Doctorate of Philosophy Program in Engineering is the expectation that graduating students will contribute to the body of knowledge in their chosen field by conducting research. This will be demonstrated by graduating students successfully completing a doctoral dissertation. Students conducting dissertation research will be guided by a selected advisor and advisory committee. Students must pass a dissertation approval examination in order to ensure they are prepared to conduct research. Upon the successful completion of research, graduating students will document the research results in a dissertation. Dissertations will be defended in front of advisory committees.