Graduate Program Policies

Assistantship Performance

Students having research or teaching assistantship appointments are expected to perform assigned duties in accord with quality standards. Failure to do so can lead to financial support being discontinued. Similarly the support of such students may be discontinued:

1. if the student drops a course and falls to a course credit below full-time status;
2. if a grade of Incomplete is allowed to persist; or
3. if he obtains a grade below C, for which no graduate credit is allowed (see Academic Performance).

In the event of unsatisfactory work performance on an assistantship, the student will be given notice of this in writing. If the work performance does not then improve, the assistantship will be terminated with written notice. For additional information on assistantship responsibilities, see the Graduate Handbook and the departmental Guidelines for Utilization of Graduate Teaching Assistants.

Attendance at Oral Exams

According to Graduate School policy, scheduled oral examinations are open to all graduate faculty and to the university community by consent of the committee and the student, as follows:

1. the M.S. Final Oral Exam;
2. the Ph.D. Preliminary Oral Exam; and
3. the Ph.D. Final Oral Exam (dissertation defense).

Graduate students may attend oral examinations, however, out of courtesy to the candidate they should advise him or her of their desire to do so. At the time of scheduling the Final Oral Examination for the M.S. thesis or Ph.D. dissertation, the candidate must provide a brief (e.g. half-page) abstract of the research to the Graduate Secretary. This abstract will be included in the oral examination schedule that will be posted and distributed within the department.

Changes in Committee Composition

Recommendations for any changes in the composition of a committee should be submitted in writing to the Student Services Assistant and should indicate that all faculty members involved have been informed and support the recommendation. The substitution of a committee member on an oral examination must be requested in advance of the examination and in writing.

Changing the Plan of Graduate Work (POGW)

The Plan of Graduate Work form is a “contract” between the student, his department, and the Graduate School and indicates the requirements for the degree. Any changes or substitutions to these requirements must have the approval of the student’s advisor, the Director of Graduate Programs, and the Dean of the Graduate School.

Changing Departments and Graduate Programs

The student should begin by writing the Dean of the Graduate School, who will notify each department. If each department concurs with the transfer, the student will receive a letter informing him that his curriculum has been changed. When a change of graduate program is made, the following is understood:

1. All financial support (assistantships, traineeships, or fellowships) arranged for or granted by the former advisor and/or department shall be discontinued unless the former advisor and/or department wishes to recommend otherwise.
2. If a graduate student holds an appointment, timely notice must be given by the student to allow minimal disruption of ongoing programs (e.g., it is expected that teaching and research obligations will be fulfilled, if desired by the former department, until such time as the department can make alternative arrangements).

For additional information see the Graduate Handbook.

Co-Majors (MR)

Specific requirements for obtaining a co-major in Industrial Engineering at the Masters level are as follows: (See the Graduate Handbook for additional information).

For either M.S. or M.I.E.:

1. Co-major must be in the same degree, i.e., MS and MS or "Master of" and "Master of". Co-majors involving "Master of" and MS or involving VBEE versions are not allowed.
2. Student must write a letter and obtain permission to co-major from each department.
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3. The chair or a co-chair for the student's advisory committee must be a graduate faculty member in IE.
4. Co-major replaces any minor.
5. Student should provide a hard-copy Plan of Graduate Work to each co-major department.
6. Courses that are cross-listed may be used to satisfy the course requirement for either co-major department.
7. It is helpful to list courses satisfying IE co-major course requirements separately.

Additionally, for the M.S.:

• The Plan of Graduate Work must include a minimum total of 30 credit hours, at least 12 hours of (non-thesis) course work in IE, and 1 course from three of the five groups in the Breadth Requirement Course List.
• Students must do a thesis. At least 3 credits of thesis research must be included in the Plan of Graduate Work.
• Advisory committee must have at least three members and this committee will conduct a final oral exam on the thesis.

Additionally, for the M.I.E.:

• Plan of Graduate Work must include a minimum total of 33 credit hours, at least 17 hours of course work in IE, and 1 course from three of the five groups in the Breadth Requirement Course List.
• If the other program is also option B, the advisory committee will consist of the co-chairs. If the other program is not option B, the advisory committee must have at least three members, one of which is the IE co-chair.
• There is no final oral exam if the other program is also option B. If the other program is not option B, there will be a final oral exam.

Communication Skills

The student is expected to demonstrate competence in written and oral communication. This is an overall requirement which transcends coursework per se. If serious deficiencies become apparent to the graduate faculty, then it is their prerogative to require remedial action on the part of the student prior to the granting of the degree.

Cross-Listed Courses

IE courses cross-listed with other departments/programs (for example, Operations Research, Computer Science, or Psychology) may be used as credit toward the minor. However, the Plan of Graduate Work should include at least one course not of this type at the M.S. level and more than one at the Ph.D. level.

Double Majors (Ph.D.)

In the case of the Double Major, sufficient coursework must be taken in each major area (e.g. Industrial Engineering and Economics) to demonstrate Ph.D.-level competence in each. It is expected that the Plan of Graduate Work will reveal approximately an equal balance of coursework between the two majors, and that a significant portion of such coursework shall be at the 700- or 800-level in each major. The student must take and pass the Ph.D. written examination as a “major” in each department. With regard to the Advisory Committee there shall be two members from each of the respective departments, with cochairs coming from each department. Obviously, in the case of the double major, there is no “minor.”

Getting two degrees for what may appear to be little more than the effort of one degree has an initial appeal to some students; this should be tempered with consideration of the hazards involved.

Independent Study

Both students and faculty are encouraged to make greater use of opportunities for “readings” courses, design projects, and independent research as permitted by enrollment in IE 637 and IE 639. A good “readings” course may lay the foundation for thesis research, or may help to prepare the Ph.D. student for the Qualifying Exam. Students taking such courses are required to complete a contract with the supervising professor using the Proposal for Graduate Student Project form.

Late Enrollment Changes

Approval of requests for late actions (e.g. drops and adds) by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering, requires prior signature approval by the department’s Director of Graduate Programs. Requests for late drops are granted based upon documented medical reasons or other verified, unforeseen grounds of personal or family hardship. Exceptions to late drop policy require strong written justification and endorsement by the student’s advisor.

Leaving Before Completion

Students should exercise restraint with regard to accepting employment and leaving the campus before all degree work is completed. While well meaning, students will assert that they can complete their research or write up their thesis in absentia, when the facts argue otherwise. Once in a new job the student gives priority to getting settled in, and degree work fades to the background. Only a small percentage of students who leave campus under these conditions ever return to get their degree! There are several case histories of recent students who completed their doctoral coursework and research, but have never finished writing their dissertation.

Please note that graduate students in absentia are not exempt from the policy of continuous registration.

Outside Employment

A student awarded an assistantship or fellowship should notify his or her advisor/chairman before accepting outside employment. Students and faculty, by university policy, are cautioned to avoid situations in which the combination of an assistantship and supplemental employment in terms of hours exceeds the definition of full-time employment.

Publication of Research

Students should always consider the possibility of journal publication of their scholarly efforts that may have originally been in the form of term papers, project reports, theses, or dissertations. Faculty should identify and encourage the publication of efforts of high quality. Students should observe that some faculty may require that a draft journal paper be prepared, based upon dissertation research, before they will schedule the final oral examination.

Research Assistantships

In contrast to Teaching Assistantships which are under department administration, Research Assistantships (RAs) are under the control of individual faculty who have been awarded grants or contracts. Accordingly the award of an RA is determined by the professor according to his research objectives, programmatic needs, and budget constraints.

Research Progress Evaluation

With regard to thesis and dissertation proposals, it is essential that approval of the committee be obtained (and documented) before research is initiated. Thereafter, the student should continually and routinely apprise the committee members concerning progress. Major modifications in the research plan should be approved by the committee.

The Graduate Advisory Committee is strongly encouraged to take a very active role throughout the student's program of graduate training to (1) provide an intellectual climate for optimal research and scholarly accomplishment, and (2) detect difficulties in research performance, methodology or philosophy so that remedial action may be taken as soon as such difficulties become evident.

The completed and approved thesis constitutes the final criterion for meeting the research requirements for the degree. However, the Graduate Advisory Committee and the student are encouraged to meet in formal sessions at appropriate intervals to critically assess the student's progress with regard to his thesis research. Such meetings may be requested by the student or any member of his committee. If adequate research progress is not evident, the Graduate Advisory Committee has the obligation to clearly specify their reasons for concern and to stipulate the performance expected. Records of the evaluation of the student's progress and the stipulations made by the Committee will be maintained in the student's departmental file and a copy will be provided to the student. Should two successive evaluations indicating unsatisfactory performance be made by the Committee, the Dean of the Graduate School is notified and he or his designated representative shall examine the reasons for the unsatisfactory performance and make appropriate recommendations to the Chairman of the student's Advisory Committee.

Student Responsibility and Communication with Chair/Advisor

Each student’s program is planned with an advisor and/or committee composed of Graduate Faculty members and is based on the student’s particular area of interest while emphasizing scholarly development through course work, seminars, and directed and independent research. Each student is responsible for knowing and fulfilling the requirements of his or her particular degree objective.

It is in the student’s best interest to be fully apprised of requirements and to anticipate deadlines. Students should not presume that their advisor will assume responsibility in all cases, especially when those students are not readily available for communication. Thus in the scheduling of the thesis or dissertation oral examination, students should determine that the chair of their advisory committee has notified the Graduate School of the date of, and intention to proceed with, the examination.

The Masters Degree Checklist and Ph.D. Degree Checklist identify those milestones by which a student should chart his progress.

Submitting Theses/Dissertations

The traditional nonelectronic procedure for submitting the final approved thesis to the Graduate School is detailed in the Thesis and Dissertation Guide. The procedure for electronic thesis submission is detailed in ETD - Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Thesis submission is by appointment only and occurs in a two step process of the Guide.

Teaching Assistantships

Offers of TAs, and assignment of responsibility, are coordinated by the Director of Graduate Programs. College of Engineering guidelines for the selection, training, supervision, and evaluation of TAs appear in the Guidelines for Utilization of Graduate Teaching Assistants. Both students and faculty are expected to observe these guidelines. For additional information on assistantship responsibilities, see the Graduate Handbook.

Depending on performance graduate students in IE may be awarded teaching assistantships for up to two years, i.e., four semesters. Further, it is desirable that a teaching assistantship awarded to a new doctoral-level student should not be extended beyond one academic year, i.e., beyond two full semesters. The rationale for this latter stipulation is that the Ph.D. student should normally be supported by a research assistantship. Exceptions to this policy may be granted only with consent of the department head.

Thesis Workshops

The Graduate School sponsors periodic workshops throughout the year to assist students in their preparation of theses and dissertation. Students are urged to participate prior to their efforts. To register, call the Graduate School at 515-2871. The Workshop Schedule is available on the Graduate School Home Page, and students may reserve a slot in one of the workshops by following the directions outlined therein.

Writing Assistance Program

The Writing Assistance Program of the College of Engineering has many requests for editing assistance with theses and dissertations, especially those written by international students. Its primary purpose is to teach those communication skills necessary to our graduates for their professional careers. If a student comes to its staff just before the deadline with an entire manuscript, they can only edit the work, and the student learns nothing. Therefore, it is not their policy to edit completed manuscripts.

However, their experience indicates that certain procedures enable them to teach and reinforce technical writing skills while providing necessary editing service. As a result, they ask you to consider the following guidelines:

• Students should request their service in stages (i.e. a chapter or section at a time) rather than all at once after the project's completion. By working in stages, they can instruct students how to edit their own work efficiently.
• Students should write the Procedures or Results section before the Introduction or Literature Review. Because thesis writing skills develop with experience, students benefit from writing easier sections first.
• Foreign students should attend the free WAP thesis/dissertation workshop before beginning the project. Workshop participants are more likely to retain already learned writing skills when these are put to use producing the thesis.
• Students should notify the staff as early as possible of the project's schedule. They can work with students more efficiently if they know how to budget their time.
• Faculty members should notify them of any significant communication problems (i.e. grammatical weaknesses, organizational difficulty, etc.) before they begin to work with students. In this way, they can help them fulfill your expectations.

Contact Information: For more information please contact Ms. Cecilia Chen, Student Services Assistant.