The Manufacturing Systems Engineering (MfgSE) option is one of four graduate options offered by the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE). The MfgSE option is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to meet successfully the most difficult challenges of modern manufacturing industries on a global scale. The option provides engineers with detailed state-of-the-art knowledge of both traditional and advanced manufacturing technologies, systems integration techniques, economic analysis methods, and operations management practices and principles. Based upon this knowledge, students develop the ability to perform analysis, evaluation, and synthesis for a broad range of problems related to the design, implementation, and efficient operation of manufacturing systems.
Proficiency in the basic requirement areas can be demonstrated by previous course work or suitable work experience. Otherwise, the student is expected to take the appropriate undergraduate courses.
Students within the graduate program in the MfgSE option are assumed to have had undergraduate courses in simulation and optimization. If this is not the case, such students must make up this deficiency by either taking the appropriate undergraduate courses or by taking graduate courses in these areas. If graduate courses are taken, they can be used in the plan of study as elective credits towards the degree requirements.
Each student must establish a graduate advisory committee, which is responsible for approving the student's program of study and degree-related research and examination work. Usually the committee for an M.S. or M.E. consists of three faculty members, while five faculty member comprise a committee for a Ph.D. A member of the teaching faculty in MfgSE must chair or co-chair the advisory committee for a candidate for the M.E. or M.S. with a concentration in MfgSE. Candidates for the Ph.D. must include at least two teaching faculty members from the MfgSE option area, and the committee chair (or at least one of the co-chairs) must be a teaching faculty member from the MfgSE option area.
To be more closely associated with a specific domain, students may elect to follow a particular specialization track. These are groups of course reflecting both the interests and areas of specialization of the MfgSE faculty and current industrial demands and trends. Three specialization tracks currently offered for the M.E. and M.S. are:
Production planning and control involves the procurement, production and distribution-related functions of a manufacturing facility. Some specific problem areas include production scheduling, aggregate planning, facilities planning, production and inventory control, process planning and forecasting. This track is designed to introduce to the student the tools and techniques for application to real-world problems as well as to build a theoretical foundation to do research in this area.
Three different degree options are provided to meet these objectives of the MfgSE option.
M.E.
M.S.
Ph.D.
If you need more information about the graduate program with concentration in manufacturing systems engineering, please contact the option coordinator, Dr. Subhash C. Sarin(sarins@vt.edu). To learn more about the other on-campus ISE graduate programs, the admissions process, financial aid opportunities, or graduate degree requirements browse the links below. You can also send e-mail to Lovedia Cole (lovediac@vt.edu) in the Student Records Office, or telephone (540) 231-5586.
