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Doctor of Engineering

While a traditional PhD program focuses on foundational research, a Doctor of Engineering Degree (DEng) emphasizes practice and application. Our DEng in Industrial and Systems Engineering program prepares working professionals in engineering, managerial, and other fields with the necessary skills and knowledge to meet modern industrial engineering needs while focusing on practice and application of advanced engineering management skills, data analytics skills, and leadership development.

Program Overview

The DEng in IE curriculum consists of courses within the broad domain of IE and Engineering Management (EM) and a capstone project. In addition to the fundamental courses in the major, the curriculum also covers the popular and latest technology like systems engineering, data analytics, and machine learning (AI). Different from a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which focuses on foundational research that is publishable in academic journals, the DEng requires solving real-world problems using the latest IE and EM tools. The program is mainly for distance education. The program requirements are as follows.

  • Admission Requirements
    A Master’s degree in engineering or relevant areas with a minimum graduate level GPA of 3.3.
  • Coursework Requirements
    48 Required Hours beyond a Master’s degree, including 21 hours of required coursework, 9 hours of electives, and 18 hours of Capstone Project.

Why Study

The DEng in IE will help early and mid-career employees, especially the ones with engineering backgrounds, to advance their careers and be ready for leadership roles. With the rapid progression of advanced techniques for engineering and management, such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence, new engineering management tools, systems engineering, and advanced technology management theories, working professionals must learn more beyond a master’s program.

UT’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering has run a successful online PhD program in industrial engineering with an engineering management concentration for more than 15 years. Its faculty has strong research in advanced engineering management and systems engineering theories, data analytical skills, and rich practical experience through industrial outreach and applied research projects. Over 76 years, the department has built a strong industrial and alumni network among corporates in the region and across the nation.

Curriculum

Student pursuing a DE in industrial engineering will have the opportunity to take courses in diverse areas. Here is an example of just a few of the required courses:

Classical optimization applied to constrained and unconstrained, non-linear, multi-variable functions; search techniques; decision making under uncertainty; game theory; and dynamic programming.

Modeling and simulating business and industry systems to enhance management, strategic, and operational decision-making. Hands-on experiences of simulation software package (e.g., Arena) will be provided with case studies in manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, healthcare, etc.

Development and management of engineering and technology projects. Project proposal preparation; resource and cost estimating; and project planning, organizing, and controlling: network diagrams and other techniques. Role of a project manager: team building, conflict resolution, and contract negotiations. Discussion of typical problems and alternative solutions. Case studies and student projects.

Introduces the concepts, methods, and techniques of supply chain management and logistics support from a systems engineering perspective. The discussion of different topics in the course will focus on the different stages in a system life cycle.

Check out the course catalog for more information on the Doctor of Engineering program.