Fifteen years ago, the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) piloted a new master’s degree for adults working in the nuclear security sector. The program began in the fall of 2011 with just 19 students. 

Last spring, the MS in Industrial Engineering (MSIE) program congratulated its 232nd graduate. 

“The MSIE program offered the perfect opportunity to pursue a second master’s degree,” said Syreeta Vaughn, a nuclear facility safety project specialist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) who graduated from MSIE in December of 2013. “The curriculum was exactly what I was looking for, with courses that genuinely interested me, and the schedule allowed me to attend classes without disrupting my regular workweek or my time with my family.” 

That accommodating schedule was one of the factors that late ISE Professor and former Department Head Rapinder “Rupy” Sawhney and Carla Arbogast, MSIE’s cofounder and current director, recognized as foundational to the program’s success. 

“At the time, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Defense (DOD) had a lot of non-traditional students who wanted to get an advanced degree,” said Arbogast. “But no programs that offered a healthy balance of work, school, and life existed.” 

To address this need, Arbogast tailored the MSIE schedule to align with the four-day DOE/DOD work week. The curriculum teaches industrial systems engineering through the lens of the Sawhney Model, a research-based, people-first approach to operational excellence developed at the University of Tennessee by Sawhney and his research group, including Arbogast. 

The resulting program has not only made master’s education available to hundreds of working adults in the nuclear security sector but also helped a significant number of MSIE alumni reach new heights in their careers. 

“The MSIE program’s success is built on its perfect alignment with the needs of national nuclear security,” said ISE Department Head Mingzhou Jin. “MSIE supports Tennessee’s nuclear security and energy workforce by equipping engineers with systems thinking, leadership, and applied problem-solving skills tailored to the complex, interdisciplinary challenges of nuclear operations, research, and national security missions—and by helping engineers build a strong peer community that enhances collaboration and networking.” 

Eligibility Based on Role—Not Degree

To enroll in the MSIE program, applicants must be affiliated with the DOD or DOE. Previous students have hailed from ORNL, the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12), the National Nuclear Security Administration, HII (the nation’s largest military shipbuilder), and many government contractors. 

“The organizations we serve have been exceptional partners,” said Arbogast. “They share our strong commitment to employee development and creating sustainable career pathways for the future workforce.” 

Students must also hold a bachelor’s degree, but this requirement is not limited to nuclear security. Vaughn, for example, held two degrees in geological and Earth sciences before starting her MSIE. 

“We did that very intentionally,” Arbogast explained, “because systems engineering is about critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are useful to anyone.” 

Adam Feeley, a project lead at the federal contractor company that manages Y-12, earned his undergraduate business degree from the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business in 2021. He graduated with his MSIE in the spring of 2025. 

“I enrolled in the MSIE program to learn valuable systems engineering methodologies that I could use every day to be successful—and help my organization to be successful,” Feeley said. “I recognized it as a unique opportunity to get my master’s and learn a lot of highly useful job skills while accommodating my full-time working schedule and personal life.” 

Human Connections 

With a cohort structure emphasizing connection with other students, flexible scheduling that respects students’ personal lives, and a 96% on-time graduation rate, the MSIE program is a living demonstration the Sawhney model’s effectiveness. 

“The cohort structure was especially meaningful for me,” said Vaughn. “It allowed me to learn alongside other working professionals who were at a similar point in their careers, which created strong, lasting bonds. I still lean on that professional network for support, advice, and collaboration.” 

Ashley Schneider (MSIE ’21) began the program in August of 2019. The program’s flexibility allowed her to earn her second master’s degree while working full-time for a DOD prime contractor and raising six children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Completing the degree allowed her to pursue new opportunities within her organization; in 2024, she and her family relocated to Australia, where she now works as the chief safety, engineering, and assurance officer for her employer’s international joint venture supporting the AUKUS agreement. 

“Carla and Dr. Sawhney’s influence shaped my entire experience,” said Schneider. “The flexibility of the program, the cohort support, and the personal investment from the faculty and my employer were the reasons I was able to succeed. The experience reinforced for me that the strength of any program lies in its people—and gave me the tools, confidence, and systemslevel thinking needed to contribute to work of global significance.” 

Curriculum and Capstones 

Nuclear security technology has changed significantly over the last decade, but the MSIE curriculum remains relevant. 

“AI, augmented reality, and other emerging technologies are advancing at an unprecedented pace, making it challenging to keep up,” Arbogast said. “The key will be understanding how people effectively operate within these evolving systems. The Sawhney Model bridges the gap between people and technology.” 

The curriculum is taught by faculty who not only meet UT’s rigorous academic and teaching requirements but can also speak from personal experience working in the DOD or DOE. 

“What stood out to me was the program’s holistic design—combining technical depth with human factors, leadership development, and meaningful industry collaboration,” Schneider said. “It wasn’t just about engineering; it was about preparing leaders who understand the full system and can operate safely and confidently in highconsequence environments.” 

The final requirement for graduation is the capstone project, where each MSIE student identifies a problem within their professional organization and applies their new industrial systems engineering skills to propose a solution. 

While every capstone has an immediate impact, some are more enduring. For example, the leadership development program that Schneider piloted for her capstone became an official program, which has continued to thrive under the leadership of a colleague even after Schneider relocated to Australia. 

Feeley’s recent capstone standardized a prioritization system for machine tooling at Y-12, reducing the amount of time spent in tooling manufacturing labor while significantly increasing the volume of completed projects and producing an estimated $44.7 million return on investment. 

“My MSIE experience has changed the way I think about everything that I face in my work,” Feeley said. “The program has given me an invaluable toolbox of skills—like systems thinking, reliability engineering, and statistical analysis—to utilize for the rest of my career.” 

Contact

Izzie Gall ([email protected])