Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research

Industrial engineers (IEs) are systems thinkers who combine math, data science, engineering, economics, social science, and business methods to help organizations improve their products and services, mitigate risks, and, more generally, make better decisions.

The Ph.D. program is intended to prepare the student for a research career in industry, academia, or national laboratories. A dissertation, presenting significant new information, is the primary requirement of the degree. To apply to the Ph.D. program, a Master's Degree is NOT required. Prospective students with a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research or relevant fields could apply directly to a Ph.D. program through an MSc/Ph.D. path.

Engineers are hardworking and driven. They seek to improve the world. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, we empower our engineering students to realize their ambitions and to propel change. Here strong minds challenge the ordinary with ideas that are bigger, bolder — game-changing. From artificial neural networks and bio-inspired computing; to a new class of environmentally friendly polymer materials; to transformative water-treatment discoveries, our research is leading-edge and students have the opportunity to play a big part at the lab bench, in the field, and with technology transfer and building start-ups.