Completion Guidelines for Master's Thesis 

The Completion Guidelines offer general information on the program, semester tasks, plan of study/degree requirements, registration, final exam, and graduation for your reference. Please consult the handbook or the Grad office if you have any questions.

Index

Program Overview

The Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (MSIE) - Thesis program is designed to educate technical experts and leading researchers in industrial engineering (IE), as well as leaders across a variety of industries and a breadth of domains. The thesis program provides an opportunity for independent research in a given area of Industrial Engineering. Pursuing the thesis option allows a student to extensively probe a topic of interest under the supervision of a faculty supervisor (referred to as “Faculty Advisor” or “Major Professor” ). Generally, pursuing a thesis allows for the development of skills in independent research not available through coursework. The thesis option is generally only available for on-campus students. Students who intend to earn the doctoral degree must pursue this option.The Master's degree with a thesis option allows students to work with world-renowned faculty to dig deeper in an area of interest. The development of a thesis involves utilizing the knowledge gained in a sub-field of study (e.g., human factors, manufacturing, operational research, production systems) to a novel engineering problem. In addition, students deepent their competence in surveying cutting-edge research, leading a project independently, design (especially in emerging fields), and communication. 

A thesis is a major undertaking, requiring deep interest in the subject matter and a close relationship with the faculty member supervising the research. Pursuing a thesis-option Master's degree is often a step toward pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree, and may be required for admission to some doctoral programs. However, the skills gained through completing a thesis-option Master's program still are highly sought after in industry. Students who intend to earn the doctoral degree must pursue this option. 

Prospective Thesis Master's students are encouraged to consult with faculty members with whom their interests align prior to applying for admission. You can learn about our research areas and the faculty doing work in them here, and can directly peruse faculty profiles via our IE Faculty Directory.

Coursework & Timeline to Completion

Typically, students enroll in a range of 9-12 credit hours per semester. Each credit hour corresponds to approximately 3 hours of combined class time and study time per week. For international students, it is a requirement to register for a minimum of full-time hours, which is 8 credit hours, during each fall/spring semester. Additionally, students have the option to register for a maximum of 18 credit hours per fall/spring semester, at the flat rate tuition fee. This allows students to customize their course load based on their academic goals and capacity.

Typically your master's thesis degree will take an average of two to three years from start to finish. 

Semester-by-Semester Checklist

Task

Timeline

Semester

1

Use annual review worksheet (appendix E of handbook) to facilitate annual review of progress

every semester

all

2

Meet with major professor and decide coursework/research hours

every semester

all

3

Select a major professor and appoint advisory committee

within 6 weeks of 1st semester

1

4

Familiarize yourself with MSIE Thesis Degree Requirements

Semester 1

1

5

Complete RCR Training
RCR Workshop Registration

within 60 days of 1st semester 

1

6

Draf Plan of Study

by end of 1st semester

1/2

7

Submit Plan of Study as Final

by end of 2nd semester, but no later than end of year 1

2/3

8

Register for Candidacy

Semester before expected graduation

4+

(see Graduate School Deadline)

9

Complete Graduate School Exit Survey

Semester before expected graduation

4+

(see Graduate School Deadline)

10

Schedule & Pass Master's Thesis Final Exam

Expected Graduation Semester

Final Semester

11

Deposit dissertation with thesis/dissertation office

Expected Graduation Semester

Final Semester

(see Graduate School Deadline)

12

Register for Commencement & Complete Commencement Tasks

Expected Graduation Semester

Final Semester

 

Degree Requirements

This Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (MSIE) degree program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours in total. Among these, at least 12 credit hours must be completed in graduate-level Industrial Engineering (IE) courses. Students are also allowed to take a maximum of 9 credit hours in other related disciplines, providing an opportunity to explore interdisciplinary subjects. Additionally, a minimum of 9 credit hours must be dedicated to research credits, allowing students to gain practical research experience in the field of industrial engineering. Successful completion of the program requirements leads to the awarding of the Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (MSIE) degree.

A minimum of 30 credit hours are required to complete the MSIE - thesis degree.

MSIE Thesis Degree Requirements 30 Credits
Industrial Engineering (IE) Graduate Courses 12 Credit Hours
Elective Graduate Courses (i.e. Math, Statistics, Management, Engineering)
Research Hours (IE 69800)		 9 Credit Hours
9 Credit Hours

Other Requirements
Advisory committee
Development of a thesis document meeting all requirements of the faculty and Graduate School
Successful defense of the thesis through an oral examination to a committee of faculty members

IE Courses

IE Courses are offered in the following topic areas:

Plan of Study Requirements

A Plan of Study (POS) is required by the Graduate School for all graduate students. The POS functions to ensure a student has met all of their course requirements prior to graduation. . A summary of POS information can be found below, but for step-by-step instructions on completing the POS, please see appendix B of the handbook. 

Every POS varies based on student interest, time, and course load.

Submitting your Plan of Study

The plan of study system via myPurdue does not open until about 1-2 months into your first semester. We recommend you file your POS in your second semester, but it must be submitted and fully approved before you begin the semester you intend to graduate (e.g. if you intend to graduate in May, you should submit it at the beginning of the prior December). Plan of Study (step-by-step instructions) 
 

Coursework Requirements

Minimum of 21 credit hours of coursework 

  • A grade of C or better on every course listed in the plan of study
  • An overall GPA of 3.0 or better on all courses listed in the plan of study
  • At least 12 credit hours of IE Courses
  • At least 9 credit hours of additional graduate level coursework are recommended from either Industrial Engineering or a related area. Pre-approved areas include:
    • other engineering disciplines
    • mathematics, statistics, computer sciences, biology
    • psychology, sociology
    • economics, management
  • Pre-approval is required for non-IE 1-credit courses and courses from areas not in the pre-approved list.
  • All courses must be  500 or 600 level graduate courses with the exception of up to one 400-level course from pre-approved areas.
  • Please obtain a syllabus from the course and send it to the grad office to request approval.

Please note: at least 9 hours of Master's Thesis research are required to graduate, but these will not appear on your plan of study.

Courses Not Allowed

  • Professional Master’s (PMP) Industry Capstone Project courses; or
  • P/NP or S grade courses (P/NP and S courses within Industrial Engineering will be allowed only if that is the only grade mode offered for the course, if a graded mode is offered, it must be taken).
  • Audited courses; or
  • Zero credit courses; or
  • Research credit hours (IE 69800); or
  • STAT 50100, 50200, 50300, 51100, 51300 ; or
  • Polytechnic courses * (AVTH, CNIT, CGT, BCM, ECET, ENGT, MET, TLI, TECH, etc.);or
  • Seminar courses; or
  • Courses irrelevant to the degree

* While Polytechnic courses are not traditionally allowed on a plan of study, see appendix B section 11 of the handbook for information on waiving that policy.

Major Professor

All MSIE with thesis students are admitted with an initial major professor. The major professor is the primary mentor to the student throughout their graduate program, supervisor of thesis research, as well as the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee. As such, the relationship between major professor and student must be mutually acceptable in order to ensure a meaningful and productive graduate experience. To facilitate the selection of an Advisory Committee, students should discuss their educational objectives with their major professor and other members of the faculty. The major professor will likely recommend prospective members of the faculty for the Advisory Committee. Students should similarly discuss their educational objectives with the recommended faculty, as well as others. Thesis MSIE students are required to identify an Advisory Committee by the middle of the first semester of study (9 to 15 credit-hours of regular graduate coursework).

Advisory Committee

  • The advisory committee must consist of three members, two of whom must be members of the regular graduate faculty.
  • The committee chair must be from the School of Industrial Engineering. 
  • The committee can include one major professor or two co-major professors, who is/are the chair or co-chairs of the advisory committee. 
  • Include at least one member other than the major professor from the School of Industrial Engineering. 
  • Note:When more than one Co-Chair is selected, ensure that both Chairs are listed as Co-Chairs on the plan of study.

External Committee members are allowed with review and approval. After speaking with your major professor, initiate a special Graduate Faculty Appointment request with the IE Graduate Office by providing the proposed members full name, highest degree obtained, field of study, name of institution that granted the highest degree obtained, and date degree granted.Shall consist of at least three members

NOTE: Changes to a Plan of Study can be filed as many as times as necessary to update the information such as courses, concentration, and advisory committee.

Submitting a Change Plan of Study

Even if you have an approved plan of study, you are able to make changes. Change to the Plan of Study (step-by-step instructions)

 

Registration

Pre-Registration Steps

Time Periods for Adding/Dropping a Course* 

*For a typical 16 Weeks/ Full Term in Fall & Spring, See Registration Calendars.

  • Students may add courses via the Scheduling Assistant (Week 1)
  • Add with and Instructor Approval by submitting a request in the Schedulingt Assistant. (Weeks 2-9)
  • Students may drop courses via the Scheduling Assistant, Course not recorded. (Week 1 & 2)
  • Drop with advisor approval via the Scheduling Assistant, Course recorded with a grade of "W" (Weeks 3 - 13)

How to Register

  • Log into myPurdue and click on the Registration tab.
  • Under Register for Classes, clin on the Scheduling Assistant. A new window will open.
  • Enter Registration PIN 999999
  • Enter the courses in which you wish to register. All of your planned classes will apear in your Course Requests list of the Scheduling Assistant.
    • Register in IE69000 Graduate Research Seminar
      • For PhD and MS-Thesis Students Only. 
      • Graduate Co-Ops, Interns, Research In-Absentia students and students in their final semester do not register. 
    • Register in IE69800, Research Hours, associated with your major professor
    • Request enrollment through scheduling assistant. A prompt for additional approvals will be required to submit.
    • After approval is given for the enrollment by the department, the default credits added to your schedule will be 1. To change the credit limit, log back into scheduling assistant and click “Grade Modes & Credits.” On the top right of the screen. 
    • Input the credits you intend to register and re-submit the approvals.
    • These steps are detailed here if you require additional assistance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYvXSCEVXx8
  • Click on Build Schedule.
  • To look up another class, go back to the Course Requests grud by clicking Add/Drop Courses.
  • Click Submit Schedule. The schedule is validated through myPurdue.
  • If a Registration Error box pops up, click Request Approvals, Enter Request Note, check Disclaimer box, click Request Approvals.
  • Once the student has requested an approval, the student can see the status of the Approval Request within the Scheduling Assistant.
  • Please allow a minimum of 24-48 hours for registration requests to be reviewed by the graduate office.
  • Once the final approval is granted the system the student will receive a notification email from the Office of the Registrar.

How to Register (video)
How to Modify Research Hours to Correct Total (Video)
Scheduling Assistant Registration FAQs

Registration Tips

  • Use Lookup Classes in myPurdue when deciding what courses you will take to fulfill your degree requirements and completing your plan of study.
  • Some courses are offered in multiple modalities, please ensure you have the correct CRN for your program type (e.g. online vs in person).
  • At the graduate level, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure they are properly prepared to be successful for a course. To do this, we recommend the following:
    • Click on the course name for detailed course information such as registration availability, restrictions, and recommended prerequisite courses (please note, if you have taken a similar course to the prerequisite at another institution, this should suffice).
    • Textbook information is listed in the Schedule of Classes.

NOTE: Textbook information is subject to be changed at any time at the discretion of the faculty member. If you have questions or concerns please contact the academic department.

  • If you are uncertain about your preparedness for a course, we recommend reaching out to the instructor.

Graduation Candidacy

Candidacy registration is required for students planning to graduate in the term they intend to graduate. These are not courses, but are registration placeholders used by university offices to plan for commencement and degree rewarding processes. 

Options for graduation candidates include the following:

CAND 99100

  • Students with an assistantship must register for a minimum number of credit hours 
  • Students without an assistantship must register for at least one credit of research in the session in which they defend and/or the thesis or dissertation unless they are approved for CAND 99200 or 99300 registration. (International students may require a Reduced Course Load (RCL) initiated through ISS if registering for less than full time hours in their final term.)

CAND 99200 - Degree Only

  • Student MUST have completed final examination to register for CAND 99200
  • Must have earned 30 credit hours
  • May not register for additional credits
  • May only use this code once during your degree program

CAND 99300 - Examination Only

  • Must have earned 30 credit hours
  • May not register for additional credits
  • May only use this code once during your degree program

After registering for candidacy, a student will receive notice from the registrar when the Commencement tab opens in their final term. Further action required of candidates includes:

  • Complete Purdue's Center for Career Opportunities survey or contact CCO at askcco@purdue.edu or in Young 132.
  • Ensure they have applied to graduate with any certificates or dual degree programs as necessary.
  • Should the intention to graduate change for any reason, a student must notify both the IE Graduate Office and commencement@purdue.edu.
  • Ensure all holds are cleared that may prevent an application to graduate.
  • Complete the graduate school exit survey in the candidate's Plan of Study portal during the semester in which they intend to graduate. Master’s candidates need to complete the Graduate School Exit Questionnaire before their defense (
  • If candidates do not fulfill their degree requirements, it may be necessary to register for a subsequent semester in order to complete degree requirements. Please contact the IE Graduate Office for further information.

Final Examination Requirements

Before requesting the Final Examination, the following conditions must first be fulfilled:

  • The plan of study for this degree must be in "Outstanding" or "Approved" status to initiate an exam request.
  • If needed, a Change to Plan of Study must be completed and fully approved at least one week prior to the start of the term in which the final exam will be taken;
  • Student must be registered for the term in which the final exam will be taken;
  • Student must declare graduation candidacy unless the thesis won’t be deposited until the following semester (see section 3.4 of the handbook);
  • The Examining Committee must be established prior to requesting the final exam with at least 51% of the committee members having regular graduate faculty certification.

Scheduling your Final Exam

Graduate School Form 8: Request for Appointment of Examining Committee
Student Instructions Note: The IE Graduate Office has chosen to complete this step on behalf of the student.

  • Request to Schedule Final Exam (Graduate School Form 8) via email to the IE Graduate Office, iego@purdue.edu, at least two to three weeks prior to the proposed date of the exam and include:
    • Examination date and time agreed upon by the examination examining committeee (e.g., email copy or Doodle screenshot). The exam is typically two hours.
    • Thesis title for the examination
    • Exam format (in-person, hybrid, online)
      • In-person: Request the IE Graduate Office reserve a room
      • Hybrid: Request the IE Graduate Office reserve a room.The student will provide the video conferending link (e.g. Zoom, WebEx, etc). to the IE Graduate Office; the student will be the host and facilitator. Proper virtual meeting etiquette is expected.
      • Online: With committee approval, student will provide the video conferending link (e.g. Zoom, WebEx, etc). to the IE Graduate Office; the student will be the host and facilitator. Proper virtual meeting etiquette is expected.

Request a Formatting Consultation

Thesis and Dissertation Office assists graduate students in the formatting, editing, and depositing of their theses. 

Formatting consultations are cut off two weeks prior to the final Thesis/Dissertation Deposit Deadline due to increased staff workload.

Deposit Process

All thesis-option graduate students at Purdue must deposit the final products of their research with the Purdue University Graduate School Thesis & Dissertation Office. The Thesis & Dissertation Office will help ensure that all pre-requisites for deposit have been fulfilled and that your thesis or dissertation meets the quality standards established by the Graduate Council Standing Committee on Theses and Dissertations.

  • Complete the Electronic Thesis Acceptance Form (ETAF) and Required Surveys by the 5 pm deposit deadline. Student Instructions for Initiating the Thesis Acceptance Form
  • Submit ETD to Hammer Research Repository (HammerRR) at least 24 hours in advance to the deposit deadline.
  • Pay the deposit fee through myPurdue. The fee will appear 5-10 business days after the HammerRR submission is approved.

It is strongly recommended that you submit your completed deposit draft for formatting review no later than 2 weeks prior to the deposit deadline.  Doing so will help to reduce or eliminate formatting issues prior to making your final deposit, thus ensuring a smoother deposit process.

Final Exam Deadlines

This is a guide to assist planning your final exam; to view deadlines administered by the Graduate School, see the Graduate School Deadline Calendar.

  • Request a consult from the Thesis & Dissertation Office early in the semester.
  • Request to schedule final exam. A student must contact the IE Graduate Office at least two-three weeks prior to the proposed date of their exam to complete scheduling.
  • Submit thesis document to committee.A formal thesis document to each member of the Final Examination Committee at least two to three weeks prior to the scheduled oral final examination.
    • The thesis document must conform with the regulations outlined in “A Manual for the Preparation of Graduate Theses,” which can be found at https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/research/thesis/index.html
  • Complete final examination at least TWO WEEKS BEFORE the Graduate School’s deadline in order to obtain signatures by the final exam deadline
  • Deposit Thesis by the 5 pm deposit deadline.

Graduate Commencement Ceremony

In order to be eligible to receive a degree at the end of the current academic session, you should have a candidate course (CAND) in your registration. Check with your major professor or Graduate Registration Contact in your department if you are not registered in a CAND course in the semester you plan to graduate.

  • If candidates do not fulfill their degree requirements, it may be necessary to register for a subsequent semester in order to complete degree requirements. Please contact the IE Graduate Office for further information.
  • Candidates for degree should expect to receive numerous communications from the Commencement team in the Office of the Registrar.
  • When the Commencement tab is open in myPurdue during your final term, complete the Commencement Task List.
  • Navigate to the Commencement page during your final graduation term for specific Key Dates and Commencement Schedule. More information pertaining to commencement, please visit the Commencement website.