How to Get a Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering
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Modern businesses are built around highly-refined and clearly-articulated processes. You might think of business processes primarily in terms of manufacturing, and while manufacturers are important examples of process orientation, you'll also find that many service businesses, from fast food to investments, are built around well-defined processes.
All of which makes industrial engineering a compelling field of study. Industrial engineers are at the heart of the development and maintenance of business processes. If a career in this field interests you, and you feel you have the right aptitude for it, then you should consider earning a master's in industrial engineering.
To learn more about the possibility of earning a master's in industrial engineering, you should do what industrial engineers do best--follow a systematic and purposeful process. This guide will take you through just such a process for exploring the possibilities of a master's in industrial engineering. The steps in this process are as follows: |
1. Deciding whether a master's in industrial engineering is for you. This guide starts with an overview of the profession, some of the career possibilities involved, and how a master's degree might help you pursue those opportunities. This should help you with the fundamental decision of whether or not you should try to earn a master's in industrial engineering.
2. Researching graduate industrial engineering programs. If you are interested in earning a master's in industrial engineering, you should start by gathering information on programs that offer this degree, as well as learn more about related topics such as accreditation and financial aid. This guide provides you with some sources that should be helpful in your research.
3. Evaluating master's programs. Once you have access to the necessary information, you can start a process of elimination to narrow down your list of possible master's programs. This guide provides you with a list of criteria you can use as the basis for this screening process.
4. Applying to graduate schools in industrial engineering. Graduate schools often have high standards, and vying for admission to those programs can be competitive. This guide helps you know what to expect in the application process, so you can plan appropriately to make a good impression.
5. Adding to your MS in industrial engineering. Earning an MS in industrial engineering is one sign that you are serious about your profession, but there are other things you can do to impress employers and improve your readiness for the workplace. This guide will close with some suggestions on how to complement your formal education.
Choosing to pursue a master's degree is a serious decision, but there is no reason why it should be an intimidating one. After all, one of the values of an orderly work process is to make difficult tasks manageable. If you follow the step-by-step process in this guide, decisions about continuing your education should fall neatly into place.
Deciding Whether a Master's in Industrial Engineering Is for You
Industrial engineering is based on the search for a better way of doing things. In this sense, "better" might mean faster, cheaper, more safely, or with higher quality--any improvement in the process that adds value to the company, its employees, and/or its customers.
To make these improvements, industrial engineers bring to bear a variety of different disciplines, including:
- Ergonomics
- Training
- Process design
- Automation
- Quality control
- Computer simulation
- Economics
Where does a master's degree come in? First of all, each of the above areas is a complex field of study--highly detailed and continually evolving. Any of the above could warrant advanced study by itself, but to bring all of these together certainly requires a level of education beyond the bachelor's degree level.
Second, because the nature of this work generally involves organizing a number of diverse elements, industrial engineers often perform in managerial roles. Having a master's degree can make you a stronger candidate when being considered for a management position.
In terms of employment prospects, you may find that earning a master's in industrial engineering is well worth the effort. Being skilled in the design, improvement, and monitoring of work processes can make you eligible for employment in a wide variety of different industries, in both manufacturing and service sectors. That type of flexibility is very important in an ever-changing economy.
Because of this broad base of demand, there are a large number of jobs for industrial engineers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are over 200,000 industrial engineering positions in the United States, ranking industrial engineers third out of seventeen different engineering disciplines in terms of the total number of jobs.
So, if you feel you have a broad base of engineering knowledge, good organizational skills, and a strong drive for improvement, industrial engineering could be a great career for you. If that's the case, then you may want to move on to the next step of researching graduate industrial engineering programs.
Researching Graduate Industrial Engineering Programs
According to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, industrial engineering programs are among the most widely-available types of accredited engineering programs. There are over 100 such programs nationally, ranking them in the top ten of engineering curricular areas. This should give you plenty of choices for your master's in industrial engineering, including opportunities to earn a master's degree online.
Most likely, the degree you should be looking for will be an MS in industrial engineering, though you may also find MBA programs with a concentration in industrial engineering that might be suitable. For purposes of simplicity, this guide refers to the degree in question as an MS in industrial engineering, but understand that you may encounter some variations on this title.
The following are some sources that can help you start gathering information on programs offering an MS in industrial engineering and on other topics related to your graduate studies:
- Online educational resources. Whether you plan to earn a master's degree online or on campus, an online resource like WorldWideLearn.com can be a rich source of information. Along with helping you assemble a list of graduate industrial engineering programs, WorldWideLearn.com can provide you with instruction on other aspects of enrolling in master's programs, such as financial aid and standardized test preparation.
- The US Department of Education. The Department of Education's Web site is an authoritative source of information on subjects like accreditation and applying for federal financial aid.
- Published reviews and rankings. National publications such as Kiplinger's and US News & World Report regulary publish widely-followed reviews of colleges and degree programs.
- Individual college Web sites. The Internet sites of specific colleges can be a great source both for factual information and to get a better feel for a program's nature and priorities.
With all these resources at your disposal, finding information should not be a problem. Your next task is to sort through that information in an orderly manner, to cull the full field of graduate industrial engineering programs down to a short list of serious candidates.
Evaluating Master's Programs
You may already have preconceived notions about whether you want to earn a master's degree online or on campus, attend a school with a specific reputation, or lean toward a large or small school. Such preferences can certainly help your decision process, but don't forget that there are other factors to consider as well. To make sure you've evaluated all aspects of choosing a master's program, the following is a list of selection criteria you can use in making your decision:
- Accreditation status. A degree only really has value if it has been properly accredited. The confusing part is that there are a variety of regional and national accreditation agencies, and there is a distinction between the accreditation of a particular program and the accreditation of a school as a whole. To find out more about how accreditation works and which accreditation agencies meet national standards, the U.S. Department of Education is your best source. They also maintain a searchable database of accredited schools.
- Admissions standards. You should focus your search on programs that are likely to accept you, based on your academic track record and test scores. Learn about the admissions standards of schools you are considering before you apply and make an honest assessment of where you fit in. It's fine to shoot for your dream school even if your credentials are borderline, as long as you also have a back-up plan.
- Tuition and other costs. The cost of a graduate degree is a determining factor for many students, so be sure to research tuition and other relevant costs early on in your search so that you don't set your sights on a school you can't afford. Remember, though, not to make any final determinations based on cost until you've thoroughly explored financial aid possibilities. Also, keep in mind that even if cost remains a barrier, you could attend graduate school part-time and/or earn a master's degree online as a means of making continuing your education more affordable.
- Location. Are you planning to re-locate to the program of your choice, or do you need to find a program you can commute to? If none of these programs is in a convenient location, you could earn a master's degree online so that location won't be a problem.
- Scheduling. If you are trying to work your master's degree studies around other obligations, the availability of part-time, evening, or weekend programs may be a key part of your choice.
- Faculty size and credentials. Compare student/teacher ratios among schools to see which are the best staffed relative to the size of their student populations and also look at the educational and publishing credentials of the faculty members. Be sure to focus your review of the faculty on the industrial engineering program, not the on the school as a whole.
- Program stature. A program's reputation can make a big difference in how impressive a master's degree looks on your resume. You can get a feel for a program's reputation by researching objective sources and talking to recruiters or hiring managers in the field of industrial engineering. It is also helpful to look at job placement statistics for recent program graduates--this can tell you whether or not a degree from the program is well-received in the marketplace.
- Campus environment. You may have a vision of the ideal campus environment, so the size and character of the campus may be a factor in your decision. Even if you choose an online master's degree program, you will be joining an academic community, so consider relevant factors such as degree of interaction with other students or access to online learning resources.
Once you've worked through all of the above criteria, your list of schools under consideration should be much shorter and more manageable. At that point, you can focus on the application process for the remaining schools.
Applying to Graduate Schools in Industrial Engineering
Industrial engineering is all about process management, and applying to graduate school should be the same way, especially when there are multiple schools involved. Some of the materials you should expect to have to submit include:
- School application forms
- Financial aid applications
- Academic transcripts
- Standardized test scores
- Letters of recommendation
Keep in mind that each of these items may have a different deadline and require a different amount of lead time. You may want to assemble a work calendar to keep each task on track toward on-time completion.
Adding to Your MS in Industrial Engineering
Earning an MS in Industrial Engineering should help qualify you for a career in the field, but keep in mind that the job market is competitive. There are always additional things you can do to improve your chances of employment and advancement. Here are some ideas:
- Become a reader of professional journals such as the Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management
- Write or assist with articles for publication in professional journals
- Join a relevant industry association, such as the Institute of Industrial Engineers
- Gain as much relevant experience as possible, even if it is only through part-time work or internships while pursuing your master's degree
Industrial engineering is a field with a wide variety of employment opportunities, and one which can position you well for advancement into management. It's also a field where the nature of the work is to add value to an organization's processes. That's the type of job which can be both financially rewarding and personally satisfying, so the investment of time and money involved in earning a master's in industrial engineering could pay off for the rest of your career.
Sources
- Statistics. Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
- History of IIE. Institute of Industrial Engineers.
- Editorial Policies. Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management
- MS in Industrial Engineering. New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Careers in Industrial Engineering. North Carolina State University
- Engineers. US Bureau of Labor Statistics
- The Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institution and Programs. U.S. Department of Education
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