The objective of the M.S. Thesis option is to provide the student with a sound fundamental knowledge of Industrial and Systems Engineering while allowing some degree of specialization through research with a faculty member. Make contributions to Methodological Domains in Analytics and Systems Engineering, and to Impact Domains in Cyber-Physical-Social Systems, Health and Medical Systems, and Aerospace and Defense Systems.
The Master of Science thesis option is recommended for students that wish to specialize in a particular area of industrial and systems engineering and for students who in the future intend to enter a doctoral program.
It is the responsibility of the student to obtain a Thesis Advisor. The Graduate Liaison will serve as the academic advisor for students who are pursuing the thesis option until a faculty member agrees to serve as Thesis Advisor. The Thesis Advisor must be a graduate faculty member in ISE and have M1 status.
The Thesis Advisor will work with the student to select members of the Thesis Committee, develop the Program of Study, and define a thesis topic.
The Thesis Committee is chaired by the Thesis Advisor and includes a minimum of two other members from the graduate faculty. The majority of committee members must be from ISE.
The student shall meet with the Thesis Advisor (or with the Graduate Liaison if the student does not yet have a Thesis Advisor) for advising prior to registration each semester.
The Plan of Study for the Master of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering identifies the coursework that will be completed to fulfill degree requirements.
The Plan of Study allows the degree program to be tailored to the needs and interests of the individual student. However, certain basic requirements must be satisfied as described below.
Coursework requirements for the degree that are listed below represent a minimum level of preparation. Computational skills and oral and written English communication skills are assumed. The Graduate Liaison may determine that additional courses are required to redress deficiencies in the student’s background. These courses will be listed on the Plan of Study but not on the Program of Graduate Work.
When appropriate, the Plan of Study may include courses that have been approved for transfer from other institutions or courses already completed at The University of Oklahoma if the Thesis Committee determines that they are applicable to the student’s graduate program.
The student should begin developing a Plan of Study in conjunction with his or her advisor during the first semester of graduate study.
The Plan of Study must be approved by the student's Thesis Committee and the Graduate Liaison and submitted to the Graduate Student Services Coordinator no later than the second semester of graduate study.
If changes later become necessary, the student must obtain approval from Thesis Committee and the Graduate Liaison and file an amended Plan of Study.
In the semester prior to the semester of graduation the student must obtain the necessary signature approval of the Thesis Committee and Graduate Liaison and submit (1) the Program of Graduate Work/Admission to Candidacy form and (2) the Master's Thesis Topic and Committee Membership form to the Gradaute Student Services Coordinator according to the following deadlines:
Only those graduate-level courses neeeded to complete the requirements of the degree should be listed on the Program of Graduate Work form.
A student can initiate the steps to schedule the thesis defense only after he or she has been admitted to candidacy by the Graduate Dean.
A master’s thesis is the product of individual research, and it must be original work by the student.
At the beginning stages of writing the thesis the student should review the Thesis Instruction Packet. This packet includes instructions for the format of the master’s thesis.
When the student has completed writing the thesis, the student should request approval of the draft from the Thesis Advisor. After the Thesis Advisor has provided authorization, the student can disseminate drafts of the thesis to the Thesis Committee.
The student is responsible for providing every member of the Thesis Committee with a complete draft of the thesis at least two weeks before the date of the thesis defense. Any committee member may cancel the defense if sufficient time is not provided to review the document prior to the defense.
The Thesis Committee will review the thesis document and evaluate it for quality, correctness and completeness. Any deficiencies must be eliminated before the student will be allowed to graduate.
After obtaining the approval of the Thesis Committee, the student should arrange the time and place for the thesis defense as described in the following section.
The thesis defense is an oral examination conducted by the Thesis Committee and is open to the public.
The student must be enrolled in at least two credit hours of ISE 5980 in the semester in which the thesis defense is made and be in good academic standing.
The student must submit the Request for Authority for Thesis Defense at least one week prior to the defense date. When the request for authority is approved, the Graduate College will email the Authority Report Form for the Thesis Defense to the student and to the Thesis Committee.
The defense must be held no later than the last day of classes (i.e., before finals week) of the semester in which it is authorized.
A majority of the members of the Thesis Committee must be present and must participate in the defense. The thesis defense may not be held when a suitable committee cannot be assembled. Refer to the Graduate College Bulletin for additional requirements concerning the mode of participation of members of the Thesis Committee.
Only one attempt to defend the thesis is afforded to the candidate. If the defense is determined to be unsatisfactory, the student will be disenrolled from the Graduate College and the student’s candidacy for the master’s degree will be terminated. This outcome is final and the defense cannot be repeated.
Within 72 hours following the defense, the student must submit the completed Authority Report Form for the Thesis Defense to the Graduate College. If applicable, the student also should contact IRB to inactivate his or her study and should submit a copy of the inactivation memo to the Graduate College.
After the thesis has been successfully defended, incorporate any corrections and comments and create a final copy of the thesis. Obtain signatures from all committee members.
Provide one copy of the completed thesis to each member of the Thesis Committee in the medium of their choosing (bound or electronic).
Provide one bound copy of the completed thesis to the School of Industrial & Systems Engineering.
The student must provide three final copies of the thesis (printed on white, 20- to 24-lb, 100 percent cotton paper) to the Graduate College within 60 calendar days of the defense or by the semester deposit deadline, whichever is earlier. Refer to the Graduate College Bulletin for the consequences associated with failure to meet this deadline or to deposit the thesis in the library by the last day of the semester.
The student must make an appointment (iadvise.ou.edu) when he or she is ready to deliver the final printed copies of the thesis. The copies must be delivered in person.
The student must file an Application for Graduation with the Graduate College according to the following deadlines:
• Submit by October 1 for Fall graduation
• Submit by March 1 for Spring graduation
• Submit by July 1 for Summer graduation
A student may not graduate until all degree requirements are completed, including depositing the final copies of the thesis in the library.
