Learn to Optimize Complex Processes with a Master’s in Industrial Engineering

School: Purdue University School of Industrial Engineering

Program:  Master of Science in Industrial Engineering

Description: The graduate industrial engineering program at Purdue University is consistently ranked in the top ten online master's programs in this discipline by US News and World Report.  The online master’s program features flexible plans of study with a format that allows you to study where you are.

Where is it: West Lafayette, Indiana

Format: Online

Degree you get:  Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (MSIE)

Prerequisites: 

  • Mathematics through multivariate calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra (MA 265 and MA 266 or equivalent)
  • Applied probability and engineering statistics (IE 230 & IE 330 or STAT 511. Alternatively, students can include STAT 516 and STAT 517 in their plan of study and earn graduate credit for these courses)
  • Basic techniques of operations research (IE 335 & IE 336)
  • Proficiency in computer programming equivalent to CS 156 and IE 231

Size of the Program: 34 (plus additional 31 MSE students with declared concentration in IE)

Credit hours: 30 credit hours

Thesis: No, currently only non-thesis degree is available

How long will the program take?  2.5-3 years, approx.

When to apply: January 5 (Fall), September 15 (Spring)

Tuition: $3,416 per course for residents of Indiana; $3,774 per course for non-residents

Minimum Admission Requirements:

  • BA in engineering or related discipline
  • Transcripts
    • Yes
    • Minimum GPA 3.0
  • TOEFL
    • Yes, international students
    • Minimum Paper-Based Test (PBT) Score Required: 550
    • Minimum Internet-Based Test (IBT) Overall Score Required: 77, with minimum section requirements Reading 19, Listening 14, Speaking 18, Writing 18
  •   Essay (statement of purpose)
    • Yes
  • Resume
    • Yes
    • Minimum years of experience required varies
  • Letters of Reference
    • Yes, 3 letters required
  • GRE
    • Yes
    • Minimum score: Verbal 154, Quantitative 166, Analytical Writing 4.0

Who should take this course?

  • Professional industrial engineers aiming to advance their careers.
Claim to fame:
  • The MS IE program features Purdue Faculty and one of the largest and most diverse 100% online course offerings available, with more than 20 different IE courses scheduled through 2021.

Industrial engineers are dedicated to overcoming challenges, solving problems large and small.  No matter what type of career you’re aiming for—whether in manufacturing, logistics, telecommunication, finance or any other industry—industrial engineers are experts at examining a process or system and figuring out how to make it better, whether that means reducing costs, increasing output or optimizing asset management.

A great career in industrial engineering starts with a great degree, and the online Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University can build the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve your career goals.

Purdue’s online graduate degree in industrial engineering is consistently ranked in the top 10 by US News & World Report, and covers essential topic areas including:

  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Manufacturing Systems Engineering
  • Operational Research (Mathematical Programming; Simulation and Stochastic Processes)
  • Production Systems Engineering

Study Industrial Engineering Online at Purdue

Purdue’s online MSIE program is administered through the Purdue Engineering Online department, which offers students a wide range of course options on a flexible schedule. This makes it easier to balance school with a full-time job or family obligations. 

Most students start with one course per semester to find a good balance between work and school, especially those who have been out of school for a few years.  Students can increase their course load up to full-time enrollment as their schedules allow.

All Purdue online students are supported by a graduate faculty advisor and advisory committee, who assist the student to create a Plan of Study (PoS) that best serves their goals.  Faculty advisors will also help students with course selection, scheduling and other needs throughout their degree.

Flexibility is the key to online learning, which Purdue offers by making course materials available entirely online, including readings and lecture content in the form of recorded and downloadable video files.  Lectures can be attended via livestream if students are available at the time; otherwise, all course content is accessible by students at any time of the day or night, so that they are free to study when it fits their schedule.

Tuition is also flexible, as students pay a flat rate per course, which varies depending on whether the student is a resident of the state of Indiana.  Tuition for the full degree amounts to about $34,160 for residents of Indiana and $37,740 for non-residents.

Tuition Rate

Fall 2017 - Summer 2018
Nonresident of Indiana

Fall 2017 - Summer 2018
Resident of Indiana

3-credit course

$3,774.00

$3,416.00

1-credit course

$1,352.00

$1,232.00

*3-credit Project course (by special arrangement only)

$5,033.00

$4,675.00

Developing Your Industrial Engineering Know-How

Industrial engineers need a wide range of knowledge in areas including process mapping, designing assembly workstations, strategizing for operational logistics, efficiency and streamlining operations, supply chain management, Six Sigma principles and much more. The graduate MSIE at Purdue covers all these essential topics through a varied curriculum taught by expert professors.

Purdue’s online MSIE requires 30 credit-hours of study to complete, and is a non-thesis degree program.  Currently, a thesis-based MS IE degree can only be done as an on-campus student in Purdue’s School of Industrial Engineering.

Admission to the online MSIE occurs twice per year, in January for the Fall term, and in September for the Spring term.

Industrial Engineering Courses

  • IE53000 Quality Control
  • IE53300 Industrial Applications of Statistics
  • IE53500 Linear Programming
  • IE53600 Stochastic Models in Operations Research I
  • IE54500 Engineering Economic Analysis
  • IE54600 Economic Decisions in Engineering
  • IE55800 Safety Engineering
  • IE56600 Production Management Control
  • IE57000 Manufacturing Process Engineering
  • IE57400 Industrial Robotics & Flexible Assembly
  • IE57700 Human Factors in Engineering
  • IE57900 Design and Control of Production and Manufacturing Systems
  • IE58000 Systems Simulation
  • IE58200 Advanced Facilities Design
  • IE59000 Applied Ergonomics
  • IE59000 Material Flow Systems Planning              
  • IE59000 Perspectives on Systems Engineering
  • IE59000 Practical Systems Thinking
  • IE59000 Project Management
  • IE59000 Structured Engineering Innovation
  • IE59000 Tools and Methodologies for Designing Systems


Purdue University has sponsored this post.  All opinions are mine. –Meghan Brown