Engineering PhD: Industrial Engineering PhD
As a PhD student in Industrial Engineering at UWM – one of Wisconsin’s two R1 research universities – you’ll conduct research at the forefront of modern manufacturing—leveraging facilities and partnerships that few universities can match.
In the Advanced Manufacturing and Design Laboratory, you’ll work alongside accomplished faculty to improve the design and performance of complex multi-physics systems, from CT scanners to EV batteries.
Just steps away, the Connected Systems Institute—UWM’s nationally recognized hub for Industry 4.0—immerses you in a next-generation factory environment where students, faculty and industry leaders collaborate on real-world, data-driven solutions.
You may also contribute to high-impact work through the U.S. Department of Energy–supported Industrial Assessment Center, helping manufacturers strengthen productivity, energy efficiency, cybersecurity and smart manufacturing adoption.
Together, these opportunities offer UWM Industrial Engineering PhD students unparalleled access to advanced technologies, accomplished researchers and industry-integrated experiences that prepare you to lead the future of industrial engineering.
Program Type
Doctoral
Program Format
On Campus
Industrial Engineering Career Outlook
Employment of industrial engineers is excellent, and expected to rise by 12% from 2023-2033, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A PhD is often required for research & development positions and management jobs.
UWM’s graduates of this program have pursued careers with:
- Amgen
- Nokia
- Tennessee Technological University
- University of Sharjah
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
What to Expect
Your chosen area of specialization in industrial engineering will be the subject of your doctoral dissertation. When you graduate, you will have marked scholarship in the broad field of industrial engineering as well as a distinguished critical or creative achievement in your chosen specialization.
Many courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening, so you will have the option of completing much of the program on a part-time basis.
Many students earn Teaching Assistantships (TAs), Research Assistantships (RAs) or Fellowships during their graduate study which helps to fund their education while also building leadership skills. Assistantships decisions are made by the academic departments only after an applicant has been accepted to the program.
More Information
Contact the College of Engineering & Applied Science Graduate Programs Office.
Explore your industrial engineering interest areas
We’re a top tier R1 research university and our industrial engineering doctoral students have the opportunity to work with faculty members engaged in cutting-edge research in areas such as:
- Industrial ergonomics
- Lean manufacturing
- Logistics
- Material handling & distribution
- Occupational biomechanics
- Real-time resource management
- Systems design modeling
- Predictive analytics
- Process and systems optimization
Industrial Engineering Research Labs
As an R1 research institution, research is integral to our work at UWM and to the experience of students pursuing graduate degrees. Our college has a wide range of faculty-led labs that perform cutting edge research.
Please see the Faculty tab to the right for the specific research interests and labs of each industrial and manufacturing engineering faculty member. For a full list of our college’s research labs, centers and institutes.
Faculty
- Professor, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
- nidal@uwm.edu
- 414-229-2668
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences E351
- Assistant Professor, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
- akundivy@uwm.edu
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences 990A
- Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Academic Affairs
- Professor, Industrial Engineering
- bilengre@uwm.edu
- 414-251-7506
- Chapman Hall 230A
- Professor, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
- Geospatial Data Science Lab
- rghose@uwm.edu
- Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
- Associate Professor, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
- Department Chair, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
- jang@uwm.edu
- 414-229-2978
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences E357
- Richard and Joanne Grigg Professorship
- Professor, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
- Affiliate Professor, School of Freshwater Sciences
- niu@uwm.edu
- 414-251-6072
- Engineering and Mathematical Sciences NWQB 4511
- Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
- Co-Director (Co-PI), UWM Industrial Assessment Center
- Director, NSF/S-STEM: Preparing Engineers Computer Scientists
- otieno@uwm.edu
- 414-229-3134
- Engineering and Mathematical Sciences 1161
- Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
- mattpete@uwm.edu
- 414-229-3448
- Engineering and Mathematical Sciences 367
- Dean, Engineering & Applied Science Office of the Dean
- petersba@uwm.edu
- 414-229-4126
- Engineering and Mathematical Sciences 520
- Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
- seifoddi@uwm.edu
- 414-229-4442
- Engineering and Mathematical Sciences 306
Advising
- Advisor, Graduate Programs
- Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Health Informatics
- crary@uwm.edu
- 414-229-7267
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences E387C
- Advisor, Graduate Programs
- Civil/Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering
- rpackard@uwm.edu
- 414-251-8543
- Engineering & Mathematical Sciences E387B
Street Address
College of Engineering & Applied Science
3200 North Cramer Street
Milwaukee, WI 53211
Mailing Address
College of Engineering & Applied Science
P.O. Box 784
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0784