two students in foundry, looking at computers

Engineering PhD: Industrial Engineering
PhD

Industrial engineering is the most employable career in the U.S. according to this June 2024 report. UWM’s doctoral program in Engineering offers a concentration in Industrial Engineering. This flexible program allows you to develop a study plan tailored to meet your needs. Your plan will be evaluated based on its appropriateness as an industrial engineering pursuit, course availability and the availability of a qualified College of Engineering & Applied Science faculty member to serve as your major professor.

Your chosen area of specialization 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.

Program Type

Doctoral

Program Format

On Campus

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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
Next-gen lab on UWM's campus
On campus, you’ll have access to UWM’s next-gen factory, a test bed where you can virtually simulate solutions to common manufacturing challenges then physically execute them.

What to Expect

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.

We’re a top tier R1 research university and our industrial engineering 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 

Research Labs

Advanced Manufacturing and Design Laboratory

The research conducted in this lab leads to better design of complex multi-physics systems ranging from CT scanners to EV batteries.

Connected Systems Institute/Next-gen factory

This institute includes an industry test bed and production line, a sandbox for students to learn about modern manufacturing and the sophisticated tools being used by leading industrial suppliers.

Industrial Assessment Center

This U.S. Department of Energy-supported lab helps manufacturers and utilities increase their productivity and competitiveness by reducing energy and water consumption, enhancing cybersecurity, and adopting smart manufacturing technology.

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 civil and environmental engineering faculty member. For a full list of our college’s research labs, centers and institutes.

Faculty

Akundi, Satya Aditya
Akundi, Satya Aditya
  • Assistant Professor, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
Ghose, Rina
  • Professor, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
  • Geospatial Data Science Lab
Jaejin Jang
Jang, Jaejin
  • Associate Professor, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
  • Department Chair, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
faculty image wilkistar otieno
Otieno, Wilkistar
  • Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Co-Director (Co-PI), UWM Industrial Assessment Center
  • Director, NSF/S-STEM: Preparing Engineers Computer Scientists
Matthew Petering
Petering, Matthew
  • Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Dean Brett Peters
Peters, Brett
  • Dean, Engineering & Applied Science Office of the Dean
Hamid Seifoddini
Seifoddini, Hamid
  • Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Advising

Therese Crary
Crary, Therese
  • Advisor, Graduate Programs
  • Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Health Informatics
Bob Packard
Packard, Robert
  • Advisor, Graduate Programs
  • Civil/Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering
Academic Catalog
Schedule of Classes
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Take a Virtual Tour of Industrial Engineering
Contact
Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
Contact Info: ceas-ime@uwm.edu

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