Goals:
(1) To give the graduates of this program an appropriate combination of statistical and industrial systems backgrounds so that they may have successful technical careers in industry or successful academic careers doing research in industrial statistics
(2) To train academic industrial statisticians who can serve as better bridges between the academic and corporate worlds.
Program:
The program starts with the current M.S. curriculum, which is designed to be finished in eighteen months. The first year is exactly the same, including the Qualifying Examination. Students must pass the Qualifying Examination at the Ph.D. level after the first year.
The program will require STAT 5354 (Structured Process Improvement) in the fall of the second year and will restrict the possible electives to either STAT 5474 (Statistical Quality Control) or STAT 5574 (Response Surface Methodology I). The purpose of the problem-solving course is to prepare students to lead improvement projects in industry.
Upon completion of the M.S., or possibly later depending on the year of entry into the program, students are strongly encouraged to enter an extended internship program with one of the department's corporate partners.
Students are required to take the following four 6000-level courses in statistics: STAT 6114 (advanced Inference), STAT 6504 (Advanced Design), STAT 6574 (Advanced RSM), and STAT 6494 (Advanced Quality Control). The two required written Ph.D. preliminary exams could both be on combinations of courses in Group C: Methods and Applications. As an additional requirement, students are required to take three 5000-level courses in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering. Possible courses are listed at the end of this proposal.
Students should finish all coursework in the fourth year. The topic of the dissertation must be determined by the student's committee to be in the area of industrial statistics. Exceptional students should finish their Ph.D. by the end of the fourth year. More typically, they will finish sometime in the fifth year.
Industrial Statistics Ph.D. Curriculum (Entry in Odd Year)
First Year
| Fall (Odd) |
| STAT 5034 |
Inference Fundamentals |
| STAT 5044 |
Reg. and ANOVA |
| STAT 5014 |
Intro. Stat. Prog. Pack. |
| STAT 5104 |
Prob. & Dist. Theory |
|
| Spring (Even) |
| STAT 5114 |
Stat. Inference |
| STAT 5124 |
Linear Models Theory |
| STAT 5204 |
Exp. Des. & Analysis I |
| STAT 5024 |
Seminar In Stat. Consulting |
|
| Summer |
| |
STAT Elective |
| STAT 5984 |
Special Topics (1) |
|
Second Year
| Fall (Even) |
| STAT 5514 |
Regression Analysis |
| STAT 5354 |
Structured Process Improvement |
| STAT 5474 or STAT 5574 |
Stat. Q. C. or Response Surface I |
| STAT 5984 |
Special Topics (1) |
|
| Spring-Summer |
| STAT 5904 |
Industrial Internship (6 hrs.) |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Third Year
| Fall (Odd) |
STAT 5474 or
STAT 5574 |
Stat. Q. C. or
Response Surface I |
| ISE |
ISE Elective |
| STAT 6504 |
Advanced Design |
|
| Spring (Even) |
| STAT 6494 |
Advanced Q.C. |
| STAT 6114 |
Advanced Inference |
| STAT 6574 |
Advanced R.S.M. |
| STAT 5984 |
Special Topics (1) |
|
|
Fourth Year
| Fall (Even) |
| |
ISE Elective |
| STAT 7994 |
Research & Dissertation |
|
| Spring (Odd) |
| |
ISE Elective |
| STAT 7994 |
Research & Dissertation |
|
| Summer |
| STAT 7994 |
Research & Dissertation |
|
Industrial Statistics Ph.D. Curriculum (Entry in Even Year)
First Year
| Fall (Even) |
| STAT 5034 |
Inference Fundamentals |
| STAT 5044 |
Reg. and ANOVA |
| STAT 5014 |
Intro. Stat. Prog. Pack. |
| STAT 5104 |
Prob. & Dist. Theory |
|
| Spring (Odd) |
| STAT 5114 |
Stat. Inference |
| STAT 5124 |
Linear Models Theory |
| STAT 5204 |
Exp. Des. & Analysis I |
| STAT 5024 |
Seminar In Stat. Consulting |
|
| Summer |
| STAT or ISE |
Elective |
| STAT 5984 |
Special Topics (1) |
|
Second Year
| Fall (Odd) |
| STAT 5514 |
Regression Analysis |
| STAT 5354 |
Structured Process Improvement |
STAT 5474 or
STAT 5574 |
Stat. Q. C. or
Response Surface I |
| STAT 5984 |
Special Topics (1) |
|
| Spring (Even) |
STAT 6494 or
6574 |
Advanced Q.C. or
Advanced R.S.M. |
| STAT 6114 |
Advanced Inference |
| STAT 5984 |
Special Topics (1) |
| ISE |
ISE Elective |
|
|
Third Year
| Fall (Even) |
STAT 5474 or
STAT 5574 |
Stat. Q.C. or
Response Surface I |
| STAT 6504 |
Advanced Design |
| ISE |
Elective |
|
| Spring (Odd) & Summer |
| STAT 5904 |
Industrial Internship |
|
Fourth Year
| Fall (Odd) |
| ISE |
Elective |
| STAT 7994 |
Research & Dissertation |
|
| Spring (Even) |
STAT 6494 or
6574 |
Advanced Q.C. or Advanced R.S.M. |
| STAT 7994 |
Research & Dissertation |
|
| Summer |
| STAT 7994 |
Research & Dissertation |
|
New Courses:
5XXX “Problem-Solving Using Statistics” (title to be changed)
5904 Projects and Reports (Industrial Internship)
Students will work for eight months at a Corporate Partner under the supervision of an industrial mentor. Ideally, the student will become certified as a Black Belt under the company’s certification program. Students must submit a written report of their project to his/her supervisor and to his/her advisory committee. The student must also make formal oral presentations at both the company and at Virginia Tech. The advisory committee and industrial mentor will determine the grade jointly.
Graduate Courses in Industrial & Systems Engineering Department:
5015-5016 Management of Change, Innovation, and Performance in Organizational Systems
5124 Management of Quality & Reliability
5134 Management Information Systems
5204 Manufacturing Systems Engineering
5405-5406 Optimization
5424 Simulation I
5434 Economic Evaluation of Industrial Projects
