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PhD in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering - Multi-disciplinary
Multi-Disciplinary Ph.D. Program in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE)

Program Overview

The objective of the multi-disciplinary Ph.D. program is to impart multi-disciplinary education and skills in an environment that fosters excellence in research and awareness of the many challenges of modern Industrial and modern Manufacturing Systems. The program will provide students with an opportunity to acquire, through courses, seminars and networking, advanced academic and professional knowledge in the multi faceted area of industrial and manufacturing systems and related subjects as well as develop basic and applied research skills to become independent research investigators capable of disseminating knowledge and research results through scholarly publications.

The multi-disciplinary Ph.D. program in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering is based in, and coordinated by, the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) , in collaboration with faculty from other Faculties. The participating faculty for the Multi-Disciplinary PhD program in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering are drawn from several disciplines and departments within the University, namely, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, the Faculty of Human Kinetics (Department of Kinesiology), the Odette School of Business, the Faculty of Science (Operational Researchers), Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering Department, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the School of Computer Science.

Faculty involved in the program
A. Alfakih, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Mathematics and Statistics.
D. Andrews, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Human Kinetics.
A. Azab, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) .
W. Abdul-Kader, Ph.D.,P.Eng., Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) .
F. Baki, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Business.
R. Caron, Ph.D., Professor, Mathematics and Statistics.
X. Chen, Ph.D., P.Eng., Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering.
H. ElMaraghy, Ph.D., P.Eng.,Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE); [Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) Manufacturing Systems].
W. ElMaraghy, Ph.D., P.Eng., Professor and Head, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE); [Chair of the Graduate Program].
M. Hlynka, Ph.D., Professor, Mathematics and Statistics.
R. Lashkari, Ph.D., P.Eng.,Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) .
L. Oriet, Ph.D., P.Eng., Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) .
Z. Pasek., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) .
J. Urbanic, Ph.D., P.Eng., Assistant Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) .
M. Wang, Ph.D., P.Eng., Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) .
G. Zhang, .Ph.D., P.Eng.,
Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE);[Graduate Coordinator]
X. Yuan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Computer Science.


Admission Requirements
The Ph.D. program in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering will be governed by the general regulations regarding the Ph.D. degree of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. (click here for general admissions regulations.)

Program Curriculum Structure

Total courses:
Satisfactory completion of at least four graduate courses, comprising a minimum of twelve semester hours, beyond the courses required for the Master's degree. See Section on "Major Requirements" for details.


Major requirements:
The graduate course offerings through the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering and selected related courses from other areas are designed to complement the research focus of the core faculty in the area of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. The minimum course requirement for the multi disciplinary Ph.D. Program is 4; at least 2 from the 91-5XX courses listed in category A and a minimum of one from category B would be selected. This is addition to the Graduate Seminar course (91-595). Students will be required to register throughout the entire program and give presentations, and all students will be expected to attend each seminar (no less than 75% of all seminars). The course will be graded on a PASS/FAIL basis (1 Lecture Hour a week). This course will include presentations by graduate students, staff, and visiting scientists.

The current list of A and B courses will be made available to the students through the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. (Click here)

Area of Specialization:
Research within the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Ph.D. program focuses on modern manufacturing systems that are flexible and well integrated. It deals with various modules such as: 1) physical components of the system (machines, robots, inspection devices, material handling equipment, etc.), 2) effective information systems for controlling, monitoring, scheduling and operating in a dynamically changing environment, 3) human related issues such as ergonomics, interaction among people and between people and machines as well as human modeling, 4) management of technologies and operational issues throughout the manufacturing enterprise, and 5) integration of all elements to ensure achieving the desired competitiveness.

Candidacy
Admission to graduate study does not imply admission to candidacy for a degree. The candidacy of a student normally will be determined within the second year after initial registration in the doctoral Program.

Candidacy will be granted to students who meet all of the following requirements:
(a) Satisfactory completion of the comprehensive examination;
(b) Demonstration to the doctoral committee of ability to conduct independent research;
(c) Acceptance by the doctoral committee of the research proposal.

The doctoral committee will assess the student's competence to continue research on the basis of (a), (b) and (c) above, and make a recommendation accordingly to the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Chair of the Graduate Program.

Program Requirements

The specific minimum Program requirements for the Ph.D. degree include the successful completion of:
1) Course requirements: Satisfactory completion of at least four graduate courses, comprising a minimum of twelve semester hours, beyond the courses required for the Master's degree. See Section "4.2.5 Graduate Courses" below for requirements details, as well as the Section: "Major Requirements" above.

2) A comprehensive examination. (See details under examinations)

3) Satisfactory progress in research within each review period. The doctoral committee will conduct a periodic review, which will include at least one formal seminar a year, after the first year of residency, to establish that adequate progress in research has been accomplished by the candidate. The doctoral committee will also grant permission to write the dissertation when it decides that the candidate has achieved sufficient competence in carrying out research and when the candidate has done substantial research. During the annual seminar, Ph.D. students will be required to review their research progress and results. The Ph.D. Supervisory Committee will complete the evaluation.

4) A dissertation on the research. A dissertation embodying the results of an original investigation in the field of specialization is required of all candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Each candidate will be required to make an oral presentation of the dissertation research and will be examined orally on the subject of the dissertation and related fields.

Residence and Time Limits: Every student will undertake a full Program of study for a minimum of three years beyond the Baccalaureate of Engineering or its equivalent. Credit for one of these years may be given for the time spent in proceeding to a Master's degree. Credit for one of these years may also be given for work done at another institution. A student admitted to a Ph.D. Program requiring the student's attendance for a minimum of three years must complete all requirements within seven years. Students requiring a minimum of two years' residence must complete all requirements within six years.

Committees: Research undertaken as part of a doctoral Program is directed and supervised by a doctoral committee, which is assigned within the first term of registration. Whereas the student's advisor provides day to day guidance and direction, this committee is ultimately responsible for the overall supervision to ensure that adequate progress is being maintained.

The doctoral committee will be composed of at least 4 faculty members including:
1) the student's advisor,
2) two other faculty members from within the program, and
3) one internal external faculty member outside the student's department and within the University of Windsor.

The student's advisor will recommend the members of the doctoral committee, whose appointment must be approved by the Executive Committee of Graduate Studies and Research.

Examinations:

Qualifying Examination. At the discretion of the doctoral committee, a qualifying examination may be required. A qualifying examination is one in which the student is asked to demonstrate a reasonable mastery of the fundamentals in the major subject; it is designed to test the student's preparation for advanced graduate work. If such an examination is required, it must be administered and passed before the student registers for the second year of Ph.D. work.

The Proposal: Normally within the first 2 years, the student will present in the form of a seminar an outline of their proposed thesis research. This will be presented to the doctoral committee who must approve, with or without modifications, or reject the proposal. Thereafter, at least once a year the student will report their progress in the form of a seminar.

Comprehensive Examination: Students who have previously obtained a Master's degree must attempt this examination very early between twelve to eighteen months of registering for the Ph.D. Program. Other students must take it within twenty four months of registration for the Ph.D. Program. A comprehensive examination committee will conduct the comprehensive examination. The committee will consist of the chair, three members of the supervisory committee, including the supervisor, and an additional member who has a scholarly interest in the student's general area of specialization.

This set of examinations requires the students to demonstrate an adequate background in the general discipline of applied science, and an advanced knowledge in their fields of specialization and research.

The comprehensive examinations will be conducted in two parts:
a) In the first part, a scheduled supervised written portion, of three hours duration, designed to test the student's general knowledge on core subjects in the field of study as approved by the examination committee, with questions set and answers evaluated by the examination committee;
b) An oral examination to be evaluated by the examination committee. The objective of this part of examination is to evaluate the student's ability to integrate general knowledge from different areas into their research plan. The candidate will be required to submit a report, up to 25 pages in length, on the proposed research program. The report must include: (i) a critical survey of the directly related literature in the field, and (ii) an outline of the proposed research program, including its justification, the approach to be taken, specific analytical or experimental methods, perceived or anticipated problems, and a proposed timetable to accomplish the task. Five copies of the report must be in the hands of the examining committee at least seven days prior to the date of the oral examination. The oral examination will be conducted in two sessions. In the first part, the candidate will be required to present their report in a summary fashion to the committee followed by questions directly related to the proposal and the candidate's specific area of research. The second part of the oral examination will emphasize the candidate's comprehension as well as breadth and depth of knowledge of their discipline area. The duration of the two parts of the oral examination is expected to be about one and half hours each, separated by a recess of half an hour .

It is the responsibility of the examining committee chair to call a meeting of the committee at least seven days prior to oral examination to: (i) examine the candidate's records and the type of background necessary to carry on their research successfully, and (ii) assign the preparation of the written questions for the first part, to members of the committee, other than the supervisor. The supervisor will not participate in the preparation of the written questions but is expected to participate in the oral examination.

The Examination Committee will determine the student's overall performance and success in the comprehensive examination. If the student is unsuccessful, the committee may require:
i. That the student repeats all or part of the comprehensive examination at a specified time;
ii. That the student take and pass remedial course work before repeating all or part of the examination; or
iii. After consultation with, and approval by, the doctoral committee, that the student withdraws from the program.

Final Examination. The final appraisal of the dissertation and the conduct of the final oral examination of the dissertation will be carried out by an examining committee. The examining committee will consist of the doctoral committee, the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research (or designate) as chairperson (non voting) and an external examiner. The final examination normally follows a public seminar by the candidate, open to the public. The passing of the final oral examination of the dissertation requires both an adequate dissertation and a satisfactory defence of the dissertation. The examining committee will conduct this examination, in accordance with the Faculty of Graduate Studies procedures.

This set of examinations requires the students to demonstrate an adequate background in the general discipline of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems, and an advanced knowledge in their fields


INDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS ENGINEERING: COURSES

INDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS ENGINEERING: INSTRUCTORS

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING: PhD

GRADUATE STUDIES FACULTY REGULATIONS