Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (Graduate Program)

For information regarding the UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, click here.    

Program Overview

The research program in the Department has experienced significant growth over the last ten years. Mechanical and Industrial Engineering faculty members, with extensive scholarly and professional experience, offer high level research and graduate study opportunities to graduate students who are supported through research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or fellowships. Annual research expenditures on externally funded research have ranged between $3.5 and $4.5 million during the last five years.

Mechanical Engineering faculty members span general areas of expertise ranging from the traditional ones such as mechanical systems (design & control), materials science & engineering, and thermal-fluid science and combustion, to more novel ones such as micro/nano-systems (design and fabrication) and molecular-level engineering. The ME faculty is primarily involved in research related to Energy, Materials & Manufacturing, Aerospace and Bio-Technology applications. Research is funded through grants from federal agencies (NSF, NASA, DoD, DoE, NIH etc.), state government (Louisiana Board of Regents), national laboratories, and various industries. The graduate faculty works closely with graduate students in research projects that cover both traditional and nontraditional areas. Graduate students are engaged in experimental, numerical, and modeling studies and can select their coursework from mechanical engineering and other departments, in consultation with their advisory committees. Students have access to excellent laboratory facilities and equipment, as well as to extensive computer systems, both in the department and on the LSU campus. Mechanical engineering graduates are prepared for employment in industries, universities, state and federal government, and the private sector.

Industrial Engineering faculty members’ expertise are in human factors & ergonomics, supply chain, operations research, information technology, and safety. Their research is related to Energy, Information Systems and Health Care applications and is funded by federal agencies (e.g. DoE, NASA) but mostly from the State and private sectors.

Industrial Engineering (IE) is a branch of engineering that is concerned with the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, materials, analysis and synthesis, as well as the mathematical, physical and social sciences together with the principles and methods of engineering design to specify, predict, and evaluate the results to be obtained from such systems or processes. It encompasses specialized knowledge and skills in the physical, social, engineering, and management sciences, such as human and cognitive sciences, computer systems and information technologies, manufacturing processes, operations research, production, and automation. The industrial engineer integrates people into the design and development of systems, thus requiring an understanding of the physical, physiological, psychological, and other characteristics that govern and affect the performance of individuals and groups in working environments.

IE at LSU is a unique academic program in Louisiana, bringing together in one program, opportunities for students in ergonomics and occupational health, information technology, and production/manufacturing systems, and to develop skills in traditional industrial engineering activities. The program relies on rigorous mathematical and logical approaches to theoretical and practical problem solving, with extensive use of computers and industrial-class software for optimization of integrated processes and systems. The program has a formal program leading to the Master of Science in Industrial Engineering, and as of Fall of 2020 will be offering a formal program leading to a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering.

Administration

Admission

Applications and supporting materials for all graduate study must be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School. Official transcripts, official test scores, and other materials that come from third-party sources must be mailed to: LSU Office of Graduate Admissions, 114 West David Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. These paper documents are stored electronically and departments have access to all materials submitted by and/or on behalf of a student applying to graduate study.

Applications for admission are received and evaluated by the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. Applicants must adhere to the application deadlines established by the Graduate School.

Evaluation will be completed by the department within two months of receipt. The department’s deadline is generally two weeks before the application deadlines established by the Graduate School. Students seeking admission must submit satisfactory credentials from previous study, acceptable GRE and TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE exam scores, and three letters of recommendation. The admission requirements of the department are in addition to those of the Graduate School and are generally more restrictive.

For MIE graduate programs typically, a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (“A” = 4.0) and a GRE (verbal + quantitative) score of 300-310 are required.

Admission to Mechanical Engineering

To pursue an advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, an applicant must hold a B.S. degree from an engineering department accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET), or the equivalent. Special programs can be developed if the degree is from another discipline. The graduate faculty of the department must approve these special programs. As a potential graduate student of Mechanical Engineering, you must meet the minimum requirements for admission to LSU’s Graduate School before being considered for admission into the Mechanical Engineering graduate program. The admission requirements of the department are in addition to those of the Graduate School and are generally more restrictive. Typically, a minimum undergraduate and/or Masters grade-point average of 3.0 (“A” = 4.0, “B” =3.0) and competitive GRE scores are required. Applications with a Quantitative Reasoning GRE score below the 80th percentile will not be considered unless petitioned by an ME faculty member. For foreign applicants a minimum TOEFL score of 213 (computer-based), 550 (paper-based), 79-80 (internet based – IB) or minimum 6.5 (IELTS) would be expected. As deciding on admissions and assistantships as well as taking care of visa formalities take considerable time, potential students are advised to apply sufficiently early, say six to nine months in advance of the semester in which they wish to enroll.

Admission to Industrial Engineering

Students wishing to pursue studies leading to a graduate degree must first apply to the Graduate School. The LSU General Catalog provides specific information regarding the requirements and conditions of admission. In general, the student who wishes to enroll for graduate study must have earned a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from an accredited college or university. Although there are no restrictions regarding the major area of study pursued in the baccalaureate program, graduates of curricula outside the program area will be required to satisfy prerequisite requirements in the program area. This prerequisite work will not carry graduate credit, but is intended to satisfy deficiencies. The number of courses required will depend on the student’s background and preparation; such requisite courses may have pre-requisites that need to be fulfilled prior to enrolling in those courses. To that end, the MSIE Program does not have pre-requisites in terms of admission to the program.

All applicants for admission to the IE and Engineering Science Graduate Programs are required to present satisfactory scores on the aptitude portion (quantitative + verbal sections) of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) before admission can be granted. The Graduate School can provide further information on the GRE. Generally, only those students who have at least 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average overall and 3.00 on the last 60 hours in their undergraduate courses and satisfactory GRE scores will be admitted. However, cases may be considered on an individual basis considering grades in the junior and senior years and GRE scores. In rare cases, applicants may be granted probationary admission, and they must then satisfy the Graduate School and departmental requirements for satisfactory progress or be dropped from the program. See section on “Satisfactory Progress” for more details. Non-degree seeking students may be admitted as “Non-matriculated” students if they qualify for admission to courses.

English Requirements

All applicants whose native language is not English and who have not completed their degree requirements at an accredited U.S. college or university are required to submit their scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The Graduate School has minimum requirements for TOEFL scores depending on which version of the TOEFL test is taken. International students whose native language is not English must have a TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper based test, a 213 on the computer-based test, or a 79 on the Internet-based test, an IELTS score of 6.5; or PTE score of 59.

Additionally, international students must take the LSU Comprehensive English Language Test after arrival on campus and before registration. If the test results indicate a deficiency in English, the student will be required to register for appropriate English language courses. International graduate assistants (teaching, service, or research) must complete ENGL 1051 during their first semester unless a waiver is granted as a result of interview with the English Department. Repeated registration of such courses may be required until the student can demonstrate sufficient proficiency in English.

As deciding on admissions and assistantships as well as taking care of visa formalities take considerable time, potential students are advised to apply as early as possible, usually six to nine months in advance of the semester in which they wish to enroll. 

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is available to some students. Support may be available through the department in the form of research or teaching assistantships. To ensure consideration for financial aid, all application materials should be submitted in accordance with deadlines established by the LSU Graduate School. Research assistants take active part in research activities and projects as directed by relevant faculty members advising the assistants. Research assistantships are negotiated and eventually offered through direct discussions between the student and faculty members.

Some departmental/programmatic assistantships are available for qualified students and are awarded each semester, based on programmatic needs and student qualifications. Except in unusual cases, no master’s candidate will be awarded a departmental/programmatic assistantship for more than four semesters. A doctoral candidate may be awarded a departmental/programmatic assistantship for up to six semesters. Faculty who have funded research projects provide additional assistantships for participating graduate students. Faculty members also recommend students for fellowships and stipends when these become available.

Laboratories, Centers and Facilties

Visit the departmental website for more information on the following:

• Research Laboratories
• Center & Institutes

Graduate Faculty

(check current faculty listings by department here)

Fereydoun Aghazadeh (M) • Human Factors Engineering, Construction Ergonomics, Work Physiology, Occupational Biomechanics, Safety Engineering
Adam J. Baran (3F) • Fluid Mechanics, heat transfer, multi-phase flow, gas dynamics, aerodynamics, and propulsion
Corina Barbala (6A) • Marine robotic systems, Autonomous mobile-manipulation, Cooperative robotics, Multi-body control and planning theory, Underwater perception systems and algorithms
Tryfon Charalampopoulos (M) • Heat transfer, combustion, laser diagnostics
Marcio de Queiroz (M) • Nonlinear control theory and applications, active magnetic and mechanical bearings, biological and biomedical system modeling and control
Ram Devireddy (M) • Bioheat and mass transfer, tissue engineering, biological fluid flow, cryopreservation of cells and tissues
Manas Ranjan Gartia (6A) • Plasmonics, Nanophotonics, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), Advanced
Nanofabrication and Nanomanufacturing, Biosensors Development, Biomedical Research, Nuclear Forensics, Materials Characterization, Mobiled and Wireless Integrated Sensing
Keith Alan Gonthier (M) • Theoretical and computational fluid dynamics, combustion, continuum mechanics, multi-phase flow, gas dynamics
Shengmin Guo (M) • Fluid sciences, thermal engineering
Craig M. Harvey (M) • Human Factors Engineering, Safety Engineering, Human Computer Interaction
Laura H. Ikuma (M) • Human Factors Engineering, Safety, Musculoskeletal Disorders, Psychosocial Factors
Hyun Jeon (6A) Manufacturing Process Modeling, Energy Analysis for Manufacturing Systems, Queueing Networks, Stochastic Processes, Simulation, Applied Operations Research
Michael Khonsari (M) • Tribology, rotating machinery performance analysis, heat transfer, numerical analysis, modeling and simulations
Gerald M. Knapp (M) • NLP, text & data analytics, Information Systems and Technology, Systems Integration, Maintenance Management, Reliability Engineering
Guoqiang Li (M) • Composite materials and composite structures
T. Warren Liao (M) • Soft Computing, Supply Chain Management, Logistics & Distribution, Lean Six Sigma, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Data Mining
Fengyuan Lu (6A) • Advanced nuclear reactor materials, nuclear waste management, radiation effects in nuclear reactor materials, nanostructured nuclear materials, advanced ceramic and composite fabrication, energy storage and conversion materials Wen Jin Meng (M) • Plasma-based materials processing, nanostructure ceramic coatings, and micro/nano fabrication
Shyam Kumar Menon (6A) • Combustion and fuel-based applications
Dorel Moldovan (M) • Materials modeling and simulation, microstructure evolution and deformation in nanocrystalline materials, thin films and interfacial materials
Michael C. Murphy (EM) • Biomechanics, microsystems, system dynamics and control
Isabelina Nahmens (M) • Quality Management, Lean, Six Sigma, Project Management, Healthcare Systems Engineering, Construction
Dimitris E. Nikitopoulos (M) • Experimental and numerical fluid dynamics, two-phase flow and microfluidics
Genevieve Palardy (6A) • Composite materials with a focus on thermoplastic matrices, Manufacturing, characterization and joining of composites, Repair and recycling mechanisms, Experimental and computational techniques, Additive manufacturing of composites
Sunggook Park (M) • Nanofabrication technology and applications, Nanoimprint lithography, BioMEMS/NEMS, bioengineering, polymer photonic devices, liquid crystal displays, and surface coatings
Bhaba R. Sarker (M) • Production and Manufacturing Systems Engineering: Production Planning & Control, Flexible/Cellular Manufacturing Systems, Material Handling, Scheduling, Location Theory, JIT Inventory Systems, Warehouse Logistics and Distribution, Lean Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, Military Logistics, Renewable Energy Systems, and Applied Operations Research
Ingmar Michael Schoegl (M) • Combustion, thermochemical energy conversion (fuel reforming, gasification), alternative fuel sources (biofuels, biomass), and solid-oxide fuel cells
Glenn Sinclair (M) • Fracture mechanics, tribology and contact problems, and numerical methods
Warren Waggenspack, Jr. (M) • Computer-aided geometric design (CAGD), computer-aided engineering for biomechanical engineering, machine design, education, and microsystems
Muhammad Wahab (M) • Fatigue and fracture mechanics, stress analysis, computational plasticity, and structural integrity
Wanjun Wang (M) • MEMS, microsensors, and microactuators
Ying Wang (M) • Energy conversion and storage systems, electrochromic displays, nanostructured materials, functional ceramics, atomic lay deposition and chemical vapor deposition
Harris Wong (M) • Fluid mechanics, heat transfer, interfacial phenomena, solid films, two-phase flow in porous media, human tear film, spectral and boundary integral methods 

Programs

• Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.

• Mechanical Engineering, M.S.ME