MS in Product Design & Manufacture

The Master of Science (MS) in Product Design & Manufacture program (thesis or practicum options) is designed to train modern engineers to generate compelling products and means for manufacturing them. In addition, students will be trained in leadership skills to translate their innovative ideas into ones of practical design that can be mass produced and cost-effective but still durable and of high quality.

Learning Outcomes

Students must show the capacity to:

  1. Understand contemporary issues in manufacturing engineering and the intimate relationship between product design and manufacturability.
  2. Develop knowledge of both contemporary manufacturing tactics and strategic manufacturing practice.
  3. Develop and implement analytic, communication, technical, and team-building skills.
  4. Recognize that technological change quickly obsoletes conventional design thinking.
  5. Create product designs that are sensitive to user needs and robust against unanticipated uses and misuse.
  6. Employ advanced prototyping methods to shorten design cycles and narrow alternatives without restricting innovation.
  7. Understand the process of converting customer needs into engineering specifications.
  8. Incorporate “design for manufacture” and “design for supply chain” early in the engineering process.
  9. Learn how to predict and leverage technological and societal trends.
  10. Create safe, reliable, and cost-effective products.
  11. Understand and debate the roles and responsibilities of a product designer/manufacturer on society.

Curriculum

Master of Science students are required to complete a minimum of 32 credit hours applicable to the degree according to the program planning sheet. All 32 credits must be at the 500 level or above. To graduate, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (B) must be attained in the set of courses used to satisfy the program requirements for the degree.

Credit cannot be given for two or more courses having significant overlap (including overlap with courses that had been taken to fulfill the candidate’s undergraduate degree requirements).

Structured Course Requirements for MS in Product Design & Manufacture (with Practicum)

The 32 credits must be selected as follows:

  • Five courses (20 credits) must be design and manufacturing engineering core courses (please see the department web page for a listing of these courses)
  • Two courses (8 credits) must be design and manufacturing electives (please see the department web page for a listing of these courses)
  • One course (4 credits) must be an engineering elective (any 500/700-level engineering or physical science course offered in the College of Engineering)
  • ENG ME 537 (4 credits) fulfills the practicum requirement. This course is part of the five required core courses.

Structured Course Requirements for MS in Product Design & Manufacture (with Thesis)

The 32 credits must be selected as follows:

  • Five courses (20 credits) must be design and manufacturing engineering core courses (please see department web page for a listing of these courses)
  • Two courses (8 credits) must be design and manufacturing electives (please see department web page for a listing of these courses)
  • MS thesis: 8 credits of ENG ME 954 MS Thesis. A written research-based thesis must be completed (the thesis satisfies the practicum requirement).