The manufacturing systems and processes of the future can’t be managed with yesterday’s knowledge. Driven by technological innovation, ever more responsive to their customers, the factories of the 21st century will be leaner, faster, smarter, more complex, requiring multidisciplinary approaches. The engineers who will run them must be committed to continuous improvement not only in the processes they manage but in their own skills as well.
To answer this need, the University of Kentucky’s College of Engineering offers an array of advanced manufacturing courses for the working engineer. Students may elect to pursue a master’s degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering or, if they wish, take individual graduate courses as needed.
Options
Students may choose between 2 options:
Thesis option (twenty-four credit hours, 8 courses) plus thesis
Project option (thirty credit hours, 10 courses) plus project worth 3 credit hours
Core Courses
The required core courses stress the actual and the practical. These are:
MFS/ME 505 Modeling of Manufacturing Processes and Machines
MFS/EE 605 Systems for Factory Information and Control
MFS/ME/EE 606 Manufacturing Seminar/Project
MGT/MFS 611 Organizational Behavior
Instructors regularly interact with industry and use industry problems for class projects. The seminar project class typically involves study of actual manufacturing processes in real factory settings.
Emphasis Areas
The remaining course requirements can be satisfied by choosing from a variety of multidisciplinary courses, drawing on business and communications, as well as engineering specialties, thus allowing students to specialize in one of the following areas:
lean manufacturing
- The Lean Systems Program teaches how to improve manufacturing systems and business operations by applying Lean principles. Lean principles, as originally developed by Toyota, require a rethinking of operations in order to enhance quality , lower cost, and improve responsiveness. These principlees are applied to equipment, to product design, to process design, and even to organizational management. The program is coordinated through the Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing (ISM). Students interested in the program will take two core courses: MFS503 Lean Manufacturing Principles and Practices, and MFS526 Operations Management in Lean.
- manufacturing processes, (e.g. machining, forming, micro machining, polymer processing )
- sustainable manufacturing
- polymer process engineering
- systems design and analysis
Admission
Prospective students must apply to the UK Graduate School and be admitted to both the UK Graduate School and the Degree Program. Details regarding degree program options, requirements for admission, step by step instructions for the application process, and more are available in the MFS Graduate Handbook and other pages linked above.
To be admitted, a student should have an undergraduate engineering degree from an ABET accredited engineering program or an equivalent program. (Visit the ABET Homepage to find out if your program is ABET accredited.) Applicants who have been awarded Bachelor degrees other than engineering or from engineering programs not accredited by ABET (including those offered by institutions outside the United States) may be admitted only if persuasive evidence (test scores, grades, letters of recommendation) indicate strong academic potential. Students with an undergraduate major not in engineering may also need to complete a certain number of undergraduate engineering courses to prepare them for this program. A minimum grade point average of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale for undergraduate work is expected and GRE scores must be at least 700 quantitative. International students should submit TOEFL or IELTS scores as well.
An additional option for University of Kentucky undergraduate students is the dual degree program: combine a BS in electrical or mechanical engineering with an MS in manufacturing systems engineering. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and submission of GRE scores are required for admission. This program does not reduce the number of credit hours required for either degree.