The Department of Manufacturing Engineering

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Department Chairman ad interim Uday Pal

Associate Chairman for Graduate Studies Pirooz Vakili

Department Director Ruth Mason

Graduate Studies in Manufacturing Engineering

The Department of Manufacturing Engineering at Boston University offers sophisticated education that is comprehensive and rigorous in its curriculum. The need for well-trained leaders in manufacturing is a direct result of the faster tempo of today’s business, in which the rate of technological change and magnitude of manufacturing output have reached extraordinary levels. Applications of automation are steadily increasing. Corporations struggle to reduce or avoid a balance-of-payments deficit and look to their manufacturing sector for solutions. The result is a demand for well-educated engineers for manufacturing industries.

To meet this need, Boston University has developed a department within the College of Engineering to serve the manufacturing industry, offering programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition, the department provides a forum for the interchange of ideas and techniques between academic and industrial communities.

Doctoral Program

Programs of study leading to the PhD in Manufacturing Engineering and Systems Engineering are available.

Doctoral studies may be pursued in areas actively researched by department faculty. These areas include design and control of manufacturing systems and operations research, robotics and control, engineered materials, computer-aided design and manufacture, and manufacturing of microelectronic components and biomaterials. Applicants to the doctoral program are encouraged to contact individual faculty members in the department to discuss their research program. For information on faculty research interests and individual faculty contact, applicants are referred to the Department of Manufacturing Engineering.

Students admitted to the postbachelor’s PhD program in Manufacturing Engineering must complete the department course requirements for the MS degree. All students in the postbachelor’s PhD program in Manufacturing and Systems must take a minimum of 64 credits, 40 of which must be structured courses, during their entire program of study.

Post-master’s PhD students must take a minimum of 32 credits during their postmaster’s program of study. Post-master’s PhD students in Manufacturing Engineering must also satisfy a breadth requirement by demonstrating that they have taken two 500-level-or-higher manufacturing engineering courses (8 credits) or their equivalent in an area outside their area of research (400-level courses may be approved if a student has no background in the breadth area). A grade of B or higher is required in the two courses.

In addition to course requirements, doctoral students must pass the College-wide qualifying examination in applied mathematics and a departmental qualifying examination in their research area. Additional information regarding program admission, degree requirements, and financial aid may be found in the Graduate Programs section of this site.

Manufacturing Engineering The PhD in Manufacturing Engineering is offered under the guidance of department faculty who maintain active research programs in related areas including manufacturing systems and logistics, supply chain coordination, production and service system design scheduling and control, manufacturing process control, engineered materials, green manufacturing, MEMS/NEMS, biomaterials and biomedical device design, microelectronics manufacturing simulation and design, machine design and automation, and robotics.

Systems Engineering Department faculty are active participants in the interdepartmental PhD in SystemsEngineering. The systems engineering PhD is available to students interested in focusing their research on interdisciplinary work that transcends the application domain and resides in areas such as information and control systems, optimization and mathematical programming, stochastic dynamic systems, and discrete event dynamic systems. The systems Qualifying Examination is administered by the departmental Graduate Committee in coordination with the interdepartmental PhD systems engineering committee. For further information, contact Professor Pirooz Vakilli, Department of Manufacturing Engineering.

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Master of Science (MS) in Manufacturing Engineering

The Manufacturing Engineering Program offers graduate training in the application of modern engineering methods to problems of manufacturing. The course of study is designed to provide a balance between engineering for manufacturing and operations management. There are a variety of means to attain a Master’s of Science in Manufacturing Engineering.

• On-campus study
• Dual degree program with the School of Management (MS/MBA)
• Distance learning
• International exchange research-oriented programs

The MS program draws students from many scientific and engineering areas, including mechanical, computer, industrial, materials, and electrical engineering. Study is supported by laboratories in the areas of automated design and manufacturing systems, computer-integrated manufacturing, computer-aided engineering (CAE), process controls, high-temperature oxidation, hightemperature chemical and electrical processing of materials, microscopy, powder metallurgy, X-ray, production control, robotics, and surface modification.

While it is possible to complete the MS program in manufacturing engineering in one year, a longer time is usually required. It is also possible to complete the program on a part-time basis.

On-Campus Study On-campus study is pursued primarily by full-time students, although part-time students are welcome and their attendance is assisted by some graduate course offerings during the early evening hours. On-campus study offers the maximum flexibility and choice of options in the background, core, concentration, electives, capstone, and research categories. There are eight different concentration areas possible: Global Product Development; Manufacturing Operations Management; Systems and Operations Research; Automation and Control in Manufacturing; Engineered Materials and Processes; MEMS/Microelectronics Fabrication; Sensors and Instruments; Lean Supply Chain Design. Moreover, with the appropriate choice of electives, it is possible to cover the material in two concentration areas.

Master of Science (MS) in Global Manufacturing The Department of Manufacturing Engineering offers an applied research MS program focused on Global Manufacturing in collaboration with the Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) and its associated Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Technology (WZL), Fraunhofer USA Center for Manufacturing Innovation CMI, and Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT),  Aachen, Germany. The degree in Global Manufacturing requires 24 months of full-time coursework and research at Boston University and RWTH in Aachen, Germany. Students must register for a total of 36 credits to meet the requirements of the MS program in Manufacturing Engineering and may include up to 12 credits of Masters Thesis. The international experience of students completing this program will enable applicants, originating in Germany or in the United States, to conduct research respectively for European Industry at the Fraunhofer IPT or WZL in Germany and for United States Industry at the Fraunhofer CMI in Boston. Graduates will be uniquely qualified to participate in and contribute to today’s global economy. For more information please go to ManufacturingEngineering Graduate.

Academic Requirements The master’s program in Manufacturing Engineering requires 36 semester credit hours (ordinarily nine courses) of which no fewer than 28 must be earned at Boston University. A thesis or project may be included in these 36 credits. A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 or B is required for all postbaccalaureate courses taken at Boston University. At least 20 credits offered for the degree must be from technically oriented engineering courses. Courses are distributed among five curricular supplements: background studies, master’s core, concentration areas, electives, and capstone. A maximum of one course below the 500 level will be allowed for the degree.

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1. Background Studies

Students accepted into the manufacturing engineering master’s program are expected to have earned a bachelor’s degree in an ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering program, or its equivalent in a relevant and related discipline. Entry-level qualifications expected are described below. With their advisors’ approval, master’s students take courses needed to bring their backgrounds up to the level of these qualifications. Two advisor-approved courses may be credited in this category; one of these may be numbered below the 500 level.

Mathematics Entering students are expected to have taken undergraduate calculus through ordinary differential equations and to have studied engineering applications of linear algebra and elementary probability and statistics. Suggested courses for students requiring additional work in mathematics include ENG EK 500 Probability with Statistical Applications and ENG EK 402 Linear Algebra for Engineers.

Computation and Computer Graphics Entering students are expected to be conversant in at least one high-level computer language and in assembly language, and experienced in the use of at least one CAD graphic system such as CADCAM or Autocad in engineering design. Suggested courses for students requiring additional work in computation and computer graphics include an upper-division course that emphasizes programming and problem solving in a higher level computer language such as APL, C, Pascal, or Ada; ENG EK 412 Minicomputers; ENG MN 415 Product Design; and ENG EK 520 Computer-Aided Design and Manufacture.

2. Master’s Core

A grouping of courses has been designed to give the student breadth of exposure to engineering for manufacturing. Three courses are required toward the master’s degree, one from each of three categories below.

1. Manufacturing or Dynamic Systems Theory: ENG MN 409, MN 510, ENG EC 501, ENG MN 507, MN 514;
2. Design and Control in Manufacturing Processes: ENG MN 507, MN 514, MN 518, MN 526, MN 585;
3. Manufacturing Management: ENG MN 505, MN 513, MN 522, MN 580, MN 583, MN 704, ENG EK 780,GSM CD 880, GSM OM 725;
4. Engineering Materials: ENG MN 523, MN 530, MN 534, MN 535, MN 555, MN 579.

3. Concentration Area

This area requires a sequence of courses designed to provide added depth in engineering for manufacturing. One of the two-course sequences listed below is required for the master’s degree. The same course may not be used to satisfy both core and concentration requirements.

1. Global Production Development (select two of the following courses): ENG MN 505, MN 513, MN 535, MN 550, MN 560, MN 583;
2. Manufacturing Operations Management (select two of the following courses) GSM AC 710, GSM CD 870, GSM MK 723, GSM OM 725;
3. Systems and Operations Research: take ENG MN 510 in 2 A above; ENG MN 514 or MN 710, and MN 524, MN 714, MN 755;
4. Automation and Control in Manufacturing take ENG EC 501 in 2 A above and select two of the following courses: ENG MN 507 or MN/EC 708, ENG MN 540, ENG MN 560, MN 585 or ENG MN 785, ENG MN 740 or AM 704;
5. Engineering Materials and Processes (select two of the following courses): ENG MN 527, ENG MN 529, ENG MN 531, ENG MN 532, ENG MN 545;
6. MEMS/Microelectronics Fabrication (select two of the following courses): ENG MN 555, ENG MN 579, ENG EC 571 or ENG EC 575;
7. Sensors and Instruments: ENG MN 507 Process Modeling and Control, ENG MN 544 Networking the Physical World, ENG MN 555 MEMS: Fabrication and Materials, ENG MN 560 Precision Machine Design and Instrumentation, ENG MN 579 Microelectronic Device Manufacturing, ENG MN 777 Micromachined Transducers;
8. Lean Supply Chain Design: ENG MN 510 Production Systems Analysis, ENG MN 513 Product Development, ENG MN 544 Networking the Physical World, ENG MN 550 Product Supply Chain Design, ENG MN 704 Financial and Managerial Accounting.

One, two, or three courses, to bring the total number of credit hours to 36, are chosen with advisor approval. The selection should give due consideration to both breadth and depth, and the requirement that at least 5 of the 9 courses applied toward the degree are technical courses. A current list of approved electives may be obtained from the department’s graduate programs coordinator.

One of the options listed below is required for the master’s degree.

1. ENG MN 765 Production Systems Design or
2. ENG MN 777 Micromachined Transducers or
3. ENG MN 785 Computer-Integrated Manufacturing or
4. ENG MN 901 Thesis (an additional four credits can be used as an elective),
5. an advanced course approved by the department committee on graduate studies that stresses the solution of complex problems in manufacturing through integration of material learned in other coursework.

Before a student enrolls in ENG MN 901, a Thesis Committee must be formed and the student should submit to the manufacturing graduate coordinator a Thesis Title Approval Card stating the thesis subject and signed by the members of the student’s committee. The Thesis Committee consists of a thesis advisor and at least one additional reader (at least one member of the Department of Manufacturing Engineering). The student must submit a written thesis proposal (approved by the readers) to both the Manufacturing Graduate Committee Chairman and the department, at least one semester before the thesis presentation, and no later than the first semester of enrollment in ENG MN 901.

The thesis is publicly presented with the members of the student’s Thesis Committee present, and its final version must be approved by all readers. The deadline for submission of the thesis is one month prior to graduation. For more information, the Manufacturing Engineering Master’s Thesis and Requirements Calendar may be obtained in the office of the Manufacturing Graduate Programs Coordinator.

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Exceptionally capable students who have completed four semesters of calculus and two semesters of calculus-based physics and have completed a bachelor’s degree in a field other than engineering will be considered for admission to the graduate program in this department. Such students should apply by the normal procedure and should expect to take some additional undergraduate coursework that will not carry degree credit.

Applications for admission may be obtained from the College of Engineering Graduate Programs Office, 48 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215; Tel: 617-353-9760; e-mail: enggrad@bu.edu;An electronic application is available on the Web at Collegeof Engineering Graduate Programs.

MS/MBA Dual Degree Program in Manufacturing Engineering and Management

The Department of Manufacturing Engineering and the School of Management offer a coordinated Master of Science/Master of Business Administration program which prepares recent graduates or practicing professionals who are committed to careers in industry for positions as manufacturing managers. Individuals taking courses on a full-time basis complete the program in two calendar years and receive two degrees.

Program requirements A total of 80 credits is required for the dual degree program. Students must take at least 40 credits from the Graduate School of Management and meet the MS requirements for manufacturing engineering. Courses may be used to meet the requirements of one degree only. For courses counted toward the engineering MS, a student must complete 36 credits with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 or ‘B’. The remaining four (4) credits can be taken at either the Graduate School of Management or the College of Engineering. Candidates are encouraged to contact the Manufacturing graduate programs coordinator who will help them plan their curricula with an advisor at the time of first enrollment in the dual degree program. For MBA requirements, please contact the Graduate School of Management.

Dual Degree Requirements for the MBA All students are required to attend an orientation program prior to taking classes in the MBA program. Students register for orientation the first semester they register for MBA classes.

Recommended sequence of required courses is as follows:

Full-time students must take course at 3 credits/Part-time students must take course at 4 credits

*OB 712 or OB 713 Managing Organizations and People

* AC 710 or AC 711 Financial Reporting and Control

* QM 716 or QM 717 Data Analysis for Managerial Decision Making

* MK 723 or MK 724 Marketing Management

* FE 721 or FE 722 Financial Management

*FE 727 or FE 730 Economics and Management Decisions

* IS 710 or IS 711 IT Strategies for Networked Economy

*OM 725 or OM 726 Creating Value through Operations and Technology

*SP 750 or SP 751 Competition, Innovation, and Strategy

SP 700 Current Topics in Law and Ethics—2 credits

Required courses for full-time cohorted students

‡ ES 700 Executive Presentations—1 credit

† Part-time students must take one of the following: ES 700 or ES 701 ES 701 Executive Written Communication—1 credit

† ES 704 Career Toolkit—1 credit † ES 705 Professional

Portfolio Seminar—1 credit

Part-time students must take one of the following: ES 711, ES 713, ES 715, or ES 717 ES 711 Career Coaching—1 credit

§ ES 713 Career Exploration—1 credit

§ ES 715 Developing Your Career Network—1 credit

§ ES 717 Creating  Your Professional Portfolio—1 credit

For details about course prerequisites, please contact the School of Management Graduate Programs Office.

Courses for the MBA must be completed with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.7 (B–). At least 40 credits must be taken in residency at the School of Management. Students may enroll in the MBA program on a full- or part-time basis. For completion of the dual degree, students must be in compliance with time limits set by each School. The Graduate School of Management and the College of Engineering require that MBA/ENG dual degree requirements be completed within six years of matriculation. For full requirements, see the School of Management Bulletin. Telephone: 617-353-2670; e-mail: MBA@bu.edu.

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Distance Learning Programs

The Distance Learning Graduate Program, comprised of courses identical to those for the on-campus degree, is designed to satisfy the needs of part-time students in industry. The Department of Manufacturing Engineering is a pioneer in this area.

Courses focus on the technical aspects of design and production. Three concentrations are offered for the Master’s degree via Interactive Compressed Video (ICV). These are Manufacturing Systems, Manufacturing Operations Management, and Product Innovation and Management. While not all of the courses available on campus are offered via ICV, a sufficient number are offered to enable a student to complete all requirements for the MS degree in approximately three years.

Students wishing to take advantage of course offerings that are not available through the distance learning facilities are welcome to enroll in regular on-campus course offerings which include directed study, research, or thesis. These can complement distance learning courses to satisfy the MS degree requirements. For additional information, please call 617-353-2842.

Research Interests of the Faculty

D. Attaway, PhD: educational methods, computer programming for engineers.

J. Baillieul, PhD: robotics; control of mechanical systems; mechatronics.

E. Barouch, PhD: simulation of industrial processes, numerical analysis, algorithm development.

S. N. Basu, PhD: processing/structure/property relationships in photonic, electronic and superconducting thin films and thermal barrier, environmental barrier and tribological coatings; environmental degradation of materials at elevated temperatures; structure and stability of interfaces; characterization of microstructure and phase transformations using electron microscopy techniques.

C. Belta, PhD: verification and control of hybrid systems, robot motion planning and control, multi-agent systems, gene and metabolic networks.

T. Bifano, PhD: microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), micro-mirror devices, adaptive optics, manufacturing of optical components, opthalmic imaging systems, fluidic microsystems, optical component manufacturing for telecommunication systems, ion beam machining, bioarray synthesis.

M. Caramanis, PhD: mathematical programming, control and stachastic systems.

C. Cassandras, PhD: discrete event and hybrid systems, stochastic optimization, simulation, manufacturing systems, communication and sensor networks, command-control systems.

D. Cole, PhD: simulation of physical processes to aid micro and nano electronic technology development and manufacturability, plus microlithography, electrodynamics, and intellectual property.

T. A. de Winter, MechE: superconductivity, cryogenics, heat transfer, product design, magnetic systems application.

M. Gevelber, PhD: improved materials process capabilities by using controls-based approach: modelling, sensor development, system and control design, experimental verification. Projects include plasma spray, bulk crystal growth, cvd, ebeam deposition of optical coatings, electrospinning of nanofibers.

S. Gopalan, PhD: fuel cells, chemical thermodynamics, kinetics and transport phenomena to model the behavior of electrochemical systems.

W. M. Hauser, PhD: remanufacturing industry operations, economics, and business models.

Y. Hazony, PhD: computer methods for industrial automation, robotics and education.

J-Q. Hu, PhD: discrete event systems, optical communication networks, queueing networks, production and inventory systems, simulation.

C. Klapperich, PhD: bio-microelectromechanical systems (BioMEMS), bio-microfabrication, cell-biomaterial and protein-biomaterial surface interactions, using microarray technology to study gene expression of surface-active cells, fluorescent modeling of protein systems, microfluidics applications.

Lin, X., PhD: electronic structure, atomistic, mesoscopic, and continuum materials modeling, conductive polymer electro-opto-mechanical devices, materials strength under ambient and extreme conditions, and automotive catalysis.

R. Lund, MBA: remanufacturing: composition, contribution, issues and alternatives.

U. B. Pal, PhD: high-temperature chemical and electrochemical processing of materials (metals and ceramics) with emphasis on green manufacturing, sensors and fuel cells.

I. Paschalidis, PhD: communication and sensor networks, manufacturing systems, network control systems, and computational biology.

J. R. Perkins, PhD: real-time scheduling and control of manufacturing systems, supply chain management, resource pricing and congestion control in communications networks, scheduling human resources in transportation systems and in product development.

V. Sarin, ScD: materials science, physical and chemical vapor deposition of structural coatings, surface modification, consolidation of ceramics, transparent ceramics, composites.

A. Sharon, PhD: high precision automation systems, electromechanical machine design, controls.

P. Vakili, PhD: stochastic simulation and optimization, manufacturing and communication systems, product development management, computational finance, bioinformatics.

X. Zhang, PhD: MEMS; NEMS; specific issues related to materials science; micro/nanomechanics and micro/nanomanufacturing technologies motivated by practical applications in MEMS/NEMS and emerging biotechnologies.

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Boston, MA 02215

10 September 2007
Boston University
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