Interdisciplinary Program in Engineering Science
Program Overview
The Donald W. Clayton Graduate Program in Engineering Science allows students to pursue graduate study and research in interdisciplinary areas that cross two or more disciplines in different departments or in program areas not currently associated with an existing department.
The interdisciplinary program spans the fields of engineering, science, business, and even law. In principle, a program in study in almost any imaginable concentration area in engineering can be designed. In practice, many students have developed programs in one of six concentration areas: biological engineering, construction management, environmental and technological hazards engineering, information technology and engineering, materials science and engineering, and pre-engineering education.
Concentrations
The Master of Science in Engineering Science with a concentration in Pre-Engineering Education allows students the opportunity to acquire skills and backgrounds in engineering curriculum that can be delivered to K-12 schools. Each student will be required to work with a faculty mentor who works in the field of engineering, computer science, or construction management and complete an educational project within a K-12 school setting. The concentration requires either a total of 30 hours (24 hours of coursework, 6 hours of thesis) or a minimum of 36 credit hours (33 credit hours of required course and elective coursework and 3 credit hours of project work in an educational (K-12) setting). At least half of the degree hours must be at the 7000 level or above, and students will typically complete some coursework in their undergraduate math, science, or engineering field.
The environmental and technological hazards engineering concentration area has components primarily from chemical and civil engineering and environmental science and secondarily from industrial, biological, and petroleum engineering; chemistry; business; and sometimes, law.
The concentration area in materials science and engineering involves coursework in
mechanical, electrical, chemical and civil engineering; computer science; chemistry;
and physics.
The PhD in Engineering Science with a concentration in Construction Management includes
research in several major areas: advanced material and sustainability, building science
for disaster-resistant communities, built environment informatics, capital facility
management, and interdisciplinary research in construction.
The PhD in Engineering Science with a concentration in Biological Engineering is the
terminal degree in this field, which includes bioprocess, biotechnological, biomechanical,
agricultural, bioenvironmental engineering, and related areas.
The table below lists the concentrations and the degree options for those concentrations.
Please visit our website for more details on each concentration. Engineering Science
degrees do not require a student to complete one of the listed concentrations. A unique
focus area can be designed in the degree program in collaboration with your advisor.
| Concentration | MS | PhD |
|---|---|---|
| Material Science and Engineering | X | X |
| Environmental and Technological Hazards Engineering | X | X |
| Biological Engineering | X | |
| Construction Management | X | |
| Pre-Engineering Education | X |
Degrees awarded through this program do not provide a direct route to professional engineering registration and practice. Students with degrees in a pure or applied science who are considering registration as professional engineers are advised to consider pursuing a second baccalaureate degree in engineering. Likewise, students with engineering degrees that are not ABET accredited are best advised to take an MS/PhD in a program where the BS is ABET accredited. This provides the greatest chance a state will allow you to apply for professional registration once you complete all of the state’s requirements.
Program Administrators
Marwa Hassan
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
College of Engineering
Telephone: 225-578-9189
Email: coeasscdean@lsu.edu
Website: https://lsu.edu/eng/academics/graduate-programs/engrsci/index.php
Vicki Hannan
Coordinator, Donald W. Clayton Program in Engineering Science
Telephone: 225-578-5704
Fax: 225-578-4845
Email: coeadv1@lsu.edu
Admission and Financial Assistance
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.
Admission is open to students without baccalaureate engineering degrees. Students wishing to work toward a degree through the Donald W. Clayton Graduate Program in Engineering Science should contact an appropriate faculty advisor (e.g., any graduate faculty within the College of Engineering) in the college before applying for admission. "Engineering Science" should be indicated as the proposed field of study.
Limited research assistantships may be available to qualified students in the PhD program on a competitive basis directly through the Donald W. Clayton Program in Engineering Science. Most PhD students will be funded by their faculty advisor if funding is available. MS program students seeking financial assistance should pursue support through their faculty advisors.
Graduate Faculty
The Donald W. Clayton Graduate Program in Engineering Science is interdisciplinary. It encompasses the graduate faculty across all departments within the College of Engineering.
Degree Programs
The interdisciplinary degrees of MS in Engineering Science and PhD in Engineering Science are offered. The MS program requires emphasis in at least two areas of study not available within a single department; the PhD requires at least two sub-areas of specialization within one or more academic departments, in addition to the major concentration area of study.
Engineering Science, MSES
(MES)
The MS in Engineering Science program—offered with both thesis and non-thesis options—provides an opportunity for study in areas not represented by departments within the college. Students can enter the program with a baccalaureate degree in any field of engineering or in a pure or applied science. The departmental-level academic course plan for each student (due at the end of the first semester) will be developed in consultation with and approved by the student's graduate advisory committee. Graduate School regulations require the major professor (committee chair) to be a graduate faculty member from a department within the College of Engineering. The committee must also include at least two additional members of the graduate faculty.
The minimum requirements for the thesis option are 24 semester credit hours coursework, six additional hours of thesis research credit, and a successful defense of a research thesis. The non-thesis option requires a minimum of 36 semester hours of coursework, including a three-credit hour project course. The project course incorporates a written report and oral presentation to the graduate advisory committee. Additional coursework may be necessary for students lacking the proper course prerequisites or as required by the graduate advisory committee and specified on an approved plan of study.
At least one-half of the coursework must be College of Engineering courses, and at least one-half of the total coursework must be at the 7000 level (excluding thesis hours). The program requires emphasis in at least two areas of study not available within a single department and at least 18 hours of required coursework and one academic year in residence must be completed after admission to the program.
A plan of study, approved by the student's advisory committee, must be submitted to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering by the end of the first semester of enrollment at LSU.
Students applying to transfer into Engineering Science or to enroll as dual degree after one semester at LSU MUST complete the Engineering Science plan of study as part of the application process.
Engineering Science, PhD
(PES)
The college accepts qualified students with bachelor's or master's degrees in engineering or a pure or applied science to work toward a PhD in this interdisciplinary program. The departmental-level academic course plan for each student will be developed in consultation with and approved by the student's graduate advisory committee. The committee must consist of at least three members of the graduate faculty. The major professor (advisory committee chair) must be from a department within the College of Engineering, and at least one member of the student's committee must come from a department offering the PhD degree in the College of Engineering. The advisory committee must also include representatives from the sub-areas of specialization.
A PhD departmental-level academic course plan, approved by the student's advisory committee, should be submitted to the associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Engineering by the start of the second semester of enrollment. Students applying to transfer into Engineering Science or to enroll as dual degree after one semester at LSU, MUST complete the Engineering Science PhD plan of study as part of the application process. This early plan of study will map directly to the Doctoral Degree Audit form required by the LSU Graduate School as candidates near completion of their coursework.
The student will be required to complete a minimum of 54 semester hours of approved coursework beyond the bachelor's degree and prepare a dissertation acceptable to his or her advisory committee and the Graduate School. At least half of the coursework (27 semester hours) must be taken in courses offered by departments within the College of Engineering. Requirements include 24 hours of coursework concentrated in at least two sub-areas of specialization within one or more academic departments. The remaining 30 semester hours of coursework must contain no more than 15 hours in any one department.
The interdisciplinary degrees of the PhD in Engineering Science are offered in Biological Engineering, Construction Management, Environmental and Technological Hazards Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering. The PhD requires at least two sub-areas of specialization within one or more academic departments, in addition to the major concentration area of study.
Forms for Engineering Science
If you are unable to view these documents, please contact coeadv1@lsu.edu.