Master’s program requirements

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MS and MSE IOE degree requirements

  • At least 30 credit hours of University of Michigan graduate courses.
    • Courses eligible for graduate credit can be found on the Rackham programs of study website.
    • Exceptions: Certain courses on the Rackham list are not eligible for IOE graduate credit. These courses are outlined below under “courses that are not allowed”.
  • Of the 30 credit hours, at least 18 hours in graduate-level IOE courses.
  • Of the 30 credit hours, at least 14 credit hours of 500 level and above courses, including at least 12 credit hours of IOE 500 level and above courses.
    • Exceptions: IOE 590: Master’s Directed Study, may be used for at most three credit hours of the required 12 credit hours of IOE courses at the 500 level or above. Other directed study courses, courses graded S/U, one and two-credit seminar classes and IPD courses may not be used to satisfy 500 level requirements.
  • No more than 6 credit hours in directed study or project-based courses.
  • At least one course equal to or greater than three hours outside of the U-M IOE Department (cognate courses).
    • Exception: Any course that is cross-listed with the U-M IOE Department may not be counted as a cognate course.
  • An overall and IOE cumulative grade point average of B or better.

Courses that are not allowed

All IOE courses at the 400 level and above are eligible for IOE graduate credit with the exception of the following courses:

  • Not allowed in all cases: IOE 422, 424, 435, 441, 461, 481, 490 and 499.  These courses are not allowed because they are either:
    • 1) Specifically designed for IOE undergraduates
    • 2) Offered as electives for IOE undergraduates and “service” courses to graduate students from other units. The rigor level of these courses is below the level required for an IOE graduate course.
  • Not allowed in some cases: IOE 491
    • IOE 491 is the default course number assigned to “new” IOE courses that will be given permanent course numbers at the 200, 300 and 400 levels, prior approval is required from the IOE Graduate Program Advisor to receive graduate credit for IOE 491.  A list of pre-approved 491 classes will be available in the Graduate Program Office during the registration period for each term.
  • Not allowed for master’s students: IOE 800, 801, 802 and 899.  These courses may not be counted toward the 30-credit minimum required for the master’s degree.  

Graduate credit for non-IOE courses

Guiding principles are as follows:

Courses in subject areas that are NOT offered by the IOE Department

All courses that are eligible for Rackham credit are eligible for IOE graduate credit. This includes most 400 level and above courses offered at the University of Michigan. Exceptions are listed below.

  • Courses in subject areas covered by the U-M IOE Department (e.g., probability, statistics, operations management, information systems, etc.)
    • All courses that are eligible for Rackham credit are eligible for IOE graduate credit, provided that the rigor level of the courses meets or exceeds the similar first-level graduate course offered by the U-M IOE Department. (For example, 400 and 500 level introductory courses in statistics and computing are not eligible for IOE graduate credit because this topic is covered in the IOE undergraduate curriculum.)
  • Transfer credit
    • Courses taken at other universities must be acceptable to Rackham for transfer credit. If the course is eligible for Rackham credit, principles 1 and 2 will be used to determine if the course is eligible for IOE credit.

Graduate credit for courses at the U-M Ross School of Business

  • 400 level classes: Accounting 471 is approved for IOE graduate credit.
    • All other 400 level courses are not approved for graduate credit. Exceptions require prior written approval by the U-M IOE Graduate Program Advisor. No approvals will be granted after the end of the drop-add period for the term when the course is offered.
  • 500 level and above courses
    • Courses that are not on the “not allowed” list may be counted for graduate credit; however, one credit seminar classes will not be counted toward the 14 credits at the 500 level and above requirement.
  • U-M Ross School of Business courses that are not allowed
    • MO 501 (allowed for graduate credit, but may not be counted as 500 level)
    • TO 501, 502, 503, 511, 512, 513, 551, 552, 561, 563, 566, 567, 568, 569, 572, 573, 601 and 616
    • Note: A student who takes IOE 440 or TO 605 may receive graduate credit for only one of those courses.

Courses in economics, engineering, entrepreneurship, manufacturing, math, statistics, biostatistics, public policy, and information that are not allowed

  • ENTR 599 section 019 is not allowed for graduate credit. (Other sections are allowed for graduate credit, but may NOT be counted as 500 level)
  • ECON 404, 405 and 500
  • ENGINEERING 401, 480, 600 and 998 (CPT)
  • EECS 402
  • MATH 412, 417, 419, 422, 425, 431, 486, 489, 497 and 498
  • MANUFACTURING 401. (Note: MFG 503 is allowed for graduate credit, but may not be counted as 500 level because it is a project course.)
  • STAT: All 400 level classes are not allowed with the exception of STAT 406, 430, 466, 470 and 480
  • BIOSTAT 503, 510, 523, 553, 600, 601, 602 and 625
  • PUBLIC POLICY 513 and 529
  • INFORMATION 528 and 543   RACKHAM 998 or ENGR 998 (CPT)
  • HMP 680

Special topic courses with a regular lecture format taught under IOE 591 are considered regular lecture courses (not directed study courses) in verifying requirements.