University Statements and Policies 5
Industrial and Systems Engineering Program Administration 5
Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) 5
Director of Masters Programs 6
Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) 6
Industrial and Systems Engineering Faculty 6
Industrial and Systems Engineering Staff 6
Registration Steps: All new students 10
Registration Steps: Current/previous students 10
I completed my course credits, now what? 10
Minimum Grade Requirement and Time to Degree 13
Degree Plan Instructions (GPAS Planner) 20
GPAS Planner Submission Instructions 20
Tuition and Benefits of a Graduate Assistantship 26
Instructions for Required CITI Research Ethics Training 27
Swapping Pre-thesis credits to Thesis Credits 28
Doctoral Examination Procedures 30
Qualifying Examination Procedure 30
Preliminary Examination Procedure 31
Oral Preliminary Examination 33
Final Thesis Examining Committee 35
Annual Reviews of Graduate Student Progress 35
Resources for International Students 36
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) 36
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) 37
Optional Practical Training (OPT) 37
Appendix A: Graduate Program Coordinator 37
Appendix B: Mail and Department Correspondence 38
Appendix C: Building Access 39
Appendix E: Computer and Technical Support 39
Appendix F: Thesis Binding Information 40
Appendix G: Library Resources 40
Appendix H: Department Spaces Available to Reserve 40
Appendix I: GLU-UE Website Directory Release Form 41
Appendix J: Disability Resource Center (DRC) 41
Appendix L: Parking and Transportation 42
Appendix M: Textbooks/Course Materials 42
Appendix P: Mental Health & Well-Being Resources 43
Appendix Q: On Campus Dining 44
Appendix R: Food Insecurity 44
Appendix S: Microwaves for Student Use 44
Appendix T: Travel Support from Departmental Funds 45
Appendix U: Travel Support from Faculty Funds 45
Appendix W: Gopher Way (Tunnels and Skyways) 47
This publication supplements information provided in the University of Minnesota—Graduate School Catalog.
You are responsible for all information contained here and in the catalog that is pertinent to your graduate study and to your specific field. The information in this handbook and other University catalogs, publications, or announcements is subject to change without notice. University offices can provide current information about possible changes.
The faculty and staff of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering wish you a rewarding experience in your graduate study, and we look forward to working with you during your enrollment here. For additional assistance, please consult any of the following people:
Autumn Church
Graduate Program Coordinator
240 Lind Hall
207 Church St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Dr. Kevin Leder
Director of Graduate Studies
240F Lind Hall
207 Church St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Mutual Roles and Responsibilities for Faculty and Graduate Students
Academic Freedom and Responsibility
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Website
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Intranet Link
ISyE Graduate Student Resources (PhD) Webpage
Dr. Archis Ghate
215 Lind Hall
Dr. Kevin Leder
240F Lind Hall
Dr. Krishnamurthy Iyer
240C Lind Hall
Autumn Church
240 Lind Hall
Nick Arnosti
Lind 240L
William Cooper
Lind 220
Darin England
Lind 219
Archis Ghate
Lind 215
Liu (Jeff) Hong
Lind 213
Krishnamurthy Iyer
Lind 240C
Kevin Leder
Lind 240F
Zhaosong Lu
Lind 240G
Lisa Miller
Lind 222
Shancong Mou
Lind 200E
Swati Padmanabhan
Lind 240A
Jean-Pilippe Richard
Lind 221
Saumya Sinha
Lind 240D
Kathryn Wust
Lind 218
Liyan Xie
Lind 240E
Shuzhong Zhang
Lind 240H
Yiling Zhang
Lind 240B
Martín Zubeldía
Lind 240J
Jessica Chen
Accountant, Pre-award, and
Payroll Specialist
Lind 211
Autumn Church
Graduate Program Coordinator
Lind 240
For Graduate Program Inquiries:
Teresa Nieszner
Faculty Affairs Coordinator
Lind 210
Emily Rice
Marketing, Communications,
and Event Coordinator
Lind 209
Katie Sharpe
Undergraduate Student Services
Lind 217
For Undergraduate Program Inquiries:
Taryn Verley
Department Administrator
Lind 214
For Purchasing Inquiries:
For Payroll Inquiries:
For Accounting Inquiries:
For Pre-Award Inquiries:
Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP)
(612) 625-3490
Graduate School Admissions Office
(612) 625-3014
Graduate School Fellowship Office
(612) 625-7579
(612) 624-1111
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)
(612) 626-7100
(612) 626-1333
Parking and Transportation Services
(612) 626-7275
(612) 301-4357
(612) 625-0876
(612) 626-9900
The ISyE Department has a number of listservs to help facilitate communication to large groups within the department.
If you have an announcement that you need to send to many members of the department at the same time, please use the following listservs to reach out to the appropriate subset of the ISyE community.
ISyE Department: isye-all@umn.edu
Members: All ISyE tenure-track faculty, teaching faculty, adjunct faculty, staff, and graduate students
ISyE Grads: isye-grads@umn.edu
Members: All currently enrolled ISyE graduate students, Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Masters Programs, Graduate Program Coordinator, staff
ISyE PhD: isye-phd@umn.edu
Members: All currently enrolled ISyE PhD students, Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Masters Programs, Graduate Program Coordinator, staff
ISyE Masters: isye-ms@umn.edu
Members: All currently enrolled ISyE MS students, Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Masters Programs, Graduate Program Coordinator, staff
ISyE Grad Women: isye-gradwomen@umn.edu
Members: All currently enrolled female-identifying ISyE graduate students, Graduate Program Coordinator, staff
ISyE Staff: isye-staff@umn.edu
Members: All regular administrative staff in the ISyE department
ISyE Faculty: isyefac@umn.edu
Members: All ISyE tenure-track faculty and teaching faculty
ISyE Adjunct Faculty: pa-isye@umn.edu
Members: All ISyE adjunct faculty, staff
ISyE Undergraduates: isye-undergrads@umn.edu
Members: All currently enrolled ISyE undergraduate students, Director of Undergraduate Studies, staff
ISyE Alumni: isye-alumni@umn.edu
Members: All undergraduate alumni, Director of Undergraduate Studies, staff
ISyE Post-docs and Visiting Scholars: isye-intlscholar@umn.edu
Members: all current ISyE post-docs and visiting scholars
PhD students who have completed their course credits, passed their preliminary exam, and completed all 24 doctoral thesis credits may register for a special one-credit option and still be counted as a full-time student. This registration will satisfy the full-time requirement for federal student loan deferrals as well as fulfill the assistantship registration requirement. You may register for this one-credit course (IE 8444, FTE: PhD) in the semester after you complete the thesis credit requirement. As a part of this process you must fill out the “Advanced Doctoral Status” form.
Graduate Student
Research/Teaching Assistant
Advanced Student Standing
The university has policies regarding minimum grade requirements, S/N grades for courses, and time to degree.
You must meet the minimum grade requirement in order for a class to count towards your degree.
Additionally, there is a limit to the number of classes that you can take S/N vs. A-F.
Finally, you must complete your degree within a certain time frame or you will not be able to receive your degree.
Please consult the following for more information about grade and time to degree requirements:
Doctoral Degree: Performance Standards and Progress
The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) offers a PhD degree. A brief description of the PhD degree can be found below.
The PhD degree is a research intensive degree consisting of coursework and a doctoral thesis. Exceptional students may apply directly to the PhD program. The PhD degree requires 44 course credits and 24 thesis credits.
All PhD students take the three core courses listed below. Subject to approval, students may replace core courses with more advanced courses if they have already taken the equivalent of the core course elsewhere. A list of acceptable replacements is shown below (possible replacement courses are indented). All PhD students must also take 2 seminar credits (typically IE 8773 and IE 8774), at least 8 additional credits of 8000-level IE coursework, and at least 12 credits of graduate-level non-IE coursework.
IE 8521 Optimization
IE 8532 Stochastic Processes and Queueing Systems
IE 8554 Advanced Production and Inventory Systems
The PhD degree program develops advanced research competence. Close affiliation between you and your advisor is pivotal at all stages of the program.
The Graduate School approves certain steps as you progress towards your degree, which are listed on the following pages. As an overview, it is important for you to know the two principle academic units involved in your Industrial and Systems Engineering graduate education:
Submit your degree plan (GPAS Planner) electronically for faculty and staff approval. You should plan to submit material with adequate lead time for approval (which may take up to two months).
If you would like to declare a minor in addition to your major degree program, please consult the Add or Remove Graduate Minor website for instructions on how to formally declare a minor.
You must also inform the ISyE GPC that you will be adding a minor so that you can work together to process any GPAS exceptions that may be required in your GPAS audit.
Keep in mind that:
If you are an ISyE PhD student who is pursuing a minor, you can waive up to 6 credits of elective and/or outside coursework that is normally required to obtain your major degree.
This means that instead of 44 credits of coursework plus 24 thesis credits to obtain your major degree, you must take 38 credits of coursework related to your major degree program, 24 thesis credits, plus 6 or more credits of coursework in your minor degree program.
The 6 credits that you waive cannot be required coursework in your major degree program. You can only waive credits that would be applied to the elective and/or outside coursework sections of your GPAS audit for your major program. You must obtain approval from the DGS regarding which credits you are waiving.
These credit waivers will not automatically be applied in GPAS. You will need to work with ISyE’s GPC in order to process the GPAS exceptions necessary to waive these credits in your major degree program.
Please contact ISyE’s GPC well in advance of your preliminary exam in order to ensure that there is time to process all of the necessary GPAS exceptions that will allow you to select your prelim exam committee.
Essentially, any student who pursues a minor in addition to their ISyE PhD degree will still be taking the same amount of credits that they would to pursue the PhD degree alone. The only difference is which courses are allocated to the major program versus the minor program in GPAS.
In some cases, a minor program may require more than 6 credits to complete. In this instance, you will need to complete the required number of credits in order to obtain the minor, even if this raises the total number of credits that you need to graduate to more than 44 credits of coursework plus 24 thesis credits.
If you drop your minor, then the normal requirements to earn your PhD degree will be reinstated and you will no longer be allowed to waive 6 credits of elective and/or outside coursework.
If you would like to pursue more than one minor, please consult the Director of Graduate Studies about what additional exceptions, if any, can be applied to your major degree program. Please convey the information from this discussion to ISyE’s GPC.
The Director of Graduate Studies initially serves as the faculty advisor for all incoming PhD students.
PhD students must subsequently find a permanent advisor to oversee their research. It is the student’s responsibility to do this.
PhD students should select an advisor by the end of the second semester in the PhD program.
You will use the GPAS system and will need to submit a GPAS Planner.
PhD students: Your GPAS Planner must be fully approved and processed before you can assign a committee or schedule your preliminary oral exam. Allow yourself at least a month to complete the PhD Student Degree Planning Form, submit the GPAS Planner, and wait for GPAS Planner approvals.
PhD students:
All students (admitted Fall 2020 and later):
After submission, your GPAS Planner will be approved by the ISyE DGS and the GPC. You will receive an email notification when your GPAS Planner has been fully approved and processed.
If your coursework or degree plan changes after your GPAS Planner is approved, please contact the ISyE GPC to adjust your GPAS accordingly.
Financial support opportunities available to students include:
Graduate assistantships are financial aid academic appointments reserved for graduate students. The ISyE program offers appointments for teaching assistant and research assistant positions. If you accept an offer of financial aid, you are entering into a contract, which cannot be terminated unless both parties consent, in writing, to terminate the contract. Refer to the Registration Notes section to review the registration requirements for students who are receiving financial assistance. If you receive an appointment or fellowship, be sure to view the Graduate Student Employment Website.
Stipend rates are set by the Industrial and Systems Engineering Graduate Faculty each spring for the following fiscal year. PhD candidates will receive an increase in their stipend once they pass their preliminary oral examination and complete 24 credits of thesis registration. The stipend is increased by 10%, or up to the maximum rate the University may set, whichever is lower.
Please keep in mind that although the ISyE Department offers financial support opportunities to its graduate students, students are still responsible for paying certain fees collected by the university. If you do not pay these fees in a timely manner, a hold can be placed on your account. For a list of typical fees that graduate students are responsible for and their estimated amounts, please consult the Cost of Attendance page.
This handbook does not present the full range of fellowship opportunities available at the University of Minnesota. Please consult the following for further information:
Graduate School Fellowship Office
321 Johnston Hall
(612) 625-7579
ISyE Graduate Student Services
Autumn Church
Lind 240
Graduate fellowships are awards based on academic merit and are available to new and currently enrolled graduate students. Consult the Graduate School Catalog for more details. Fellowships are offered on a competitive basis and require excellent academic records for consideration. Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships are also available for qualifying doctoral candidates.
Fellowship competitions follow strict timetables and guidelines, and students are advised to obtain information early in the fall semester. Typically, the Fellowship Committee offers fellowships early in the school year following their deliberations. You can apprise yourself of these timetables from the above sources.
Per the GLU-UE collective bargaining agreement, GAs covered by this Agreement are expected to assist in work that advances the research, teaching, service, and professional development mission of the Employer. The Employer reserves the right to assign employees those duties and responsibilities. The scope of work of individual assignments shall be included as part of the appointment letter, job description, and/or job classification.
Please note that Research Assistantships are usually obtained by the faculty member and are not assigned by the department.
Positions are available each academic semester for graduate students to assist in departmental course instruction. Students must register in the semesters they hold teaching assistantships (except during the summer session providing they were registered the preceding spring semester). All students interested in teaching assistantships are advised to complete the online TA application. An announcement is sent out before each semester with a link to the application.
Teaching appointments outside the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering may be available.
TA offers will be made only to students who have documented adequate English skills. Current University of Minnesota policy requires that all nonnative English speaking TAs or prospective TAs who are or will be assigned to teaching, tutoring, or advising duties (including office hours) must comply with the following.
Teaching assistantship appointments are usually made before the beginning of each new academic term; the assignments are typically one semester in duration, but can be for one academic year. Teaching appointments hold no guarantee for continuation unless stated in the departmental offer. Once notified of a teaching assistantship opportunity, it is your responsibility to complete paperwork that will allow the Department to process your appointment. Contact the ISyE Payroll Office to begin that process. Academic progress and duration of study toward a degree are considered as appointment rosters are generated. The faculty member responsible for the course is consulted when appointment recommendations are developed. Teaching assistantship assignments naturally require demonstrated expertise in the course subject matter to which assignment is made.
Teaching assistant responsibilities vary with course assignments. They may involve grading, recitation lecture, laboratory, homework problem solution, office hour consultation, or a mix of these. The teaching assistant is not ultimately responsible for course grades; that is a faculty responsibility. A very modest number of teaching appointments may be available in the Extension Division and in the summer programs. Consult the department head for information.
For information regarding employment matters, please see the GLU-UE collective bargaining agreement (CBA) at https://z.umn.edu/GA_CBA
Whereas teaching assistantship appointments are typically of one semester duration, after which a new assignment can be made, it is possible to hold simultaneous teaching and research assistantships within any academic term. If simultaneous appointments are made, then each is typically a 25% appointment. Appointments are occasionally combined at other than 25% levels to total 50% overall.
Maximum appointments to teaching assistantship and/or research assistantship positions are 50% (twenty hours per week), except in unusual cases where graduate students who have qualified for doctoral candidacy may receive 75% appointments if a distinct service need exists.
The ISyE Department attempts to assign all teaching assistantships with ample lead time to permit students to receive their initial paychecks on schedule.
If yours is a last minute appointment, verify your first paycheck date with the ISyE Payroll Office, (isyepay@umn.edu). Also contact this office if you have recently been made an assistantship offer to supply all required appointment information.
For a full list of graduate assistant benefits, including tuition and health insurance, consult the OHR website.
The tuition benefit policy described on the Graduate Assistant Website above describes the tuition benefits policy in relation to course credits and assistantship appointments. Also refer to the registration classification chart on the Tuition Benefits page.
As described in the link above, the Graduate Assistant Health Plan (GAHP) provides medical and dental coverage to eligible graduate assistants working 195 hours during the official semester payroll dates. For more information, view the GAHP website.
New PhD students who hold a Graduate Assistantship need to fill out and submit the "Graduate Assistant Health Plan Enrollment and Change Form" in order to be enrolled in the Graduate Assistant Health Plan (GAHP) as opposed to the Student Health Benefit Plan (SHBP). GAHP is significantly cheaper than SHBP, so you will want to enroll within 30 days of your appointment start date if you qualify for GAHP. For more information about how to enroll in the Graduate Assistant Health Plan (GAHP), please consult the GAHP page.
All ISyE graduate students must complete the following steps to complete the required online CITI Research Ethics training within their first semester in the ISyE Department. Once completed, please email the ISyE Graduate Student Support Office (isyegradinfo@umn.edu) with your certificate of completion. The certificate will be added to your graduate student file.
Completing this online training module is a requirement for graduation.
Students completing a doctoral degree are required to enroll for 24 doctoral thesis credits (IE 8888) before receiving a degree (students may register for a maximum of 14 while holding an assistantship appointment). Doctoral students may register for thesis credits in the semester after they have passed their preliminary oral examination. Thesis credits cannot be transferred from M.S. programs.
Doctoral pre-thesis (xxxx-8666) credits may be swapped and added as doctoral thesis (xxxx-8888) credits only during the same semester in which a graduate student has successfully completed their preliminary oral examination. This only applies to fall and spring semesters. Such credit conversion must occur no later than the official last instruction day of that semester. Conversion of doctoral pre-thesis (xxxx-8666) credits taken in previous semester(s) is NOT allowed and will be denied by the GSSP office.
Instructions
See the “More Registration Notes” sections under the “Registration” header above for additional notes on thesis credit registration.
All PhD students will be required to take two exams: a Qualifying Examination and a Preliminary Examination. Procedures for each exam are described below.
The qualifying exam will consist of a single examination for each student covering two areas represented by the student’s choice of core courses. Students may not choose the areas in which they will be tested.
Timing: Students are required to take the exam within one semester of completing the core course requirements. Students are strongly encouraged to have a thesis advisor prior to the qualifying examination.
Committee composition: The exam committee for each student consists of two members, one of which must be a full member of the ISyE graduate faculty. The committee may not include the student’s advisor. However, exceptions may be made if the advisor is the only faculty available to represent a specific subject area.
Form of the exam: The exam has two parts: one written and one oral. The written part is an in-class exam of 5 hours, covering both areas. The written exam is open-book and open-notes. No electronic devices are allowed in the written exam. The oral exams will be typically scheduled within a day or two after the written exam. In the oral exam, the examining committee members will ask additional questions related to the written exam.
Evaluation of the exams: At the end of each oral examination, the committee deliberates and writes a short summary of their deliberations with a pass/fail recommendation. A final pass/fail decision is taken in a meeting of the entire ISyE graduate faculty which is then communicated to the student. The ISyE graduate faculty meeting takes place soon after the completion of all oral exams. The ISyE graduate faculty also decide whether the student will be permitted to retake the qualifying exam, if the student does not pass.
For additional instructions on planning and completing the Preliminary Exam, refer to the “PhD Prelim Exam Overview” document posted on the ISyE Graduate Student Resources website.
Written Part: The written preliminary exam will be the doctoral thesis research proposal of the student.
Timing: After passing the Qualifying Exam, students are eligible to take the written preliminary exam. Students are required to take the preliminary examination within two semesters of successfully completing their qualifying examination.
Form of exam: The written preliminary exam consists of a written thesis proposal. This proposal must explain the motivation and significance of the research, must state the research objective, challenges in reaching the objectives, and the major literature on the topic of the proposal. This review should indicate the current state of understanding of the topic and should describe how the proposed research, if successful, will contribute to that understanding.
Examining committee: The committee for the written preliminary exam consists of the advisor(s) and at least two other members of the ISyE graduate faculty. Normally the same faculty members will subsequently serve on the student’s oral preliminary exam committee. Note that the written exam committee does not include the faculty member who represents the minor or supporting program in the oral examination committee.
The Director of Graduate Studies will approve your oral preliminary committee with input from your advisor. This committee is selected so that its membership represents expertise related to your research. It is expected that this committee will become your final thesis defense committee if you successfully complete the oral preliminary examination. Your advisor must be the chair of your preliminary oral exam committee, but not of your final oral exam committee.
Evaluation of the exam: The written preliminary exam must be judged satisfactory by all members of the examining committee before the student can take the oral preliminary exam. All members of the committee must indicate that they approve the exam. If one or more members of the committee deem the exam unsatisfactory, then the committee must meet to decide what improvements will be required, and the advisor must convey this information to the student in writing. In that case, the student must submit a revised thesis proposal to the committee by a date to be specified (for example, three months from the date of the letter). If the committee still finds the proposal to be unsatisfactory, determined by a majority vote, then the student will be terminated from the program.
Oral Part: The oral preliminary exam can be scheduled only after the written thesis proposal has been approved.
Timing: The oral preliminary exam should be taken as soon as possible, preferably the same semester if scheduling permits, after the student has passed the written preliminary exam.
Form of exam: The exam consists of an oral presentation by the student on the proposed research, and of questioning by the committee about the proposed research. The length of the presentation should be approximately 30 minutes, if it were not interrupted by questioning. The total length of the exam should not exceed two hours. See more details on the exam format under the Oral Preliminary Examination heading below.
Examining committees: The examining committee will be the same as for the written preliminary exam, with the addition of at least one member from the minor or supporting program.
Evaluation of the exam: Following Graduate School rules, the committee will initially take a closed-ballot vote, where each member votes pass, fail, or pass with reservations. There will then be discussion, followed by a second closed-ballot vote. If the committee consists of four members, a passing verdict requires at least a 3-1 vote; if the committee consists of five members, a passing verdict requires at least a 4-1 vote. If any of the votes required to achieve the minimum for a passing verdict is a “pass with reservations,” then the result of the exam will be a pass with reservations. In that case, the committee must decide what the student must do to remove the reservations, and this must be conveyed in a formal letter that goes both to the student and to the Graduate School. Additional details are provided below.
The performance and progress of all graduate students in the ISyE Program is evaluated annually by their advisors. This evaluation occurs during the latter part of spring semester, in a meeting between the student and the advisor.
Around April 1st all advisors receive a form for each of their advisees, which contains information such as the student’s beginning date in the graduate program, number of credits completed, GPA, and milestones such as the submission of a GPAS Planner, completion of PhD preliminary exams, and so forth. This form is meant to inform the advisor and also to serve as the starting point for a discussion of the student’s progress.
The advisor indicates, if appropriate, whether performance in research is satisfactory, and is asked to comment. The form is then signed by the advisor, the student, and finally the DGS, and is added to the student’s file.
If you are an international student, you will work closely with the International Student and Scholar Services Office on campus, also known as ISSS, located at 190 Hubert H. Humphrey School on the west bank of campus.
International Student and Scholar Services can help you with questions related to the following topics, and much more:
Always check with ISSS about any university policies that might impact you as an international student.
When in doubt, contact ISSS.
If you are an international student who is planning to enroll less than full time during a semester, you need to apply for a reduced course load through ISSS.
Please consult the ISSS website for more information about how to apply for a reduced course load.
If you are an international student who is planning to apply for CPT, please consult the following pages from the ISSS website for instructions:
*CPT credits can not be used to satisfy degree requirements
If you are an international student who is planning to apply for OPT, please consult the following pages from the ISSS website for instructions:
Each department at the University of Minnesota has a Graduate Program Coordinator, also known as a GPC, whose job it is to support the students enrolled in the department’s graduate programs - both M.S. and PhD.
Your GPC is here to help you throughout your time as a graduate student, so please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions that you may have.
Some reasons that you might want to contact and/or book an appointment with your GPC include but are not limited to the following:
Your GPC is Autumn Church and both office number and contact information is listed below, as well as multiple times throughout this handbook.
Autumn Church
Graduate Program Coordinator
240 Lind Hall
Please consult your GPC as a resource at any stage in your degree process.
GPC’s typical work hours are:
Monday (on campus): 7:00 A.M. - 3:30 P.M.
Tuesday (on campus): 7:00 A.M. - 3:30 P.M.
Wednesday (remote): 7:00 A.M. - 3:30 P.M.
Thursday (on campus): 7:00 A.M. - 3:30 P.M.
Friday (remote): 7:00 A.M. - 3:30 P.M.
To schedule an appointment with your GPC, please email isyegradinfo@umn.edu or use the scheduling grid.
When appropriate, the ISyE Graduate Program Coordinator will send information to you at your UMN email address or your mailing address on file with the University. Therefore, it is important that you keep your mailing address up-to-date in MyU (My Info tab) and to check your UMN email regularly.
The ISyE Graduate Program Coordinator also sends out important announcements and opportunities pertaining to ISyE graduate students. Please be on the lookout for any emails in your inbox.
For building access requests, please email ISyE’s Graduate Program Coordinator (isyegradinfo@umn.edu) and fill out the U Card Information form.
Building access includes access to Lind Hall, the ISyE Department after hours, as well as access to the Graduate Student Computer Lab and ISyE Employee Lounge. The ISyE Department is open from 8:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. and requires U Card access outside of these hours.
The Graduate Student Computer Lab and ISyE Employee Lounge requires U Card access at all times, including during department hours.
Your U Card is your official University of Minnesota ID. You'll use it to print, access campus buildings, and more. Make sure to have it with you at all times while on campus.
For more information about your U Card and how to obtain it, please consult the U Card Office website.
The ISyE Department is supported by the College of Science and Engineering IT Office (CSE IT).
For questions related to computers and electronics, please email csehelp@umn.edu to open a ticket or visit the CSE IT website.
You can also contact the U of M central IT office for help.
The University of Minnesota recommends using Printing Services for thesis binding.
The ISyE Department has a department librarian, Hannah Cabullo, available to help students with research strategies, data management, citations, and more. Our librarian’s contact information is available on the Libraries Staff webpage.
For more information about the libraries on campus, or to access library resources, please visit the Libraries website.
The ISyE Department has a number of rooms that are available for students to reserve.
If you are interested in reserving a room, please submit your request through the ISyE Room Reservations website.
This website includes pictures and descriptions of the rooms, as well as calendars showing when each room is available.
If you are a PhD student who is employed by the department, you need to fill out the “GLU-UE Website Directory Release Form.”
This form tells our Marketing, Communications, and Event Coordinator which information, if any, you give permission for the department to post on its website.
You can access the form on the ISyE Department Intranet under the “General Forms” section at the bottom of the webpage.
You must submit this form prior to the start of your first semester in the program.
If you require accommodations, either as a student or in your role as a university employee, the Disability Resource Center (DRC) will help you to secure these accommodations.
Please consult the DRC website about how to request an accommodation.
The Twin Cities has many different housing options available.
For a description of the neighborhoods in the Twin Cities area, please consult the UMN Neighborhoods Housing webpage
For information about the housing options open to U of M graduate students through the university, please see the UMN Housing & Residential Life webpage.
Find more information and learn how to search for off-campus housing on the Off-Campus Housing webpage.
For more information about the parking and transportation options available on campus, please consult the UMN Parking & Transportation website.
If you are a student who has paid the “Transportation and Safety” fee, you are eligible to use your U Card as a Universal Transit Pass on Metro Transit.
For more information about this program and how to get your card setup please consult the Transit Pass website.
To purchase textbooks and/or course materials for your classes from the University of Minnesota Bookstore, please consult the UMN Bookstore website.
College of Science and Engineering (CSE) students, staff, and instructors who have a CSE Labs account are able to print at any CSE computer lab or classroom. These individuals have an allowance of $75 per semester to use towards printing.
For more information about this printing allowance and how to print to CSE Labs specifically, please consult the CSE Labs Printing webpage.
To create a CSE Labs account please consult the CSE Labs Account webpage.
For information about how to print over wifi in CSA Labs, please consult the CSE Labs: Print over Wifi webpage.
For more information about how and where to print on campus outside of CSE, please consult the UMN Printing Services webpage.
Students at the University of Minnesota can receive healthcare from Boynton Health. Types of care include:
For more information about Boynton Health and its services please visit the Boynton Health webpage.
For more information about using Boynton Health as a U of M student, please consult the Boynton Health New Student Guide webpage.
There are a number of mental health and well-being resources on campus available to students, including:
For more information about the dining options on campus please consult the Campus Dining website.
If you are facing food insecurity, there are resources and organizations on or near campus that provide affordable food sources for students.
Please see the following:
As PhD students who are employed by the ISyE Department, you are allowed to use the microwaves in the ISyE Employee Lounge. The lounge is card access only and is for use by students, faculty, and staff who are employed by the ISyE Department.
In addition, there is a microwave that has been installed on the lower level of Lind Hall next to the vending machines.
This microwave is open to all students in the building to use if you need another place to reheat your food while you are on campus.
Graduate students in the ISyE Department are eligible to apply for support from departmental funds of up to $400.
QUALIFICATIONS/RULES:
INSTRUCTIONS:
A separate form and process are available for graduate students to request travel support funds from a faculty research grant, or a faculty startup package, or other similar faculty discretionary account at the University of Minnesota. Graduate students who wish a faculty member to financially support their travel to a conference for giving a talk, presenting a poster, or attending a professional development event should follow the instructions below.
INSTRUCTIONS:
If you are a PhD student in the ISYE Department, the department will provide you with the resources necessary to support your responsibilities as a TA/RA throughout your time in the program.
You will be given permanent office space in Lind Hall room 235 as well as printing privileges. You will be able to use the printer/copy machine in Lind 235 for any printing/copying that is related to your role as a TA/RA. Lind 235 can be accessed using your U Card.
There are three different printers that serve the department and each one is designated for a specific group of people.
Please remember to use your designated machine when printing/copying items related to your coursework, research, and/or teaching responsibilities.
We want to ensure that everyone in the department has access to the machines necessary to complete their job responsibilities while simultaneously avoiding certain machines getting tied up with large print jobs.
If there is ever an issue with the machine in Lind 235 or the 240 hallway, please alert a staff member or the ISyE Front Desk as soon as possible and we will resolve the problem. This includes things such as the machine malfunctioning, running out of paper, running out of toner/ink, etc.
Additionally, please keep in mind that although the student assistants working the front desk are here to help, it does not fall under their job description to assist with preparing course materials.
If you are a TA for a course and need to print handouts or exams, please use the printer/copier in Lind 235 or Lind 240 hallway to perform this task yourself. Making copies is one of the tasks that TAs are compensated for as a part of their contracts.
Also, if you are a TA, ISyE’s Undergraduate Student Services Coordinator Katie Sharpe, will provide you with the textbook/s assigned in the course that you are TAing, will help you to gain access to the ISyE TA office (L135) in the basement of Lind Hall, and will help to arrange your weekly office hours schedule so that you will be available to students who have questions about the course material.
Finally, you will be allowed to use the ISyE Employee Lounge to eat meals and to warm up your food. The employee lounge can be accessed using your U Card and is restricted to only students, faculty, and staff who are employed by the ISyE Department.
If you do not want to walk outside when there are extreme temperatures during the winter and summer months you can use the Gopher Way, a system of tunnels and skyways connecting certain university buildings.
For more information on the Gopher Way, including maps, please consult the Gopher Way webpage.