Master’s in Manufacturing Engineering

In our flexible part-time or full-time program, you’ll advance your research studies and sharpen your professional understanding of how materials properties change during manufacturing processes while working with our expert faculty across engineering disciplines. You’ll choose to focus on one area or on a more comprehensive scope that could include additive manufacturing, robotics, machining, axiomatic design, materials processing, health care, or design.

Whether you move into industry or into research, you’ll become part of the next wave of engineers who find answers to the complex problems of continuing the rapid pace of industrial evolution with products that are environmentally safe, economically sustainable, practical, and useful.

This program is also available online

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Curriculum

The master’s in Manufacturing Engineering includes courses in several engineering disciplines and a degree plan that includes either an independent study project, directed research, or a thesis. You’ll get a solid foundation in modern manufacturing techniques and business practices and an understanding of the science behind the processing/structure/property/performance relationships.

The program lets you choose a particular core area of interest from the following areas:

Control systems
Design
Financial processes
Health systems engineering
Manufacturing and materials processes
Manufacturing systems
Materials engineering
Statistics and quality assurance

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Students in the program have access to state-of-the-art facilities, including the Metal Processing Institute, the largest university-industry consortium in North America.

Research in WPI’s manufacturing and materials engineering program impacts industries as varied as healthcare, transportation, defense, consumer electronics, and energy.

The manufacturing and materials engineering field is broad—students at WPI find themselves exploring varied research, including analyzing mathematical models for selecting the proper heat treatment of gears or exploring nanocomposites.

Students work with WPI faculty—experts in cold-spray processing, heat treating, casting, surface metrology, rare earth metal extraction, or battery recycling and reuse—on research that will have immediate impact to humanity.

A multidisciplinary approach means your work in manufacturing and materials engineering will consider the impacts your research has on other disciplines—the final result becomes stronger because of it.

Graduate students come to WPI with different goals—their academic plans don't all look the same. Whether your career goal leads to industry or academia, you’ll tailor your own path to meet your individual goals.

Research

Master’s in Manufacturing Engineering students have access to many state-of-the-art labs and facilities for research and experiments. Our cutting-edge equipment includes several 3-D printers, an Alscan unit, and state-of-the-art surface metrology equipment.

Some of our innovative facilities:

Higgins Labs Machine Shop and Project Laboratory
Manufacturing Labs and Haas Technical Education Center
Manufacturing Control and Dynamics Laboratories
Metal Processing Institute
Surface Metrology Lab

WEBINARS

Graduate Studies Series

Team members from Graduate & Professional Studies host quick and convenient webinars designed to highlight popular topics when starting grad school. Take a deep dive into specific areas of interest such as how to secure funding, how to ace your application, an overview of student services, and more!

VIEW PAST WEBINARS ON DEMAND

Faculty Profiles

Richard Sisson

Professor, Mechanical & Materials Engineering

Richard D. Sisson, Jr. is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Center for Heat Treating Excellence at WPI. Professor Sisson has been with WPI for 40+ years. In addition, he has taught at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and has been a research metallurgist with DuPont Savannah Laboratory and a staff engineer with Exxon Chemical Company.

Isa Bar-On

Adjunct Teaching Professor, The Global School

My favorite activities involve guiding students in projects and research. I like to give them independence and to learn from their work. I enjoy challenging them and myself to find better answers, explanations, and solutions. I am very interested in socio-technical systems, such as the healthcare system or the energy delivery system.

Christopher Brown

Professor, Materials Science & Engineering

Expert Bio

Professor Brown teaches grad courses on axiomatic design and on surface metrology, and undergraduate courses on manufacturing and on the technology of alpine skiing. He also consults and teaches courses for industry on axiomatic design and on surface metrology. A WPI faculty member since 1989, Brown has published more than 100 articles on machining, axiomatic design, sports engineering, and surface metrology applied to engineering, archeology and physical anthropology. He has patents on a fractal method for characterizing surface roughness, an apparatus for friction testing, and on sports equipment. He also developed software for surface texture analysis.

Sharon Johnson

Professor, The Business School

I enjoy teaching at WPI because students bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to their learning; I am also inspired by their optimism. My teaching also reflects topics that motivate me: detailed process design in our Industrial Engineering program, exploring the implications of operational excellence in our graduate programs, and advancing health care systems.

Renata Konrad

Associate Professor, The Business School

The application of Industrial Engineering and mathematical knowledge has always been a rewarding challenge for me. I draw on a variety of Industrial Engineering techniques including optimization and simulation. My research has included evaluating anti-human trafficking efforts, computationally characterizing episodes of care from health insurance claim records, and examining the impact of physician incentives on patient outcomes, as well as research related to mental health, patient flow and practice guidelines.

Makhlouf Makhlouf

Professor, Materials Science & Engineering

Makhlouf M. Makhlouf is professor of Mechanical & Materials Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). He was Director of the Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC) between 1992 and 2015. ACRC is a collaboration between the academic and industrial sectors focusing on issues that benefit the global foundry industry. It brings fundamental understanding to existing processes, develops new methods, and addresses management-technology interface matters.

Sneha Narra

Sponsored Guest, Materials Science & Engineering

The broader impact of my research will result in advanced processing techniques and advanced materials that will lower carbon footprint either through reduced material and/or operational usage or through enabling transformative technologies such as nuclear fusion and high-efficiency turbine systems. At present, my research thrusts are:

Earn Your Master’s 100% Online Instead

Looking for a more flexible and customizable option to pursue you master’s in manufacturing engineering? Consider earning your degree in as short as two years with our master’s in manufacturing engineering online degree. You’ll have the ability to work closely with faculty advisors who have a breadth of experience in fields ranging from robotics to materials processing, machining, and more. Are you particularly intrigued by materials sustainability? Explore our master’s in materials science online which combines manufacturing engineering with management and industrial engineering principles so you can gain an understanding of the structure, properties, and application of materials processing. If you prefer to study in person, we also offer an on campus master’s in material science and engineering full-time or part-time. You’ll have access to our state-of-the-art labs as you conduct breakthrough research in materials research.

Not Quite Ready for a MS? Earn a Bachelor’s.

Are you thinking about gaining an edge in the manufacturing industry, but first need to earn your bachelor’s? Check out our bachelor’s in industrial engineering which bridges engineering and management together so students can gain knowledge about manufacturing procedures, staffing models, and more. Maybe you’re more interested in a management role? Our bachelor’s in management engineering is perfect for students looking to gain managerial experience while also diving into tech to provide solutions to industries like manufacturing, product development, and service delivery.