Technical Systems Management, MS
for the Master of Science in Technical Systems Management
No Longer Admitting Students Spring 2023 - See Engineering Technology and Management for Agricultural Systems, MS
Graduate Degree Programs in Agricultural & Biological Engineering
- Agricultural and Biological Engineering, MS
- Agricultural and Biological Engineering, PhD
- Engineering Technology and Management for Agricultural Systems, MS
- Engineering Technology and Management for Agricultural Systems, MS-PSM
- Technical Systems Management, MS
- Technical Systems Management, MS - Professional Science Master’s
- Bioprocessing & Bioenergy, MS - Professional Science Master's | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering offers a graduate degree program which is at the forefront of the application of engineering principles to solve problems of agricultural production, utilization, environmental control, and biological systems and to improve the quality of life. Students may concentrate study in one of the faculty research interest areas listed below. Supporting course work includes: mathematics; computer science; statistics; engineering mechanics; chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering; animal science; crop sciences; food science; and other appropriate fields. Opportunity also exists for specializing in
- computational science and engineering and
- energy and sustainability engineering within the department's graduate programs via the Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) Option and the Energy and Sustainability Engineering (EaSE) Option
Admission
Admission requirements for either master's program include completion of an undergraduate program equivalent to the Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) curriculum (in the case of the ABE M.S.) or the Technical Systems Management (TSM) curriculum (in the case of the TSM M.S,) with at least a 3.0 grade point average (A = 4.0) for the last two years of undergraduate course work. Applicants must submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores.
Admission to the Ph.D. program is limited to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional ability through outstanding performance in obtaining a Master of Science degree and/or through a high degree of technical and professional accomplishment. Candidates must also satisfy entrance requirements for the M.S. degree program.
All applicants whose native language is not English must submit a minimum TOEFL score of 88 (iBT), 230 (CBT) or 570 (PBT); or minimum International English Language Testing System (IELTS) academic exam scores of 6.5 overall and 6.0 in all subsections. Applicants may be exempt from the TOEFL if certain criteria are met. For those taking the TOEFL or IELTS, full admission status is granted for scores greater than 102 (TOEFL iBT), 253 (TOEFL CBT), 610 (TOEFL PBT), or 6.5 (IELTS). Limited status is granted for lesser scores and requires enrollment in English as a Second Language (ESL) courses based on an ESL Placement Test (EPT) taken upon arrival to campus.
Graduate Teaching Experience
Experience in teaching is considered a vital part of the graduate program and is required as part of the academic work of all Ph.D. candidates in this program. For details of expectations, see the department's Graduate Handbook.
Faculty Research Interests
Current research interests of the faculty include off-road equipment engineering (robotics and machinery automation, remote sensing and precision agriculture, machinery management systems, pesticide application technology, engines and biofuels); soil and water resources (hydrology, erosion and sediment transport, water management, wetlands, and water quality); bioenvironmental engineering (building environment and energy conservation, air quality, renewable energy, biomass to bioenergy conversion, structural analysis and facility design, building materials evaluation, environmental control and ergonomic design for plant, animal, and human housing systems and facilities); food and bioprocess engineering (engineering properties of foods, physical properties of biological products, grain drying, grain quality evaluation, dry-grind corn processing, wet and dry milling, modified bioprocesses for improved co-products, fuel and chemicals, fermentation, and transport phenomenon in biological materials); or electronic and electrical systems (biosensors and controls, energy systems, machine vision, near-infrared spectroscopy applications, bionanotechnology, microfabricated devices, bioconjugation techniques, transcriptional control, modeling life support systems, and multiscale biological processes). For more details, visit the department's graduate program Web site.
Financial Aid
Illinois PSM students may not hold assistantships or other tuition and fee waiver-generating appointments; statutory waivers and tuition scholarships are accepted. For all other students, fellowships, supported by University, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, and College of Engineering funds, are available on a competitive basis. A limited number of assistantships, providing both teaching and research experience, are often available on a half-time basis. All applicants, regardless of U.S. citizenship, whose native language is not English and who wish to be considered for teaching assistantships must demonstrate spoken English language proficiency by achieving a minimum score of 24 on the speaking subsection of the TOEFL iBT or 8 on the speaking subsection of the IELTS. For students who are unable to take the iBT or IELTS, a minimum score of 4CP is required on the EPI test, offered on campus. All new teaching assistants are required to participate in the Graduate Academy for College Teaching conducted prior to the start of the semester.
for the Master of Science in Technical Systems Management
For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Graduate Handbook and the Graduate College Handbook.
Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ETMA 599 | Thesis Research | 8 |
| ETMA 594 | Graduate Seminar (Registration of 0 hours required for every term while in residence) | 0 |
| One course in statistics from an approved list | 3-5 | |
| One course in research methods including experimental design in consultation with advisor | 3-5 | |
| One 500-level elective course chosen in consultation with advisor | 3-5 | |
| Elective courses – chosen in consultation with advisor (subject to Other Requirements and Conditions below) | 8-16 | |
| Total Hours | 32 | |
Other Requirements and Conditions
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Other Requirements and Conditions may overlap | |
| A minimum of 12 500-level credit hours applied toward the degree, and 8 of those must be in the TSM rubric (including research credit hours). | |
| Minimum GPA: | 2.75 |
Non-Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ETMA 594 | Graduate Seminar (registration for 0 hours every term while in residence for thesis and non-thesis options; every fall term in residence for the PSM concentration) | 0 |
| One course in statistics from an approved list | 3-5 | |
| One course in research methods including experimental design in consultation with advisor | 3-5 | |
| One 500-level elective course chosen in consultation with advisor | 3-5 | |
| Elective courses – chosen in consultation with advisor (subject to Other Requirements and Conditions below) | 19-27 | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
Other Requirements and Conditions
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Other Requirements and Conditions may overlap | |
| A minimum of 12 500-level credit hours applied toward the degree, and 8 of those must be in the TSM rubric. | |
| The non-thesis option is only allowed with departmental approval at or before initiation of graduate study, and a final report is required. | |
| Minimum GPA: | 2.75 |
for the Master of Science in Technical Systems Management
By the end of the program, students will be able to:
- Apply knowledge, techniques, skills and modern tools of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology to solve broadly-defined engineering problems appropriate to the discipline;
- Design systems, components, or processes meeting specified needs for broadly-defined engineering problems appropriate to the discipline;
- Apply written, oral, and graphical communication in broadly-defined technical and non-technical environments; and an ability to identify and use appropriate technical literature;
- Conduct standard tests, measurements, and experiments and to analyze and interpret the results to improve processes; and
- Function effectively as a member as well as a leader on technical teams.
for the degree of Master of Science in Technical Systems Management
department head: Ronaldo Maghirang
director of graduate studies: Maria Chu
program website:
overview of admissions & requirements:
overview of grad college admissions & requirements: https://grad.illinois.edu/admissions/apply
college website: https://aces.illinois.edu/
department website: abe.illinois.edu
department faculty: department faculty link
department office: 338 Agricultural Engineering Sciences Building, 1304 West Pennsylvania Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
phone: (217) 333-3570
email: abe@illinois.edu