Master of Science in Technology
The MST is designed as a graduate degree for those who hold a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology, Technology
Education, or Engineering Technology. It may also be attractive to those who hold undergraduate degrees in other science based majors. Persons with an undergraduate Business degree who are employed by an industrial
concern may also find the MST of interest. (See Background Requirements below.)
Career Opportunities
The MST is designed to support careers, and to provide for career advancement, in the management of technical and engineering
activity in the manufacturing and construction industries, and in Technology Education. All MST graduates will find that the course work offered supports a
variety of technical areas including, but not necessarily limited to, Computer Aided Design, Computer Aided Engineering,
Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Statistical Process Control, Facilities Planning, Engineering Economic Analysis, Industrial
Ecology, Engineering Ethics, Construction Contracts and Estimating, Scheduling and Project Management, Contemporary Construction Methods and Techniques, and Research Methods. Industry bound graduates will typically find employment opportunities
in the areas of manufacturing engineering, production management, product design and testing, quality assurance, work measurement,
cost analysis, requisitions management, safety management and inspection, facilities planning, construction estimating, construction project management and construction design. Those bound for careers in education
will find the preparation received while pursuing the MST to be appropriate for teaching at both the community college and public school
level (when accompanied by Texas Teacher Certification).
Admission Standards
Applicants with a 2.75 GPA or higher in the last 60 semester hours of their undergraduate degree will be admitted unconditionally
to the program pending submission of scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). GRE scores must be on file with the
Graduate College before the end of the first long semester of enrollment. Applicants with a GPA lower than 2.75 in the
last 60 semester hours of their undergraduate degree may be granted conditional admission at the discretion of the graduate
faculty advisor, and with approval of the Graduate Dean. Students granted conditional admission may not enroll in graduate
courses until their GRE scores have been received by the Graduate College. Acceptable performance on the GRE will be only
one among many criteria considered for admission purposes. Students on conditional admission will be subject to a probationary
period during which time their academic performance will be monitored. All students, whether admitted conditionally or
unconditionally, must maintain a GPA of 3.0 to remain in good academic standing.
Background Requirements
Generally speaking, those with undergraduate degrees in Technology or Engineering will face minimal background work. Individuals holding
undergraduate degrees in fields other than Technology and Engineering will find it necessary to complete selected background
courses to remedy deficiencies. Background requirements will be determined on a case by case basis through consultation
with a faculty advisor. Because graduate students are prohibited from taking undergraduate courses, background deficiencies will usually be remedied through the vehicle of the graduate level problems course (i.e., TECH 5384). When the problems course is used for the purpose of satisfying background requirements, it may not be counted for graduate degree credit. New students may not enroll in graduate level Technology courses until assured by their faculty
advisor that they have satisfied necessary background requirements. (See Advisement below.)
The Curriculum
The MST is a 36 semester hour degree (exclusive of any background work) comprised of a 24 semester hour major in Industrial
Technology and a 12 semester hour minor/cognate outside Technology. Within the Industrial Technology major students may
elect to pursue either a manufacturing or general concentration, and thesis as well as non-thesis options are available.
The Industrial Technology Major
The major is comprised of a 12 semester hour Core, a 6 semester hour
Concentration and 6 semester hours of Technology electives. The Core
curriculum is required of all students and includes the following courses:
| TECH 5310 |
Computer Aided Drafting and Design |
| TECH 5385 |
Readings in Technology |
| TECH 5390 |
Research in Technology |
| TECH 5394 |
Data Acquisition and Analysis |
Students may choose either a manufacturing or general concentration.
The manufacturing concentration includes the following courses:
| TECH 5364 |
Statistical Applications in Manufacturing
Process Control |
TECH 5391
OR
TECH 5311 |
Computer Integrated Manufacturing
OR
Computer Aided Engineering |
Students electing the general concentration will work with their faculty
advisor to choose 6 semester hours which support career objectives.
Students may use the remaining 6 semester hours of Technology electives
to pursue either the thesis or non-thesis degree options. Those electing
the non-thesis option may enroll in any 6 semester hours of Technology
course work they desire. Those electing the thesis option must satisfy
the thesis requirements of the Graduate College as published in the
Graduate Catalog.
The Thesis Option
Generally speaking, the thesis is an independently executed research
project which is conducted under supervision of the student's principal
faculty advisor. A professional research report, suitable for publication,
is prepared according to departmental guidelines and submitted to a
faculty committee for final approval. As a minimum, the thesis committee
is comprised of the student's principal advisor, a second graduate faculty
member from the Technology Department, and a third graduate faculty
representative from the student's minor/cognate area. At conclusion
of the project, the student must successfully defend the results of
his/her research to the satisfaction of the thesis committee. For those
electing the thesis option, the final 6 semester hours of their major
will be:
| TECH 5399A |
Thesis |
| TECH 5399B |
Thesis |
The Minor/Cognate
Students may elect to pursue either a 12 semester hour minor or cognate
area. A minor is distinguished from a cognate in that all course work
must be taken in a single supervising academic department. Some departments
offer academic minors, others do not. Students should consult the Graduate
Catalog to determine what minors are available. Students choosing to pursue
a cognate may take courses from as many as four (4) different academic
departments. Essentially, a minor is intended to provide the student with
a greater depth of content coverage, while a cognate offers greater flexibility
and a broader range of course selections. Some students will find a minor
the more attractive option, others will prefer a cognate. Regardless of
whether a minor or cognate is chosen, the student must satisfy any background
course work stipulated by the supervising department(s).
Comprehensive Examination
All students are required by the Graduate College to successfully complete
a comprehensive examination before graduating. In The Department of Engineering & Technology
this typically takes the form of an eight hour written examination. The
examination will include questions from both the Technology major and
the student's minor/cognate area. Students may not apply to take their
comprehensive examination until 18 semester hours of the major and 6 semester
hours of the minor/cognate have been completed.
Advisement
It is critical that new students contact the Graduate Technology Advisor
as soon as feasible upon admission to the program. The advisor will assist
the new student with transcript evaluation, identification of deficiencies,
and specification of necessary background work. The advisor will also
assist the new student in selecting appropriate courses for their first
semester of graduate enrollment and with such substantive issues as degree
outline construction and preparations for the comprehensive examination. Interested parties
may contact the Graduate Program Coordinator or the Technology Department
Chair for information regarding the Master of Science in Technology Degree
at Texas State University-San Marcos.
Assistantships
A limited number of graduate research/teaching assistantships may be
available from time to time. Research assistants typically work with
faculty on research and other special projects, but may also be called
upon to instruct undergraduates in a laboratory setting. A research
assistant's workload will never exceed 20 hours per week. Teaching assistants
typically teach freshman level courses under faculty supervision. A
teaching assistant's workload will never exceed two undergraduate classes
per long term. Stipends available for assistantship positions will be
determined by university guidelines. Those interested in applying for
assistantship positions should contact the Graduate Program Coordinator.
Graduate Faculty
- Batey, Andy, Jr., Associate Professor of Technology
and Program Director. BS, MEd, Texas State; PhD, University of Maryland.
- Habingreither, Robert Bruce, Professor of Technology
and Chair of The Department of Engineering & Technology. BA, MA, Montclair State
College; EdD, West Virginia University.
- Sriraman, Vedaraman, Professor of Technology and
Assist. Chair. BTech, Regional Engineering College, India; MTech,
Indian Institute of Technology; DE, Lamar University.
- Stephan, Karl David, Associate Professor of Technology.
BS, California Institute of Technology; MEngr, Cornell University;
PhD, The University of Texas at Austin.
- Winek, Gary Joseph, Professor of Technology. BS,
University of Wisconsin at Stout; MEd, Ball State University; PhD,
University of Maryland.