Academic Programs - Graduate Information

General Requirements

Students with undergraduate degrees in textiles, the physical sciences, mathematics, or engineering who have at least a 3.0/4.0 average in their undergraduate major will normally qualify for admission into the graduate programs at the College of Textiles. Applicants from other disciplines wishing to enroll in the Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry, and Science should have a minimum of two semesters of chemistry, two semesters of physics, and mathematics through differential equations before enrolling. Those wishing to enroll in the Department of Textile and Apparel Management need a minimum of 20 semester hours in physics, chemistry, calculus, and statistics with at least one course in each category. Students deficient in these requirements by only two semesters may be granted provisional admission. For students with a limited textile background, formal study in advanced undergraduate and graduate textile courses may be required. The details are worked out for each student individually, with an attempt to minimize extra time required in the degree program. Applicants are required to take the GRE examination with preferred scores in the 65th percentile and above. International students are required to take the TOEFL examination. A score of 550/700 or 213/300 is required.

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Master of Science Degrees

The College of Textiles offers programs leading to the Master of Science degree in the Departments of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management and Textile Engineering, Chemistry, and Science. These programs of study include a minimum of 36 semester hours of advanced courses, including up to 6 semester hours devoted to a thesis based on research conducted by the student. There is no foreign language requirement. The plan of course work and the research activities for the Master of Science degree are designed to prepare the student for a career in management, research, development, or technical aspects of the textile and allied industries. Students may minor in one or more of a number of associated fields.

Programs leading to the Master of Science degree in Textile Chemistry will emphasize dyeing and finishing materials and processes; fibrous and non-fibrous polymers; and process measurement and control. The master's program in Textile Engineering is designed to prepare graduates for careers in machine, process and product design, and process improvement in the fiber-textile-apparel industry. The Textile Management and Technology specialization provides the tools for technology management, while allowing students to focus in the technology, management, or design areas. Programs in these areas may be structured to provide suitable backgrounds for students wishing to do further graduate work in the areas of fiber and polymer science, textile technology management, economics and business, industrial engineering, or business administration.

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Master of Textiles Degree

The minimum requirement for a Master of Textiles degree is the satisfactory completion of 30 semester hours of advanced courses. There is no thesis or foreign language requirement, although a final comprehensive oral examination is required. This program offers the student advanced training with emphasis on management, quality or manufacturing control, technology of dyeing and finishing, yarn and fabric manufacturing, machine design, or textile design. This degree program is particularly attractive to those who have an undergraduate degree along with some professional experience. It is available for off-campus students through various forms of media via TOP (Textiles Off-Campus Programs). For additional information on the TOP program, contact Teresa Langley at 919-515-1532.

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Doctor of Philosophy Degrees

Fiber and Polymer Science

This multidisciplinary program brings together the disciplines of mathematics, chemistry, physics, and engineering for the development of the independent scholars versed in the fields of polymer, fiber, and textile science. The program is coordinated by the College of Textiles and leads to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Students majoring in the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, textiles, and having at least a 3.0 grade point average out of 4.0 in their undergraduate major and have a master's degree will normally qualify for admission. For exceptionally qualified students, the master's degree requirement may be waived and the student can be admitted directly into the Ph.D. program.

The polymer, fiber, and textile sciences are concerned with polymeric materials and fibers produced from them; textile assemblies in one, two, and three-dimensional forms; and the chemistry of dyeing, finishing, and other wet processes. This broad field of study permits a wide range of useful concentrations. The candidate is expected to concentrate in one area and to acquire a reasonable perspective in other relevant areas. Generally, a student specializes in the areas of (1) polymer chemistry and synthesis, (2) fiber and polymer physics and physical chemistry, (3) the production, processing and properties of fibrous materials, or (4) chemistry of dyes, finishes, and their processes. The student's research is usually based within one of these areas or another suitable one.

Textile Technology Management

The Ph.D. in Textile Technology and Management is the only program of its kind in the U.S. It is designed to educate students for research careers in managing technology in the fiber, textile, apparel, and related industries as well as prepare graduates as faculty for the numerous colleges and universities around the country. Students majoring in Textile and Apparel Management, Textile Technology, Polymer & Color Chemistry, Industrial Engineering, Statistics, Economics, Consumer Economics, Marketing, and Business Administration, and having at least a 3.0/4.0 average will normally qualify for admission. Exceptionally qualified students may be admitted directly without a master's degree.

The program consists of course work and the preparation of a research dissertation. The bulk of the course work is drawn from offerings in textile technology, industrial engineering, economics and business, operations research, computer science, mathematics, and statistics. In particular, students are expected to take courses in selected areas of materials, manufacturing technologies, and management of the technologies to prepare themselves for the required research dissertation.
The program provides students with knowledge of the materials and manufacturing technologies used in the textile industry as well as the quantitative and analytical tools of management. The research dissertation will integrate this knowledge and provides textile management with new tools to increase production capabilities.
Faculty in the program are not only academically qualified professors, but have also held high-level technology management positions in industry.

General Requirements

As soon as a student enrolls, an advisory committee chaired by a graduate faculty member is formed. Together with the student, the committee designs a plan of study to prepare him or her to pass a series of qualifying examinations.

Credit-hour requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree are 72 with credit allowed for up to 30 hours of relevant master's work. Students are admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degrees after passing a series of examinations, completing a scholarly critique of existing knowledge in the field of specialization, and orally defending a research proposal. A written examination in a minor field may be accepted in place of the scholarly critique. Candidates must successfully defend their dissertation based on original research before an advisory committee and other interested graduate faculty.

Research Facilities

The College of Textiles building on the Centennial Campus houses teaching and research facilities valued at over $50 million. The facility contains a complete Model Manufacturing Facility (MMF) which makes it possible for students to participate in research in all manufacturing processes from fiber extrusion to garment assembly. The major pieces of manufacturing equipment are connected with the college's distributed computing network which permits studies on Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Management Systems.

In addition to the MMF, the building contains research laboratories and pilot plant facilities for carrying out research in polymerization, dyeing, finishing, polymer evaluation, process evaluation, process control, color science, long and short-staple processing, fiber extrusion, knitting, weaving, tufting, production of nonwoven fabrics of all types, and apparel manufacturing. In addition, there are completely equipped laboratories for physical, mechanical, and dynamic testing, and for research in polymer, fiber, and textile structures. Robotics, Kawabata Hand Evaluation, Comfort, Thermal Protection, Electrotechnology, CAD, CAM, CAE, CIM, Management Systems, virtual reality, and computer visualization are other specialized labs available within the college.

The Burlington Textiles Library has a collection of over 27,000 bound volumes and is one of the world's leading information centers for textile research. Comprising 13,000 square feet, the facilities include a reserve reading room, group study and seminar rooms, individual study carrels, and a multimedia room. Special resources include an extensive collection of textile research and trade journals, abstracts and indexes, standards and test methods, conference proceedings, the Speizman Collection of hosiery samples, and the Harriss Collection of fabrics. A fully computerized online catalog and an extensive array of online databases are available to all patrons who wish to do searches within the library facilities. The catalog and selected databases can be accessed on the Internet and through the NCSU libraries page at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu

The College of Textiles has one of the most advanced computing facilities found in any university in the world. The computing hardware consists of 500 Intel PCs, 15 UNIX workstations, and 5 Macintosh computers. Graduate students have access to 100 computers in general-purpose student computing labs, 40 computers in graduate offices, and computers in research laboratories. Furthermore, the university provides student-computing laboratories throughout the campus for student use. Hundreds of computer programs are available to graduate students and the college's high-speed connection to the Internet provides graduate students with access to a wealth of information and resources throughout the world. This includes connectivity to the super computer located in North Carolina Supercomputing Center in Research Triangle Park (RTP).

Excellent analytical facilities are also available. Specialized equipment includes thermal analysis facilities (DSC); X-ray diffraction facilities; chromatographic equipment; rheometers; color science and fiber physics instrumentation; physical testing, and mechanical testing; polymer and dye synthesis; optical, acoustic, interference, and scanning electron microscopy; IR and FTIR spectroscopy; and acoustical testing. Facilities for UV, gamma, and electron irradiation are available, as are machine and electronic shop facilities. In addition, extensive electron microscopy and NMR facilities are available in cooperating departments on campus.

Research Programs

Industry, the State of North Carolina, and several agencies of the federal government support research in the College of Textiles at an annual level of over $12 million. Major, long-term research efforts include work on composites, the fundamentals of fiber formation, including very high-speed melt spinning and new methods of spinning fiber from cellulose solutions; increasing the energy efficiency of dyeing, finishing and yarn and fabric production; introducing automation and new material handling techniques in apparel manufacturing; developing comfortable and physiologically acceptable fabrics for protection against toxic agents and fire; nonwoven fabric research; new yarn manufacturing techniques; and synthesis of new dyes for improved lightfastness. Extensive research is also carried out in such management related areas as industry modeling, studies of quick response in the soft goods pipeline, and modeling trends in the apparel market. The major centers and consortia involved are as follows:

The National Textile Center: University Research Consortium is a federally funded research program involving faculty at NC State, Auburn University, Clemson University and Georgia Institute of Technology. It supports research activities in materials, design, manufacturing and systems all related to the fiber-textile apparel manufacturing complex.
The National Science Foundation: The State of North Carolina and several industry sponsors fund the Nonwovens Cooperative Research Center. The NCRC will fund both fundamental and applied research on nonwoven technologies, products and applications.
The Center for Research on Textile Protection and Comfort (T-PACC): serves as the nucleus of activity for coordinating and managing diverse research projects in the area of combined textile comfort and protection. T-PACC facilities incorporate the capabilities to conduct basic and applied research on the properties of textile materials which relate to both wearer comfort and safety when exposed to hazardous and/or adverse environmental conditions. These facilities have become a unique resource for academic research.

The object of the Manufacturing Technology for Apparel Automation project is to oversee the design and building of flexible, automated garment assembly devices to reduce the labor required in the production of apparel or military sewn products.

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Graduate and Upper-Level Undergraduate Course Offerings

All Courses by Semester[Pack Tracks]

Offerings Within the College of Textiles