The program is given in Hebrew

Program Objectives

Ongoing developments in the field of information technologies are enabling the creation of information systems with steadily increasing scale and sophistication.  Concurrently, the demands of information systems users are also on the rise. As a result, information systems engineers are required to develop applications and products whose complexity and intricacy are progressively increasing. These systems utilize state-of-the-art technologies that include communication and distributed systems, command and control using artificial intelligence, data organization and retrieval, organizational resource management systems, electronic trade systems, integrated hardware and software systems and decision support systems.

The master’s program in Information Management Engineering, offered by the Technion’s Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, places an emphasis on research. Students will participate in research studies essential for the management of complex systems conducted by faculty members in the fields of science and technology. The list of fields in which faculty members currently work includes systems engineering and systems analysis, software engineering, software testing and verification, databases and data storage, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, communication and distributed systems, information retrieval, and natural language processing, as well as more general topics such as algorithms, game theory and human factors engineering, all at an advanced level.

The master’s degree graduate program confers an MSc in Information Management Engineering.

Graduates of the program participate in academic and industrial research and development activities, where they utilize their know-how and research capabilities developed during the course of the graduate program.  As part of their research study, graduate students uncover new principles and methods with which they can enhance systems or which can constitute a basis for repurposed systems.  Another possibility is an emphasis on development, where graduates can create or improve infrastructure products or intelligent and complex information systems for organizations.  In order to reach these goals, the graduate student requires a knowledge base that includes most of the following fields: basic information technologies, software engineering, algorithmics and operations research, artificial intelligence, communications, data mining, databases and cognitive sciences.  Ideally, knowledge in these fields is attained during the student’s undergraduate Information Systems Engineering studies. At the graduate studies level, prerequisite courses and advanced subjects in these fields will be offered, as well as courses in individual faculty members’ research fields. In many cases, these subjects constitute a basis for the student’s research study or project.

Program Duration and Format

The Industrial Engineering and Management master’s programs are based on full-time academic studies and research.  In order to enable full-time studies, the Technion offers a scholarship for a 24-month period as well as dormitory accommodation.  The basic scholarship includes living expenses and covers the tuition.  Outstanding students will be offered the option of continuing for a doctorate.

Research Topics

The Faculty encourages interdisciplinary research and cross-field cooperation. A student from any study field may choose an academic supervisor from the faculty staff.

• Artificial Intelligence (neural networks, computational learning, natural language processing…)
• Electronic Markets and Electronic Commerce
• Viral Processes (viral, ideas..) in human or computer communities
• Cognitive Robots (artificial intelligence and robotics)
• Game Theory and Decision Making
• Software Engineering (complex systems modeling and analysis)
• Knowledge and Data (information) Management
• Mathematical Logic and program verification
• Probability and Stochastic Processes
• Service Engineering (queue systems in hospitals, banks etc.)
• Data-based Operation Research
• Efficient Optimization
• Behavioral Economics
• Marketing and Strategic Theories
• Supply Chain in Dynamic and Multi-data environment.
• Various subjects in Information and Data Science.
• Network algorithms
• Distributed systems
• Optimization in the face of uncertainty

Curriculum

Program Requirements

The curriculum includes courses and a program of research study that will culminate in a thesis or project.

The requirements that apply to the student are those defined for the year the student was admitted. However, the Faculty reserves the right to set additional academic requirements beyond those set down at the time of admission.

Courses

• General Information

  Candidates may be required to complete prerequisite courses as listed on the website, based on the decision of the Program Admissions Committee, to be determined based on the candidate’s background.  In addition, students must take at least 8 required subjects for a total of 20 credits.

• Required Courses

  Courses can be selected from the list below, subject to authorization from the student’s permanent advisor. The director of the Information Systems Area will serve as a temporary advisor for students who have not yet been assigned a permanent advisor. Students must take at least 8 required subjects with a total of at least 20 credits, chosen from the following:

• Elective Courses

Elective subjects are recommended by the permanent advisor and authorized by the Graduate School Committee, based on the catalogue list on the Graduate School website.  Advisors are entitled to require students to take particular courses that are essential for the student’s area of research.

Students may take as elective subjects courses offered by different areas in the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management and other faculties, especially the faculties of Mathematics, Computer Sciences, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, subject to authorization by the student’s permanent advisor. In addition, one elective course may be replaced by a supervised reading course.

• Prerequisite Courses

The purpose of prerequisite studies is to provide the student with an appropriate foundation for advanced courses in the student’s chosen field of study.  Students admitted to the program who did not study particular foundational subjects or something comparable during the course of their previous studies will be required to complete prerequisite courses at the discretion of the admissions committee. In addition, under Graduate School regulations, graduates of a 3-year program will be required to take at least 20 prerequisite course credits, with the list of prerequisite courses determined by the admissions committee.  The committee will endeavor to be lenient in the case of outstanding students from other faculties related to Information Systems Engineering. Completion of an Introduction to the Computer course and basic mathematics courses are generally an admission prerequisite.

 Research Study / Research Project

•  General Description

The core of the master’s degree studies is a 20-credit research study.  Under the Graduate School regulations, a 12-credit thesis may be authorized in lieu of a research study or research project in special cases. Students permitted to write a 12-credit thesis will be required to take additional courses specified by the permanent advisor and totaling at least 8 credits.

• Selecting an Advisor

The director of the Information Systems Area serves as a temporary advisor for all newly admitted students. Students are advised to find a permanent advisor during their first year of studies, preferably during the first semester. Faculty members’ interests and fields of research can be gleaned in the first instance from their websites and the advanced courses that they teach.  Faculty members encourage students to consult with them regarding the selection of a research topic.  Assignment of a permanent advisor is contingent upon agreement between the faculty member and the student over the student’s research topic and terms of the supervision.

• Academic Staff

Students may select a field or advisor based on their areas of interest, on condition that the faculty member is available, interested and agrees to the supervision.  Up-to-date information on faculty members engaged in the field of information systems may be found on the faculty members’ home pages. The Faculty’s academic staff is as follows:

• Faculty Members in the Field of Information Systems:

• Submission of the Thesis

The thesis should be submitted approximately 24 months after commencement of studies.  The thesis must be written in the format of a research article (preferably in English; however, it can also be written in Hebrew). For further information:  http://www.graduate.technion.ac.il/Heb/Graduation/Thesis_editing.asp

• Useful Sources for the Thesis Stage

  • Research Labs

  • Library

  • Thesis Writing Instructor

    Additional instructions about how to submit the thesis appear on the Graduate School website.

Field Seminars

• Seminars for Students Taking Prerequisite Courses

Seminar 1 for Students taking Prerequisite Courses (098409) – a precondition for the Seminar for Students taking Prerequisite Courses

Seminar for Students taking Prerequisite Courses  (098410) – 0.5 credits

Seminar 1 for Students taking Prerequisite Courses  (098409)must be taken in the first semester and the Seminar for Students taking Prerequisite Courses  (098410)in the second.  The seminars are designed to enable students who are completing their degree to present their research studies and to offer a platform for faculty members to present their research, such that the students are exposed to the research being conducted in the Area. Attendance at these seminars is mandatory.

Student Obligations

• Presentation of the Thesis

Presentation of the thesis at the Area seminar is required prior to completion of the research study (at least one month but not more than one year prior to submitting). The seminar must be publicized according to the rules of the Technion, in coordination with the seminar coordinator.  Further information:

http://www.graduate.technion.ac.il/Heb/Graduation/Thesis.asp#Thesis.asp1

• Teaching Assistance

The Faculty is entitled to require every student to work as a teaching assistant for at least one semester, but is not required to do so.   Students working as teaching assistants will receive a salary for their work in accordance with the law.

• Electronic Mail

Each student is responsible for opening an account for research and communication purposes (on the Tx computer). Instructions for doing this will be sent with notification of acceptance to the program. Students must also ensure that their email address appears on the Faculty’s list of addresses of Information Systems graduate students.  Students must also regularly monitor notifications sent to the list, such as invitations to meetings or schedule changes.