Background of ITT Master of Science Program

The Institute of Textile Technology was founded in 1944 to provide graduate education and industry-driven research and to become a center of vital information relative to the textile industry. Textile education became the cornerstone of the Institute's mission, and its graduate program earned an international reputation for excellence. From 1949 through 2002, over 500 students earned the Master of Science degree in textile technology from the Institute. Students graduating from this accredited Master of Science program have played a significant technical and leadership role within the textile community. All but a few graduates have accepted challenging jobs in the textile and related industries. Those others chose to continue their education at the doctorate degree level.

The Institute's graduate program has provided education in the areas of textile technology including fiber production and yarn manufacturing, fabric formation, and dyeing and finishing of yarns and fabrics. In addition, instruction has been provided in areas of effective communications, experimental statistics, quality assurance, business administration, strategic management, and environmental and energy management.

The curriculum has been supplemented and complemented by the following activities:

• group studies at textile plants;
• participation in sponsored technical projects through summer internships;
• seminars with outstanding experts from industry, education, and research facilities; and
• close contact with industry-driven research projects conducted by ITT staff.

Student research has been a defining component of this graduate program and has been designed to address concerns and questions deemed critical to the industry. Each student earning the Master of Science degree has been required to conduct such scholarly research, and to write and defend a thesis documenting this independent research study.

All graduate students have been provided an exemption of tuition payments, a non-service fellowship, and an appropriate research budget among other industry-funded benefits. As a result, the class sizes have been small, ranging from 6 to 20 students. In recent years the target has been to invite up to 15 students into the ITT Master of Science program.

An Education Alliance Between ITT and NCSU

Due to uncertain and unpredictable economic factors, it has become prudent to discover opportunities for reducing operating costs while preserving those programs that are valued by the member companies and by the broader textile community. To preserve the unique ITT approach to graduate education in textile technology, an alliance has been initiated between ITT and the College of Textiles (COT) at North Carolina State University (NCSU).

The College of Textiles at NCSU already offers Master of Science programs in textiles. One of these programs will be tailored to accommodate a group of students known as ITT Fellows. These students will take a course load that is defined by ITT and will participate in special activities that are prescribed by ITT. The combination of course load plus special activities will make the new program compare closely with the historically successful graduate experience offered at ITT in Charlottesville, Virginia. The major difference will be that the students will be earning their degree from NCSU, since ITT will no longer function as an independent graduate school. ITT has relocated to the Centennial Campus at NCSU in order to take full advantage of this alliance.

ITT Fellows will be students who have been accepted into the graduate school of the COT under the normal guidelines of NCSU. A number of those students who have already been accepted into NCSU, including Industrial Fellows from member companies, will be encouraged to apply to ITT for its ITT Fellows program. ITT will have a formal application, interview, and selection process for identifying the ITT Fellows. It is anticipated that there will be sufficient industry funding to allow 10 to 15 ITT Fellows each year.

ITT Fellows will be expected to take a heavier course load and to participate in various additional ITT activities in response to being awarded a tuition scholarship and a fellowship from ITT financial resources. The COT requirement for the relevant Master of Science in textiles is 24 course credits and 12 thesis research credits. ITT Fellows will be required to complete 36 course credits plus 12 thesis research credits. Additionally, the following will be required of ITT Fellows:

• participate in a scheduled 2-hour ITT class, seminar, or other activity each week;
• pass written or oral comprehensive exams prepared by ITT staff;
• participate in industry intersessions as a group;
• select a thesis topic from among ideas contributed by ITT partners;
• assist and participate as directed in ITT TAC and other industry meetings; and
• work on assigned summer internship projects.

ITT Fellows Curriculum

The curriculum for ITT Fellows will be developed by the appropriate COT leadership in response to the expectations defined by ITT academic leadership. Table 1 contains the planned curriculum for ITT Fellows enrolling in the fall of 2003 in the COT graduate program leading to the Master of Science in Textiles.

During the first year, the 2-hour time slot for ITT Lectures will be used to teach thesis writing, energy and environmental management, textile testing, advanced textile processing concepts, and any other relevant and timely topic. This time slot may also be used for oral exams, case studies, guest industry presentations, research defenses, and perhaps individual tutoring.

The ITT Fellows will be expected to choose a thesis research topic from among ideas that are contributed by ITT and its research partners. A network of industry research advisory committees that are organized and administered by ITT leadership will help to generate this list of research suggestions. Additional input will be sought from NCSU faculty and other industry contacts.

Application Process

Students must first apply and be accepted into the master's degree program of the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University. Students accepted into the relevant textiles graduate degree program will have the opportunity to apply directly to the Institute of Textile Technology for acceptance into the ITT Fellows program. Visit the web pages of NCSU and NCSU College of Textiles for information and an online application process.

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