Associate Professor Puerzer, Adviser

Industrial engineering contributes to the management decision-making process. It is concerned with the optimal utilization of integrated systems of people, methods, materials, machines and energy to achieve organizational goals. In the application of principles and methods of engineering analysis and design, it is distinguished from other engineering disciplines in its concern with problems which involve human effort and energy, production systems, economy in the use of money, materials and time, and a high utilization of the social sciences.

Using the scientific method, industrial engineers establish factual information from which alternatives are defined, problems recognized and solved. In their concern for the design, improvement and control of systems, they collect, analyze, arrange and statistically examine data. They introduce new techniques and tools into the organization and into the decision-making process.

Areas of specialty associated with industrial engineering are administrative engineering, production and inventory control, automation, plant location and layout, methods engineering, quality control, data processing, operations research, cost forecasting and control.
 

Program Educational Objectives

Within a few years of graduation, graduates of the BSIE program will accomplish the following objectives of:

1. Become successful practitioners and meet the expectations of employers.
2. Assume leadership roles in their professional and personal activities
3. Continue to develop intellectually.
    

Student Outcomes

Industrial engineering graduates will exhibit a range of knowledge, abilities and behaviors prepared to enter and become a successful member of the engineering community.  These include:

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics 
2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors 
3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts 
5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives 
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions 
7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.