Industrial Engineering
The baccalaureate programs in industrial engineering and manufacturing engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. The baccalaureate program in manufacturing engineering technology is accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012. Telephone: (410) 347-7700.
FACULTY Professors Chen (chair), Emanuel, Krishnamoorthi, Kroll, Lin, Shareef, Sverdlin, Tayyari; Associate Professors, Ness, Saboury.
The department offers three baccalaureate degree programs:
- Industrial engineering (B.S.I.E.)
- Manufacturing engineering (B.S.Mf.E.),
- Manufacturing engineering technology (B.S.Mf.E.T.)
The department offers three minors:
- Minor in Applied Ergonomics
- Minor in Quality Engineering
- Minor in Manufacturing
The department offers master’s degrees in industrial engineering (M.S.I.E.) and manufacturing engineering (M.S.MF.E.) . See the Graduate Catalog for information about these programs.
Programmatic Distinctions
In choosing a career option, the student should be aware of the respective functions of the engineer and engineering technologist. Generally speaking, the engineer conceives, designs, and advances the development of products and systems. On the other hand, the engineering technologist implements, maintains, and tests products and systems. The engineer creates new technologies while the engineering technologist applies existing technologies.
The distinction between industrial engineering and manufacturing engineering is one of breadth vs. depth. Industrial engineers are involved with the design, improvement, and management of technical systems. These systems may be located in service industries such as banks, hospitals, and government as well as in manufacturing industries. Manufacturing engineers are involved in the design, installation, and improvement of the production process and generally are limited to manufacturing industries.
The engineering student’s selection of humanities and social science courses provide a broad education consistent with the objectives of the engineering profession. Courses should be selected to provide both breadth and depth and not be limited to unrelated introductory courses. This objective can be met by taking two courses in the same department with at least one being at the 300 level or above. Students minoring in business are permitted to use ECO 100/221 and ECO 222 to meet this requirement.
The department works closely with industry and has an outstanding industrial & manufacturing engineering & technology department Advisory Council consisting of distinguished members from industry, government, and education.
Objectives
Industrial Engineering (BSIE)
The objective of the program is to develop in our graduates a strong problem-solving ability based upon a technical and scientific foundation that treats production as a system and integrates the various aspects of each system into a whole, whether in manufacturing or services. This ability will prepare graduates to pursue careers in settings across a multitude of fields from health care and banking to manufacturing and logistics as well as to seek advanced degrees in related fields.
Outcomes
Industrial Engineering graduates will have:
- an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics and science to mathematical modeling and to problems related to systems that produce products and services;
- an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze data and interpret experimental results;
- an ability to design or select components or processes of a production or service system to obtain desired output based on performance, economic, and productivity criteria;
- an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams, an understanding of the concurrent approach to process and product development, and an ability to perform project management;
- an ability to identify, formulate, and find optimal solutions to system problems, while considering physical and economic constraints as well as safety and ergonomics issues;
- an understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities of an industrial engineer;
- an ability to utilize modern tools and techniques to effectively communicate technical requirements and functionality in oral, written, and graphical forms;
- the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context;
- a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, continuous improvement projects and life-long learning;
- a knowledge of contemporary issues facing engineers;
- an ability to use techniques, skills and modern engineering tools necessary for industrial engineering practice, utilizing supporting technologies or techniques including economic measurement, information systems design, occupational ergonomics, human behavior, systems planning, and total quality management.
Student Organizations
Student chapters of the American Society for Materials (ASM), American Society for Quality (ASQ), Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), American Foundrymen’s Society (AFS), and Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) are sponsored by the department to support and encourage the professional development of the students. The department is also a strong supporter of the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
Honor societies for industrial engineering students (Alpha Pi Mu) and for manufacturing students (Beta Tau Epsilon) are also represented.
Industrial Engineering Major
Finding a better way is the goal of the industrial engineer. Whether it be a simple system such as an assembly line worker’s hand tools or a large computerized police manning and scheduling system, the industrial engineer is always striving to produce a more efficient human-machine system. The industrial engineer applies engineering methods to a variety of activities in the design, production, and distribution of goods and services; works in organizations including manufacturing, hospitals, commerce, and government agencies; and operates in such specific professional areas as human work measurement, management systems design, human factors engineering, applied statistics, operations research, reliability and quality control, and systems engineering. Industrial engineering is the combination of engineering and business administration.
The curriculum provides a sound basis in the fundamentals of engineering, physical and behavioral sciences, and theoretical and applied mathematics. The emphasis on problem solving of both structured and unstructured types prepares the student for a wide variety of IME employment opportunities as well as for graduate training in IME, or such associated professions as law or business. This diversity of career opportunities is a major reason that students choose IME. The student is encouraged to select a minor in a supporting area such as business, quality engineering, computer science, manufacturing, math, psychology, or economics. Some minors will require additional hours beyond BSIE requirements.
All faculty teaching in the IME program have had full-time industrial experience. The emphasis of the department is therefore directed toward real-world problems. During the senior year, students work under faculty supervision on actual problems that exist in the community in both manufacturing organizations and service organizations such as hospitals, city government, air transport companies, court systems, and utility companies.
To meet the ABET requirements for humanities and social sciences, some general education courses must be selected according to the IE approved list. They may be taken in any sequence and not necessarily in the semester indicated. Other University general education requirements are satisfied by specific courses required above.
Freshman Year
- First Semester
- IME 101 Intro. to Industrial & Manufacturing Eng. 1
- IME 103 Computer Aided Graphics 2
- MTH 121 Calculus I 4
- CHM 110 General Chemistry I 3
- CHM 111 General Chemistry I Lab 1
- ENG 101 English Composition 3
- Gen. Ed. Social Forces Economics1 3
- 17 hours
- Second Semester
- IME 105 Introduction to Computers & Computation 2
- MTH 122 Calculus II 4
- PHY 110 University Physics I 4
- COM 103 The Oral Communication Process 3
- Gen. Ed. - Western Civilization1 3
- 16 hours
Sophomore Year
- First Semester
- IME 117 Computer Numerical Applications 2
- IME 301 Engineering Economy I 3
- MTH 223 Calculus III 4
- PHY 201 University Physics II 4
- C E 150 Mechanics I 3
- 16 hours
- Second Semester
- C E 301 Mechanics of Materials 3
- IME 311 Introduction to Engineering Statistical Methods 3
- IME 386 Industrial & Managerial Engineering 3
- MTH 224 Differential Equations 3
- IME 331 Fundamentals of Material Science 3
- IME 305 Engineering Economy II 2
- 17 hours
Junior Year
- First Semester
- IME 312 Engineering Statistical Methods 3
- IME 313 Operations Research I 3
- IME 325 Transport Phenomena 3
- Gen. Ed. - Fine Arts1 3
- Gen. Ed. - Human Values1 3
- 15 hours
- Second Semester
- IME 314 Operations Research II 3
- IME 466 Facilities Planning 3
- IME 522 Manufacturing Quality Control 3
- Manufacturing Elective2 3
- Gen. Ed. - Social Forces1 3
- 15 hours
Senior Year
- First Semester
- IME 497 Information Systems Design 3
- IME 561 Simulation of Human/Machine Systems 3
- IME 585 Occupational Ergonomics 3
- E E 327 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering I 3
- PSY 310 Industrial & Organizational Psychology 3
- 15 hours
- Second Semester
- IME 499 Senior Industrial Design Project 4
- IME 583 Production Planning and Control 3
- Tech Elective2 3
- Gen. Ed. - Eng. 305 Technical Writing1 3
- Gen. Ed. - Non-Western Civilization1 3
- 16 hours
Total 127
Students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.25 in all IMET Department courses for graduation.
Approved Electives – IME
Manufacturing Electives
- IMT 342 Advanced Manufacturing Processes I
- IMT 344 Advanced Manufacturing Processes II
- IMT 346 Computer-Aided Manufacturing & Automation I
- IMT 362 Metrology and Instrumentation
- IMT 446 Computer-Aided Manufacturing & Automation II
- IME 341 Introduction to Manufacturing Processes
- IME 395 Solid Modeling & Rapid Prototyping
- IME 441 Materials Processing I
- IME 443 Materials Processing II
- IME 445 Computer Aided Manufacturing
- IME 560 Principles of Robotic Programming
Technical Electives
Any engineering course (CE, EE, IME, ME) numbered 300 or higher that is not already specifically required in the curriculum.
- CON 352 Urban Environment
- CON 372 Construction Methods Improvement
- CON 392 Construction Scheduling
- CON 394 Construction Labor and Unions
- CON 396 Construction Estimating
- Any business management and administration course numbered BMA 342 or higher.
- Any economics course except ECO 100.
- Any finance course numbered FIN 315 or higher.
- Any international business course (IB).
- Any marketing course numbered MTG 304 or higher.
- Any quantitative methods course numbered QM 326 or higher.
- Any biology course except BIO 300.
- Any chemistry course numbered CHM 112 or higher, except CHM 300.
- Any computer science course numbered CS 106 or higher.
- Any geological sciences course except GES 300.
- Any mathematics course numbered MTH 301 or higher.
- PSY 306 Experimental Psychology
- PSY 307 Cognitive Psychology
- PSY 308 Social Psychology
- PSY 403 Physiological Psychology
- PSY 404 Sensation and Perception
- ENG 304 Research in Individual Disciplines
- ENG 306 Business Communication
BSIE Combined with MBA Program
Undergraduate students in the industrial engineering program may combine their studies and earn an MBA degree in five and one-half years or fewer. Students may include all of the prerequisites for the MBA program as part of their required 128 undergraduate semester hours. Careful scheduling is required and should be coordinated with the student’s undergraduate advisor and director of graduate programs.
Students electing this option must be fully admitted before registering for graduate-level courses and have the written approval of the director of graduate programs. Students should contact the director of graduate programs during their sophomore year for particular information