Industrial Engineering
Industrial Engineering (IE) teaches you how to design, manage, and optimize complex systems across industries like manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and logistics. You’ll learn to improve efficiency, productivity, quality, and safety through continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making.
Like a coach or conductor, industrial engineers coordinate people, technology, and processes to ensure systems run smoothly and cost-effectively. With a broad skill set and problem-solving mindset, IE graduates are prepared for diverse career opportunities in a wide range of industries.
Experiential Learning
Real-World Applications
Improve production processes in industries like automotive, aerospace, and electronics to enhance efficiency and quality.
Optimize supply chain operations in wholesale and retail distribution centers to ensure timely and accurate product delivery.
Design and manage logistics systems across air, trucking, rail, and water transportation networks.
Hands-On Learning
Take two experiential learning courses as part of the Bradley Core Curriculum, where you’ll collect and analyze data, create 3D simulations, and propose Lean Manufacturing strategies.
Work on a senior capstone project, collaborating with local industries to solve real-world challenges and deliver innovative solutions.
Industry Connections & Networking
Join professional organizations like the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers (IISE), the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), and the American Society for Quality (ASQ).
Benefit from mentorship and career opportunities through Alpha Pi Mu (ΑΠΜ), the national honor society for Industrial & Systems Engineering students.
Program Details
Required Courses – 46 hrs.
Approved Technical Elective Courses – 21 hrs.
Students with a concentration should see the specific list of courses under their concentration. For students without a concentration, at least four of the technical electives (12 hrs.) must be Industrial Engineering courses from the following list:
The other elective requirements (9 hrs.) may be satisfied by IME non-required courses above 300-level or by non-required courses from other academic departments as listed below.
Total Hours – 121
Accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Industrial Engineering.
Program Educational Objectives
Within five years into their careers, the graduates from the Industrial Engineering Program at Bradley University will have successful careers based on
- Demonstrated ability to recognize business and technical engineering problems and implement effective solutions to such.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively lead cross-functional multi-disciplinary diverse teams in the design, implementation, and/or improvement of processes and systems both regionally and globally.
- Demonstrated professional development through continuous learning opportunities such as varied work assignments, promotions, graduate schools, and/or professional associations.
- Demonstrated involvement in service activities that benefit the profession or the community.
Student Outcomes
In order to meet these program educational objectives, students graduating from Bradley’s industrial engineering program will attain the following outcomes.
- an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
- 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
- an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
- 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
- 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
- an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
- an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies
Degree Concentrations
Shape your future your way. Explore our degree concentrations to personalize your education and focus on what inspires you.
Career Opportunities
Bradley IE graduates are in high demand, securing positions at top companies like Amazon, Apple, Boeing, Caterpillar, Disney, Google, Microsoft, and more—industries driven by operational efficiency. With a 95%+ employment or graduate school placement rate, they earn competitive salaries in a field with strong growth. The U.S. Department of Labor projects a 23% increase in Operations Research Analyst roles and a 19% rise for Logisticians over the next decade, making IE a smart, future-focused career choice.