Undergraduate Program
Industrial and systems engineering is an interdisciplinary area that designs or improves engineering, organizational and societal systems. In our program you’ll be exposed to systems, management, business, and engineering concepts and applications.
Industrial and systems engineers can:
- Evaluate interdisciplinary issues and problems
- Create, analyze and improve complex systems
- Coordinate operational issues from a systems perspective
- Manage technical, business and management functions
- Supervise multinational units, projects and global supply chains
- Develop product creation, production, marketing and sales strategies
For a real-world example of systems engineering, think of a hospital or an airport. Each overall system consists of smaller, discrete units that must work together while functioning independently, all while using resources efficiently. An operating room must move patients through surgeries and back to their rooms, and an airport crew needs to transfer luggage and alert passengers when a gate changes. To manage any of these systems, you’ll need to multitask, predict trends and work with teams across disciplines.
During your first year, you’ll begin with foundational math and science courses, as well as general education courses. As a sophomore and junior, you’ll delve into systems-specific courses, where you’ll learn concepts of management, system design, modeling and risk analysis. Finally, you’ll participate in the senior capstone course, a two-semester design/build project where teams create solutions, often sponsored by industry partners.
Exceptionally qualified students may apply to our early entry graduate program. As a student in this program, you’ll begin work toward a master’s degree in engineering management while finishing your bachelor’s degree – so you’ll earn an advanced degree faster and more affordably.