Industrial and Systems Engineering

Overview

Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) is concerned with creating value for organizations by improving processes and systems comprised of people, equipment, machines, and other resources. ISE focuses on improving performance measures such as quality, productivity, costs, efficiency, worker safety, and/or customer satisfaction. Career opportunities have never been better, and ISE graduates work for a wide variety of industries and organizations including manufacturing facilities, distribution warehouses, hospitals, airlines, railroads, banks, amusement parks, management consulting firms, military facilities, and federal government organizations.

Coursework in the ISE department encompasses manufacturing, operations research, human factors engineering and ergonomics, and management systems. The curriculum addresses not only the physical and technical aspects of systems, but also the organizational, economic, business, and human elements of systems.

Curriculum:

Review the Graduation Requirements (Checksheet) for your entering class year to see the required coursework.

Interest Areas and Related Degrees/Minors

The undergraduate ISE program provides courses and experiences related to the following areas within Industrial and Systems Engineering: manufacturing, operations research, human factors engineering and ergonomics, and management systems. Students develop technical capabilities and professional skills such as teamwork, communication, ethics, and lifelong learning. A short description of each area and related degrees and minors are provided below to enhance your major exploration experience.

Manufacturing Systems
Design and improve manufacturing/production facilities and how they operate, including machine selection, facility layout, production planning, scheduling, quality control, etc.
Related Engineering Degrees:  Civil Engineering
Related Degrees: Building Construction | Public and Urban Affairs | Real Estate | Smart and Sustainable Cities
Related Minors: Environmental Policy and Planning | Green Engineering | Public and Urban Affairs

Operations Research
Application of advanced mathematical models and methods to help make better decisions. Example applications include vehicle routing (e.g. UPS, school buses), flight schedules, locating facilities, theme park ride queues, etc.
Related Degrees: Applied Economics Management | Business Information Technology | Management | Statistics
Related Minors: Mathematics | Philosophy, Politics, and Economics | Statistics

Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics
Observe and evaluate how humans interact with an object or system, and design systems that increase efficiency and user well-being.
Related Engineering Degrees: Biomedical Engineering | Computer Science 
Related Degrees: Industrial Design | Packaging Systems and Design
Related Minors: Biomedical Engineering | Computer Science | Industrial Design | Packaging Science

Management Systems
Design and improve management systems used in business enterprises, using techniques such as operations management, strategic planning, etc. Relies on psychology, organizational behavior, accounting, economics, and more.
Related Degrees: Applied Economics Management | Business Information Technology | Management
Related Minors: Business | Finance | Organizational Leadership | Leadership and Social Change | Green Engineering | Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

Getting Involved

Ambassadors
Honor Society - Alpha Pi Mu
Professional Society – Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Undergraduate Research
Study Abroad

Additional Opportunities:
American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES)
Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS)
Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)

Career Resources

Our Engineering Career Resource provides you with all of the most frequently used career information websites in one place for ease of access. This list includes links to VT First Destination Post Grad Report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Defense, and many more.