HOW CAN I BE A PART OF A FASCINATING CAREER FIELD?

Enterprises, producing goods and services for the world, are fascinating and challenging. A solid education in industrial engineering allows you to participate in this world from the perspective of design, operation, and improvement, while offering you a solid, stable career with unlimited growth potential.

WHY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY?

We are very proud of our school. The program was established in 1926 and is the oldest Industrial Engineering program west of the Mississippi and third oldest in the U.S. It was also the first Industrial Engineering program in the Southwest to offer graduate degrees and currently offers bachelor, master and doctoral degrees. Our curriculum combines instruction in the most advanced IE tools along with leadership and management to give you a broad, high quality education. The curriculum is both theoretical and practical. The pre-engineering curriculum is common for all engineering disciplines, and includes mathematics, physics, chemistry, and engineering science courses. You will start taking IE&M courses your sophomore year and take IE&M courses every semester through your senior year. In order to gain actual work experience, all seniors define and complete a Senior Design Project for an external client. In addition, many of our students participate in internships and co-ops in order to gain actual work experience. The IE&M program has an excellent student to faculty ratio. Our class sizes are relatively small, and we pride ourselves in the personal relationships that develop between our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. After graduation our graduates are aggressively sought by both large and small companies throughout Oklahoma and worldwide. Many of our students eventually pursue graduate-level education.

WHAT DO I HAVE IN COMMON WITH INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERS AND MANAGERS?

IEs are always trying to find a better way to do things. Do you get excited about possibilities for change? Are you able to recognize improvement opportunities? Do you enjoy exploring alternatives for making things happen? Do you like to think in analytic terms, yet view situations from broad perspectives? Do you like to work with people and technology? If so, Industrial Engineering and Management may be the major for you.

Where does industrial engineering fit within the world of engineering?

Engineering is based on the ‘urge to do,’ whereas science is based on the ‘urge to know.’ Engineers use their creativity along with their understanding of science to design and improve things. For example, electrical engineers design and improve electrical and electronic-related devices, mechanical engineers design and improve mechanical-related devices, chemical engineers design and improve chemical processes and civil engineers design and improve building and structural-related products. IEs design and improve systems of people, knowledge, material, energy, capital and equipment that enable the production of the other engineers’ designs. IEs work with other engineers and management to design, produce, and distribute the products that customers buy and use. IEs view an enterprise from a holistic or ‘systems’ perspective. In this context, an enterprise is a system that contains many components or processes, each involved with activities necessary to move from a concept, to a design, to production and distribution, and finally to the customer. IE’s integrate the resources – people, knowledge, material, energy, capital, and equipment – that are necessary to make an enterprise successful in a world of international competition.

What distinguishes industrial engineers from other engineers?

All engineering students study the same basic topics (e.g., mathematics, physics, chemistry and engineering sciences) in their freshman and sophomore years. In the junior and senior years we diverge from other engineering disciplines. Our specialized training focuses on topics such as engineering economics, systems modeling, operations research, facilities management, material handling, logistics, ergonomics and human factors, quality assurance, information technology, and leadership and management. Among the engineering disciplines, our enterprise systems-level perspective is unique. We are the only engineering discipline that explicitly designs systems around people. Specifically, we design our systems so that humans can effectively and efficiently interact with all system components. IEs work with both people and technology. This ‘wide-angle’ approach naturally allows us to rapidly step into business leadership roles.

Where do Industrial Engineering and Management graduates work?

Industrial engineers can be found in almost every industry. Companies that employ OSU IE&Ms include: AT&T, American Airlines, Accenture Consulting, Boeing, Cessna, Cinery, Compaq, Conoco, Ditch Witch, General Electric, Ford, General Motors, Halliburton, Integris Baptist Hospital, John Deere, Johnson Controls, Lucent Technologies, Mercury Marine, Michelin, Microsoft, Oracle, Phillips Petroleum, Seagate, Texas Instruments, Tinker Air Force Base, Webco, WorldCom, and many others both large and small, all around the world.

What is the typical career progression for an Industrial Engineering and Management graduate?

A new IE&M graduate typically starts out in a responsible position, practicing what he/she learned in school and gaining valuable hands-on experience. He/she is placed in a technical or supervisory position immediately, as new IEs are expected to make sound decisions and valuable contributions early in their careers. Typically, in one or two years, he/she receives increased levels of responsibility associated with a technical specialty, or he/she may choose to generalize and move towards a management position, e.g., plant manager, vice president, president, or perhaps chief executive officer (CEO). IEs may also form their own new enterprise, or pursue a research or academic-oriented career.

what compensation can i expect?

Employment prospects for IE&M graduates are very bright. The starting salary for IEs is competitive with other engineering disciplines. Currently OSU BSIE graduate starting salaries are around $49,000 per year, with some graduates receiving starting salaries in excess of $50,000. In addition, there is a great demand for IEs – people with the potential to step in and design, operate, and improve enterprises are sought after throughout the world. Due to the competitive nature of the marketplace, this trend is likely to continue.