Industrial Engineering

Industrial engineers design and improve the way goods and services are produced and delivered. They work to increase individual and system productivity, improve product quality, and design safe work places. In short, industrial engineers figure out how to do things better by working to eliminate waste of time, money, materials, and other resources. Most importantly industrial engineers are responsible for improving the overall effectiveness of an organization. While they are in short supply across the nation, their skills are in high demand.

Like all engineering disciplines, industrial engineers are good with numbers, are creative, and have great problems solving skills. They should also have exceptional people skills and be able to work in teams. Being more business and people-oriented than other engineers, industrial engineers tend to migrate into managerial positions nearly twice as soon as other engineering disciplines. Besides working in traditional manufacturing companies, Industrial Engineers are employed in many business sectors such as health care, transportation, financial, and communication industries. So if you have an eye for detail, enjoy working with people, and want to make a difference in today’s economy, industrial engineering might be the place for you.

Possible Career Paths and Specializations

Industrial Engineering
Engineering Management
Ergonomics
Health and Safety Engineering

Operations Research
Manufacturing Processes Engineering
Quality Engineering
Health Care Opportunities

Resources available at the Career Center*

Career Opportunities in Engineering
Careers in Engineering
Engineering Your Future
Opportunities in Engineering Careers

*Books available for checkout.

Related industrial and manufacturing systems engineering links

K-State Department of IMSE:
http://www.imse.ksu.edu

Institute of Industrial Engineers
http://www.iise.org/Home/

Society of Manufacturing Engineers
http://www.sme.org/

National Society of Professional Engineers
http://www.nspe.org

Society of Women Engineers
http://societyofwomenengineers.swe.org/

Sloan Career Cornerstone Center
http://careercornerstone.org/industrial/industrial.htm

American Society for Engineering Education
http://www.asee.org/

K-State's Industrial Engineering program is accredited under the General Criteria by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.