Program Overview

Overview of the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

The mission of the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering is to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for life-long success and leadership in the profession, in industry, and in higher education; conduct and disseminate research that advances knowledge; and serve the profession, industry, and society.

Industrial and Systems Engineering Program

Industrial and systems engineering is one of the most diverse fields in engineering. ISE is concerned with the design, improvement, and installation of integrated work systems of people, materials, equipment and technology, processes, information, and capital. The industrial and systems engineer is concerned with creating value and improving performance of integrated systems, whether that involves improving quality and productivity, reducing costs and non-value adding activities, improving customer satisfaction, or improving worker safety.

Applications of Industrial and Systems Engineering

The applications for industrial and systems engineering capabilities include industry, government, and service organizations. Graduates of the ISE program at Virginia Tech work in manufacturing facilities, distribution warehouses, hospitals, airlines, railroads, banks, amusement parks, the military, federal government, and management consulting firms.

Mission of the ISE Undergraduate Program

The mission of the ISE Undergraduate Program is to prepare industrial and systems engineering students to create value for organizations, the profession, and society. We achieve this mission by recruiting, retaining, and educating high quality from a wide background. We create a rigorous and collegial environment enabling students to learn industrial engineering methods and tools, built upon a foundation of mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences, and to apply them in any global organizational setting.

Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering (BSISE) degree program at Virginia Tech is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Industrial and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

Program Educational Objectives

Within 3-5 years of graduation, Industrial and Systems Engineering alumni will have:

• Created value by applying industrial and systems engineering methods to complex challenges, with critical thinking, creativity and innovation, to design integrated systems and implement sustainable solutions.
• Provided technical or programmatic leadership.
• Pursued professional development activities for the pursuit of knowledge and curiosity in existing specialty areas or emerging trends.
• Communicated effectively with relevant audiences and stakeholders, using written, oral, and visual media.
• Worked effectively and inclusively in teams having attributes such as diverse backgrounds, organizational experience, geographic locations, and demographic compositions.
• Served the profession, alma mater, community, and society as exemplified by our motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).

Student Outcomes

Upon completion of the undergraduate program curriculum in Industrial and Systems Engineering, students will attain the following outcomes:

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. 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
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. 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
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Curriculum

The BSISE curriculum (ISE Undergraduate Program) encompasses coursework addressing the technical, organizational, human, and economic elements of work systems. Our aim is to provide graduates with the knowledge and capabilities to enable them to successfully pursue careers in industrial engineering or to continue on to graduate study.

Course Descriptions

• ISE 2004: Introduction to Industrial and Systems Engineering
• ISE 2014: Engineering Economy
• ISE 2024: Probability Foundations for Industrial and Systems Engineers
• ISE 2034: Data Management for Industrial and Systems Engineers
• ISE 2044: Careers in Industrial and Systems Engineering
• ISE 2214: Manufacturing Processes Laboratory
• ISE 2404: Deterministic Operations Research I
• ISE 2804: Foundations of Systems Engineering
• ISE 2974: Independent Study
• ISE 2984: Special Study
• ISE 2994: Undergraduate Research
• ISE 3004: Industrial Cost Control
• ISE 3034: Technical Communication for Engineers
• ISE 3204: Manufacturing Processes
• ISE 3214: Facilities Planning and Logistics
• ISE 3414: Probabilistic Operations Research
• ISE 3424: Discrete-Event Computer Simulation
• ISE 3434: Applied Optimization: Algorithms, Software, & Machine Learning
• ISE 3614: Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics
• ISE 3624: Industrial Ergonomics
• ISE 4004: Organizational Processes and Design
• ISE 4005: Project Management and Systems Design
• ISE 4006: Project Management and Systems Design
• ISE 4014: Introduction to Management Systems
• ISE 4204: Production Planning and Inventory Control
• ISE 4214: Lean Manufacturing
• ISE 4264: Industrial Automation
• ISE 4304: Global Issues in Industrial Management
• ISE 4404: Statistical Quality Control
• ISE 4414: Industrial Quality Control
• ISE 4424: Logistics Engineering
• ISE 4624: Physical Work Assessment
• ISE 4634: Human Factors in Transportation
• ISE 4644: Risk and Hazard Control
• ISE 4654: Principles of Industrial Hygiene
• ISE 4804: System Dynamics Modeling of Industrial Systems
• ISE 4974: Independent Study
• ISE 4984: Special Study
• ISE 4984A: Special Study
• ISE 4994: Undergraduate Research

Faculty

• Head: E.M. Van Aken
• Associate Head: J.P. Shewchuk
• Assistant Head and Graduate Program Director: M.A. Nussbaum
• Undergraduate Program Director: N. Cherbaka
• Charles O. Gordon Professor: G.D. Taylor, Jr.
• John Grado Professor: M.A. Nussbaum
• Paul T. Norton Professor: S.C. Sarin
• Ralph H. Bogle Professor: Z. Kong
• John Lawrence Professor: K.P. Triantis
• Grado Senior Faculty Fellow: M.L. Madigan
• Grado Early Career Faculty Fellows: N. Hosseinichimeh, S. Lim
• CCAM Fellow: T. Sun
• Professors: J.L. Gabbard, M. Jeon, R. Jin, B. Johnson, B.M. Kleiner, Z. Kong, M.L. Madigan, M.A. Nussbaum, S.C. Sarin, G.D. Taylor Jr., E.B. Toy, K.P. Triantis, and E.M. Van Aken
• Associate Professors: M. Bansal, X. Chen, D.E. Dickerson, K.P. Ellis, N. Hosseinichimeh, N. Ghaffarzadegan, S.G. Klauer, A. L’Afflitto, N. Lau, P.K. Rao, and J.P. Shewchuk
• Assistant Professors: A. Avsar, E. Brubaker, R. Hildebrand, R. Kannan, S. Khodadadian, S. Lim, R.N.C. Patrick, T.G. Topcu, S. Tunc, H. Zhong, and Y. Zhong
• Collegiate Professor: N. Cherbaka
• Collegiate Associate Professor: L. Savage
• Collegiate Assistant Professors: K. Carper, J. Godfrey, and W.P.V. Nguyen
• Research Associate Professors: S. Kim. T. Sun
• Research Assistant Professor: K. Lee
• Associate Professor of Practice: K. Coleman
• Affiliate Faculty: P. Agee, T. Cody, X. Deng, M. Fowler, Y. Hong, S. Hotle, J. Moreland, M. Perez, N. Roofigari-Esfahan, S. Trent, M. Vaughn-Cooke, and G. Vining
• Courtesy Faculty: A. Leonessa, M. Smith
• Adjunct Faculty: M. Deegan, J. Geraghty, J. Moreland, M. Muscatello, T. Riley, W. Vaneman, and P. Wach
• Professors Emeritus: M.P. Deisenroth, J.G. Casali, K.H.E. Kroemer, H.A. Kurstedt, H.D. Sherali, and H.L. Snyder
• Associate Professors Emeritus: K. Harmon, P.T. Kemmerling, C.P. Koelling, J.A. Nachlas, M.R. Taaffe, and R.E. Taylor
• Associate Professor of Practice Emeritus: M.R. Earnest
• Academic Advisors: J. Kerstiens and P. Van Curen

Academic Programs

• Industrial and Systems Engineering Major

Research Areas

The department participates in various research areas, including operations research, manufacturing systems, human factors and ergonomics, and management systems. Modern computing and software tools support analysis and design activities in these areas.

Facilities

The department has state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, including the Harris Manufacturing Processes Laboratories, the Learning Factory, and the Human Factors Work Measurement and Methods Engineering Laboratory. These facilities provide students with hands-on experience in multiple areas of the BSISE curriculum.

Student Opportunities

Many ISE students participate in Undergraduate Research, working more closely with ISE faculty members, to gain a more in-depth development of particular ISE capabilities and enriching their educational experience. The ISE program also provides students with the opportunity to pursue minors, such as Business Minor, Green Engineering Minor, or Statistics Minor. The department participates in the Cooperative Education & Internship Program, in which qualified students may alternate semesters of study with semesters of professional co-op employment or internships. Students are encouraged to pursue these experiences before they graduate to make them more competitive in the work force. The ISE department also provides students with many significant scholarship opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels to encourage and acknowledge high academic performance and achievements. The department also maintains bilateral student exchange agreements with international universities, where students can take ISE courses, which will transfer back to their BSISE. Students may also select other universities at which to perform a study abroad semester.