Program Overview

Introduction to Systems Management Engineering

The Department of Systems Management Engineering (SME) at Sungkyunkwan University has been a leading institution in education and research since 1978, providing high-quality professional engineers and leaders to various industries in Korea. The department's educational philosophy is based on the Scientific Management discipline advocated by F.W. Taylor, the father of industrial engineering.

Mission and Objective

The mission of the Systems Management Engineering department is to promote the analysis, design, operation, management, and innovation of technological, economic, and social systems through education and research. The department aims to produce leaders who can systematically access R&D activities, forecast trends in technology, utilize information and knowledge, optimize systems, control quality and productivity, construct high-tech management systems, and manage system design for people.

Brief History of the Department

• 1965: The College of Engineering is established
• 1978: The Department of Engineering Management is founded at SKKU
• 1980: The department is renamed the Department of Industrial Engineering
• 1984: The department graduates its first MS students
• 1986: The doctoral program is permanently established
• 1993: The department graduates its first three Ph.D. students
• 1999: Renamed the Department of Systems Management Engineering
• 2001: The Center for Quality Innovation is created in the department
• 2005: The BK21 Research & HRD Group for Management of Complex Systems is created
• 2006: The PACE (Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education) center is created
• 2009: The BK21 Research & HRD Group for Improving QoL of the Aged and Disabled is created
• 2013: The department holds the Fall Conference of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
• 2016: The BK21 PLUS Research & HRD Team for Smart Factory Design, Operation and Optimization Based on Industrial Data Analytics is created in the department

Courses and Curriculums

Undergraduate Curriculum

The overall goal of the SME undergraduate curriculum is to produce technically qualified industrial engineers who are capable of successful professional practice in the field. The curriculum includes in-depth instruction to accomplish the integration of systems using appropriate analytical, computational, and engineering practices.

Bachelor of Science in SME Curriculum

The curriculum provides graduates with the necessary educational foundation to pursue advanced studies in industrial engineering or related fields. Students can choose a focus area for a set of electives including:

• Operations research
• Simulation
• Manufacturing
• Quality engineering
• Service engineering
• Human-computer interaction
• Ergonomics
• Information technology
• Management of technology

Master and Ph.D. Degrees

MS Degree (Master of Science in Industrial Engineering)

The MS in Industrial Engineering program provides students with a solid technical and research background necessary to solve challenging problems from real-world domains. To be considered for admission to the MS program, applicants must have a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering or its equivalent from a college or university. The program requires 21 credit hours of coursework and a 9-credit thesis.

Ph.D. Degree (Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering)

The Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering program prepares students to develop strong methodological skills and an ability to find solutions to unseen and unpredictable problems. The Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering degree requires 48 credit hours of coursework beyond the bachelor's degree and a 24-credit dissertation. To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program, applicants should have a M.S. degree in industrial engineering or a strongly related field.

Research Areas & Laboratories

The faculty members and graduate students of the department are very active in research, expanding beyond traditional boundaries to make a difference through their research. They strive to advance disciplines by discovering new ideas or applying existing methodologies in real-world domains of 6 core areas of research:

• Operations Research
• Information Technology and Engineering
• Manufacturing
• Quality and Service Engineering
• Ergonomics
• Management of Technology

Facilities and Resources

The SME department owns a total of 159 personal computers and workstations across laboratories and classrooms. The department provides two high-tech classrooms to deliver a better teaching environment for both students and instructors. Support devices include beam projectors connected to a personal computer, touch screen interfaces, imaging tools, and AV systems. The following software resources are available for the SME faculty and students:

• Scorbot-ERV CAM CAD system (OMEGA1.51)
• CAD / CAM ArenaP.E Ver.3.5
• Simulation Modeling and Practices STATISTICA
• Applied Statistics I & II Lindo Supper
• Operations Research I & II Kappa Expert Sysems
• Delphi client/ server 1.0 Database
• Solid work 98 CAD/CAM
• Visual Studio 97 Management Information Systems
• Power Builder 5.0 Management Information Systems
• Open Inventor CAD/ Digital Production
• Minitab Applied Statistics I & II
• Expert Choice Strategic Decision Analysis
• AMOS Quantitative Business Analysis
• SPSS Applied Statistics I & II
• RapidForm 2000 CAD/ CAM, HCI
• SQL Server 2000 Management Information Systems
• Lab view 6.1 Ergonomics, HCI
• UniERP Production Mangement
• EasyBase Manufacturing Information Systems
• QFD 21C creator Service Management Process
• Q Database Quallca QFD V2.5 Quality Management and Engineering
• CATIA V5 ED2 CAD/ Digital Production
• CCS-C complier Ergonomics, HCI
• Auto CAD 2004 CAD/Digital Production
• Labview 8.5 Ergonomics

Why Join the Department?

There are several reasons to join the Systems Management Engineering department:

• Industrial engineers enjoy a flexible career path that allows them to advance in many types of organizations
• Industrial engineers have a profound impact on society's quality of life
• Students experience engineering through problem-based learning with real-world engineering problems in many courses
• Students are placed in professional positions within a month of graduation
• Students have an opportunity to participate in engineering projects with faculty members through the research internship program
• The combined BS/MS program is designed so that students can graduate within 5 years with their MS degrees
• The SME department has topped a ranking of employment rates in the college of engineering
• More than 80% of graduates have been employed each year

Funding

The SME department is performing the BK21 PLUS Research Project on smart factory design, operation, and optimization based on industrial data analytics, in which about 70% of graduate students are participating. Funding is available from the project, with MS students receiving up to 600,000 won/month and Ph.D. students receiving up to 1,000,000 won/month. Graduate students may also receive financial support from research assistantships or teaching assistantships.

Internships

The department provides internship opportunities for graduate students engaged in work related to operations research, information technology, manufacturing, and quality and service engineering. These opportunities enable students to enrich their education with hands-on experience and apply lessons learned in the classroom to professional settings. Students may be paid by either the department or the companies they work for and can earn academic credit for internships. Companies participating in internship programs with the department include the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Korea Smart Factory Foundation, SK Telecom, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., GM Korea, and GM Global R&D Center.

Exchanges

The department has established a partnership with the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Wayne State University, Michigan, and offers an international exchange program for graduate students. Students can study and research at Wayne State University for one or two semesters and transfer credits to their university.