The undergraduate program in industrial engineering, being the first established in the world, has a long tradition of providing a strong, technical, hands-on education in design, control, and operation of manufacturing processes and systems. The curriculum provides a broad-based education in manufacturing, operations research and ergonomics through a base of mathematics, physical and engineering sciences, and laboratory and industrial experiences. It builds a strong foundation for the development of a professionally competent and versatile industrial engineer, able to function in a traditional manufacturing environment as well as in a much broader economy, including careers in financial services, communication, information technology, transportation, health care, consulting, or academia.
After completing courses required for the core and fundamental competencies in the major, students can choose two IE technical elective courses from a department list. In addition, students must also complete the three-credit capstone design course.
Industrial Engineering is rooted in the sciences of engineering, the study of systems, and the management of people. Industrial engineers are big-picture problem solvers who optimize complex engineering systems and processes. They bring together people, machinery, materials, information, energy, and financial resources to improve efficiency, performance, quality, and safety while reducing cost and waste. According to the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers, Industrial Engineers "work to eliminate waste of time, money, materials, energy, and other commodities." Because it is a broad and versatile discipline, study of industrial engineering prepares you for careers in every sector of the economy.
Largely based in math and science, while incorporating business and psychology, the industrial engineering program is designed to prepare students to become leaders in engineering. We provide students with a comprehensive education in human factors/ergonomics; manufacturing; operations research; and supply chain/service engineering through coursework and hands-on experience. Our students become innovators who discover new solutions that address evolving challenges in a wide variety of sectors including academia, banking, communications, consulting, healthcare, information technology, transportation, etc.
In order to be eligible for entrance to this major, students must satisfy the following requirements by the end of the semester during which the admission to major process is carried out.
In the event that the major is under enrollment control, a higher minimum cumulative grade-point average is likely to be needed and students must be enrolled in the College of Engineering or Division of Undergraduate Studies at the time of confirming their major choice.
For the Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering, a minimum of 129 credits is required:
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| General Education | 45 |
| Requirements for the Major | 111 |
27 of the 45 credits for General Education are included in the Requirements for the Major. This includes: 9 credits of GN courses; 6 credits of GQ courses; 3 credits of GS courses; 9 credits of GWS courses.
To graduate, a student enrolled in the major must earn a grade of C or better in each course designated by the major as a C-required course, as specified by Senate Policy 82-44.
The course not taken to satisfy this requirement can be taken as a technical elective. Please see the department list.
Please see the department list.
Connecting career and curiosity, the General Education curriculum provides the opportunity for students to acquire transferable skills necessary to be successful in the future and to thrive while living in interconnected contexts. General Education aids students in developing intellectual curiosity, a strengthened ability to think, and a deeper sense of aesthetic appreciation. These are requirements for all baccalaureate students and are often partially incorporated into the requirements of a program. For additional information, see the General Education Requirements section of the Bulletin and consult your academic adviser.
The keystone symbol appears next to the title of any course that is designated as a General Education course. Program requirements may also satisfy General Education requirements and vary for each program.
All students enrolled in a college or the Division of Undergraduate Studies at University Park, and the World Campus are required to take 1 to 3 credits of the First-Year Seminar, as specified by their college First-Year Engagement Plan.
Other Penn State colleges and campuses may require the First-Year Seminar; colleges and campuses that do not require a First-Year Seminar provide students with a first-year engagement experience.
First-year baccalaureate students entering Penn State should consult their academic adviser for these requirements.
6 credits are required and may satisfy other requirements
3 credits required from the college of graduation and likely prescribed as part of major requirements.
A minimum of 120 degree credits must be earned for a baccalaureate degree. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 credits. Students should consult with their college or department adviser for information on specific credit requirements.
Candidates must complete the degree requirements for their major and earn at least a 2.00 grade-point average for all courses completed within their degree program.
The college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of course work in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned. Credit used toward degree programs may need to be earned from a particular source or within time constraints (see Senate Policy 83-80). For more information, check the Suggested Academic Plan for your intended program.
Within three to five years after graduation, we anticipate graduates will:
Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. The Industrial Engineering program is designed to enable students to:
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
Giancarlo Labruna
Academic Adviser
113A Leonhard Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-5742
gkl5192@psu.edu
Omar Ashour, Ph.D.
Program Contact and Associate Professor
213 AMIC Building
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6941
oma110@psu.edu
The suggested academic plan(s) listed on this page are the plan(s) that are in effect during the 2024-25 academic year. To access previous years' suggested academic plans, please visit the archive to view the appropriate Undergraduate Bulletin edition.
The course series listed below provides only one of the many possible ways to move through this curriculum. The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. This plan should be used in conjunction with your degree audit (accessible in LionPATH as either an Academic Requirements or What If report). Please consult with a Penn State academic adviser on a regular basis to develop and refine an academic plan that is appropriate for you.
If you are starting at a campus other than the one this plan is ending at, please refer to: http://advising.engr.psu.edu/degree-requirements/academic-plans-by-major.aspx
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 110 (GN) *#† | 3 | CHEM 111 | 1 |
| ECON 102 or 104 (GS) † | 3 | ENGL 15, 30H, or ESL 15 (GWS) ‡† | 3 |
| EDSGN 100 *# | 3 | IE 100 (or First Year Seminar) † | 1 |
| MATH 140 or 140E (GQ) *‡#† | 4 | MATH 141 or 141E (GQ) *‡#† | 4 |
| General Education Course † | 3 | PHYS 211 (PHYS 211L and PHYS 211R (GN)) *#† | 4 |
| General Education Course † | 3 | ||
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| EMCH 210 * | 5 | CAS 100A or 100B (GWS) ‡† | 3 |
| MATH 231 | 2 | CMPSC 200 or 201 | 3 |
| MATH 250 | 3 | MATH 220 | 2-3 |
| PHYS 212 (PHYS 212L and PHYS 212R (GN)) † | 4 | Engineering Elective | 3 |
| General Education Course † | 3 | Engineering Elective | 3 |
| Science Elective | 3 | ||
| 17 | 17-18 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| IE 302 * | 3 | ENGL 202C (GWS) ‡† | 3 |
| IE 305 * | 3 | IE 323 * | 3 |
| IE 322 * | 3 | IE 330 * | 3 |
| IE 327 * | 3 | IE 405 * | 3 |
| MATSE 259 | 3 | Manufacturing Process Elective | 3 |
| General Education Course (GHW) † | 1.5 | General Education Course (GHW) † | 1.5 |
| 16.5 | 16.5 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| IE 408, 418, or 419 | 3 | IE 453 | 3 |
| IE 425 | 3 | IE 480W (Writing Intensive) † | 3 |
| IE 460 | 3 | IE-Technical Elective | 3 |
| IE 470 | 3 | General Education Course † | 3 |
| IE-Technical Elective | 3 | General Education Course † | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits 129-130 | |||
Course requires a grade of C or better for the major
Course requires a grade of C or better for General Education
Course is an Entrance to Major requirement
Course satisfies General Education and degree requirement
University Requirements and General Education Notes:
US and IL are abbreviations used to designate courses that satisfy Cultural Diversity Requirements (United States and International Cultures).
W, M, X, and Y are the suffixes at the end of a course number used to designate courses that satisfy University Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.
General Education includes Foundations (GWS and GQ), Knowledge Domains (GHW, GN, GA, GH, GS) and Integrative Studies (Inter-domain) requirements. N or Q (Honors) is the suffix at the end of a course number used to help identify an Inter-domain course, but the inter-domain attribute is used to fill audit requirements. Foundations courses (GWS and GQ) require a grade of 'C' or better.
All incoming Schreyer Honors College first-year students at University Park will take ENGL 137H / CAS 137H in the fall semester and ENGL 138T / CAS 138T in the spring semester. These courses carry the GWS designation and satisfy a portion of that General Education requirement. If the student’s program prescribes GWS these courses will replace both ENGL 15 / ENGL 30H and CAS 100A / CAS 100B / CAS 100C . Each course is 3 credits.
College Notes:
An undergraduate degree in industrial engineering from Penn State is beneficial in a number of sectors, from finance and banking to manufacturing and material handling to ergonomics and workplace safety to a wide variety of industries within the service world (including theme parks, call centers, hospitals, etc.). Industrial engineers also have an attractive background to a number of graduate degrees that would compliment their skills including engineering design, operations research, mechanical engineering, supply chain management, business management, and more.
Opportunities for students with an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering are vast. The following disciplines would highly value an education in industrial engineering in graduate studies: engineering science and mechanics, business management, supply chain management, mechanical engineering, statistics, computer systems, engineering design, operations research, systems engineering, engineering management, economics and more.
The Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering at University Park is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Industrial and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.
Many U.S. states and territories require professional licensure/certification to be employed. If you plan to pursue employment in a licensed profession after completing this program, please visit the Professional Licensure/Certification Disclosures by State interactive map.
HAROLD AND INGE MARCUS DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING
310 Leonhard Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-7601
psuie@psu.edu
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
242 Jack Burke Research and Economic Development Center
5101 Jordan Road
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6153
engineering@psu.edu
