Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Mississippi State University
Box 9542
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Phone: (662) 325-3865
Fax: (662) 325-7618
E-mail: info@ie.msstate.edu

In an increasingly complex and technical world, industrial and systems engineers are needed to design cost-effective systems that coordinate the activities of people, materials, equipment, information, and energy. The industrial and systems engineer is concerned with the design of total systems, and is the leader in the drive for increased productivity and quality improvements.

The industrial and systems engineer (ISE) is involved in designing or improving major systems that encompass the total organization, whether in the governmental or private sectors, or in the manufacturing or service industries. Consequently, an ISE is often in contact with individuals from many segments of the organization. With their education and experience, industrial and systems engineers develop a global view of the many inter-related operations necessary to deliver a firm's goods and services. Because of their management skills and global view of the organization, a large proportion of industrial and systems engineers move into management positions, later advancing to top management positions, or to own and operate their own businesses.

Industrial engineering graduates from MSU are working in nearly every section of Mississippi, the South, and the United States. Because of the diverse need for industrial and systems engineering, MSU graduates are hired by a variety of industries and companies, including:

Starting salaries of our graduates are competitive with graduates of other engineering disciplines, which are generally the highest of all college baccalaureate programs. A survey indicates that the salary of the experienced professional ISE is the highest of all engineers, generally due to their move into management positions.

At Mississippi State, industrial engineering students prepare themselves for their chosen profession by studying mathematics; physical, social, behavioral, and engineering sciences; and the humanities. Outside the classroom, students gain knowledge by interacting with other students, faculty, and industrial and systems engineering practitioners in informal settings. Students are encouraged to participate in campus and local professional organizations.

The objectives of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering are founded in Mississippi State University’s Educational Philosophy and in the industrial engineering profession. They were developed to satisfy the needs of the department’s constituents: students, employers, alumni, faculty, and the industrial engineering profession.

The Industrial Engineering program aims to graduate students having a broad education, with emphasis in industrial and systems engineering fundamentals and practices, which enables them to function effectively in systems involving people, materials, information, energy, and money.

The six educational objectives of the Bachelor of Science degree program in Industrial Engineering are stated below:

1. The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering expects its graduates to pursue life long learning.
2. The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering expects its graduates to be well versed in industrial engineering theory, know how to apply that theory, and to be capable of functioning effectively in a broad range of organizations.
3. The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering expects its graduates to master important professional skills, including communication, economics, physical and social science, mathematics and statistics.
4. The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering expects its graduates to interact cooperatively in professional situations with individuals having different cultures, training, education, and interest.
5. The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering expects its graduates to think independently, to critically examine ideas, and to make discerning professional judgments, whether intellectual, ethical, or aesthetic.
6. The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering expects its graduates to be professionally mature, responsible, and informed citizens.

Because of the importance of systems design in the many facets of industrial and systems engineering, instruction of the principles and methods of design is integrated throughout the curriculum of industrial engineering, and culminates in a major design experience in the student’s senior year.