Major code BS7244*

Russ College of Engineering and Technology  
Industrial and Systems Engineering  
270 Stocker Center
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.593.1539
www.ohio.edu/engineering/ise

Tao Yuan, contact person
yuan@ohio.edu

Program Overview

The program offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering which is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Industrial Engineering.

Industrial and systems engineers obtain a broad technical background with special attention to productivity, costs, quality, and human factors in production and other systems.  Originally, industrial engineers worked in manufacturing systems, but the methods have found applications in many other systems, including distribution centers, information systems, hospitals, transportation networks, and financial systems. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of industrial engineering jobs is expected to increase by 14% from 2020 to 2030, growing to over 300,000 industrial engineering positions in the US.

To prepare our graduates for their job responsibilities, the primary objective of the Industrial and Systems Engineering program is to produce engineers who are able to apply ISE tools and knowledge to support, improve, manage, develop, design, or implement a project, process, or system that has a positive impact on relevant key-performance indicators, such as financial results, productivity, quality or safety. We want our graduates to actively seek to be leaders among their peers by demonstrating a professional attitude; a commitment to integrity and ethical behavior; effective communication across stakeholders; and engagement in life-long learning.

For assessment of student capability, the ISE program uses a set of student outcomes that have been defined by ABET:

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 and inclusive 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.

Courses in the first year of the program are similar to the curricula of the other engineering disciplines and include math, chemistry, and general education courses. Second year courses include additional math courses, physics, and several fundamental industrial and systems engineering topics. The third year includes advanced industrial and systems engineering topics.

An emphasis in the program is the development of good system design skills. In the senior year, all students complete a real-world project focusing on applied system design. Students work on a project related to the design or improvement of an actual system, such as a production system, an inventory control system, a distribution system, or a quality control system. The projects are provided by local companies who serve as project clients.

In the senior year, ISE students also complete elective courses in various categories including Math & Science, Business, and ISE Technical electives. Students can choose course options in these categories that match their interests and career goals. Students are encouraged to discuss these goals with their adviser for help in selecting appropriate electives.

Ohio University offers a variety of minors and certificates and ISE undergraduates are encouraged to pursue one or more of these. For ISE students, some of the commonly-earned minors and certificates include Business Minor, Lean Six Sigma Certificate, and Workplace Health & Safety Certificate. Required and elective courses that students take can also count toward minors and certificates. 

All ISE students are strongly encouraged to participate in an internship during their sophomore and/or junior years in order to gain valuable career experience. Working in a real-world job for one or more semesters can enhance classroom instruction and also financially support college education. Students plan their internship in coordination with their academic advisor and the Russ College’s Office of Professional Relationships.

*This program was previously BS7255 which awarded the Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering degree. Pending Board of Trustees approval (anticipated June 2024), the new program code will be BS7244 and will award the Bachelor of Science degree effective the 2024-25 catalog year.

Admission Information

Freshman/First Year Admission

ACT and grade requirements are the same as the general University guidelines. Students should take four years of mathematics and a year of chemistry and physics if possible.

Change of Program Policy (Internal Transfer)

Students who wish to transfer into an engineering or computer science program must have earned a C or better in a math course and a science course. The math course must be equivalent to MATH 1200  or higher. The science course must be equivalent to CHEM 1210  or higher, or PHYS 2051 /PHYS 2054  & PHYS 2055  or higher. Students enrolled at any Ohio University campus who wish to transfer into any program in the Russ College cannot do so if they would be on academic probation after transferring into that major. The probation rules for Russ College are stricter than those for the University as a whole. In order not to be on probation, a student must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher for all courses taken, for all courses taken in the Russ College, and for all courses taken in the intended major. Students must also have successfully completed all required courses in three attempts and have no required course they have attempted twice without success. For some courses, success means a grade of at least a C or C-.

External Transfer Admission

Transfer students who have earned fewer than 20 semester hours of credit at another accredited collegiate institution may be admitted directly to an engineering or computer science program, if they meet the general requirements for admission to Ohio University and have completed four years of college-prep math and one year each of chemistry and physics and have scored at least a 24 on the ACT or comparable SAT.

Transfer students who have earned more than 20 semester hours of credit at another accredited collegiate institution may be admitted directly to an engineering or computer science program, if they meet the general requirements for transfer students, including a GPA greater than 2.5. Students who wish to transfer into an engineering or computer science program must have earned a C or better in a math course and a science course. The math course must be equivalent to MATH 1200  or higher. The science course must be equivalent to CHEM 1210  or higher, or PHYS 2051 /PHYS 2054  & PHYS 2055  or higher.

Opportunities Upon Graduation

Graduates of the industrial and systems engineering program find employment in a wide variety of industries. Fields include manufacturing, distribution, health care, transportation, and more. Due to their systems training and experience, many industrial and systems engineers move into management positions after a few years on the job.

Salaries are competitive, and, because of the increasing need for organizations to improve productivity to keep pace with competition, the need for industrial and systems engineers in manufacturing and other fields is projected to remain strong.

For more information, see the Department’s website: www.ohio.edu/engineering/ise.

If you wish to increase the breadth or depth of your knowledge, the Department offers courses leading to the M.S. and the Master of Engineering Management and also participates in the College’s Mechanical and Systems Ph.D. degree program. The engineering management degree is only offered in an online format. Graduates frequently pursue degrees beyond the bachelor’s degree (typically, M.S., M.E. or M.B.A.). Some students enter graduate school immediately after finishing their B.S. degree, and others begin classes after working for a few years.

Requirements