What You'll Do
By Sarah Stevenson
While most engineering fields are concerned with specific products, systems or processes, industrial engineering focuses on managing people, organizing businesses and optimizing the use of technology in ways that increase efficiency in a variety of workplace settings. Today's companies need to compete in an increasingly global market, and industrial engineers help them do just that by improving both productivity and quality—whether the result is a streamlined operating room in a health care setting, an optimized production schedule for manufacturing, or a long-range and detailed financial plan.
Industrial engineers may be called upon to perform a wide range of tasks in their effort to reduce wasted time, energy and money in the workplace:
While most engineering fields are concerned with specific products, systems or processes, industrial engineering focuses on managing people, organizing businesses and optimizing the use of technology in ways that increase efficiency in a variety of workplace settings. Today's companies need to compete in an increasingly global market, and industrial engineers help them do just that by improving both productivity and quality—whether the result is a streamlined operating room in a health care setting, an optimized production schedule for manufacturing, or a long-range and detailed financial plan.
Industrial engineers may be called upon to perform a wide range of tasks in their effort to reduce wasted time, energy and money in the workplace:
- They
use mathematical models or computer simulations to determine the best
possible design for information, production and distribution systems.
- They
work on a managerial level, assisting with strategic planning,
financial analysis, salary administration and job evaluation programs.
- They work with human factors and ergonomics, optimizing the interaction between employees and their physical and technological workplace environment.
Job Opportunities
There are job opportunities for industrial engineers in a mind-boggling variety of industries. Industrial engineering
isn't just about manufacturing; it's also called for in service
industries, health care, shipping and logistics, banking, entertainment,
forestry and logging, the military, and all levels of government.
However, the greatest numbers of industrial engineers are employed in
manufacturing sectors such as aerospace manufacturing, motor vehicle
parts manufacturing, and the manufacture of navigational, measuring,
medical and other instruments.
The Future of Industrial Engineering
An
ongoing need to improve productivity in order to keep up in a fiercely
competitive marketplace, as well as an interest in increased efficiency
of production to reduce environmental impact, will ensure that
industrial engineers have plenty of job opportunities in the future.
Degrees & Schools
- Associate's
Degree in Industrial Engineering: While a bachelor's degree is usually
the minimum education required to start work as an engineer, 2-year
associate's degree programs are available in industrial engineering
technology, allowing the degree holder to begin work in a technician
capacity or transfer to a four-year program.
- Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering:
A bachelor's degree is required by most entry-level industrial
engineering jobs. Usually, the first two years of the program are spent
studying pre-engineering and general education subjects, while the last
two are devoted to core engineering curriculum.
- Master's and Doctoral Degrees in Industrial Engineering:
Graduate degrees usually specialize in a particular area of study
within industrial engineering, such as human factors engineering,
computer simulation or supply chain management.
- Online Industrial Engineering Degrees: Online and distance learning programs in industrial engineering are available at all levels, from associate's degrees in industrial engineering technology to doctoral-level study.
Salaries
According
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2012-13 Occupational Outlook
Handbook, the median national annual salary for industrial engineers is
$77,240. Actual salaries may vary greatly based on specialization within
the field, location, years of experience and a variety of other
factors.
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