Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering

Bryan A. Norman, Ph.D., Chairperson

AT&T Professor: Beruvides
E.L. Derr Professor: Zhang
Professors: Norman, Patterson, J. Smith, M. Smith
Associate Professors: Cross, de Farias, Matis
Assistant Professor: Cong, Du, Tan, Xu
Instructor: Dissanayake, Peterson

CONTACT INFORMATION: 232 Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering Building | Box 43061 | Lubbock, TX 79409-3061 | T 806.742.3543 | www.depts.ttu.edu/ieweb

About the Department

This department supervises the following degree programs:

• Industrial Engineering BS  
• Master of Science in Industrial Engineering  
• Master of Science in Systems and Engineering Management  
• Master of Science in Manufacturing Engineering  
• Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering  
• Doctor of Philosophy in Systems and Engineering Management  

Mission. The mission of the department is to provide the highest quality of industrial, manufacturing and systems engineering education by stimulating discovery, integration, application, and communication of knowledge.

Program Educational Objectives. Within a few years of graduation, Industrial Engineering BS graduates are expected to:

• Assume professional, technical managerial, or leadership roles within industrial organizations and/or pursue graduate level education.
• Apply knowledge through discovery, synthesis, and integration for the betterment of their organization or society at large.

These objectives are published in the university’s catalog and on the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering website.

Student Outcomes. Student outcomes are statements of the expectations for the knowledge and skills that students should possess when they graduate with an Industrial Engineering BS from Texas Tech University.

Graduates of the program must demonstrate the following:

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.

The Industrial Engineering BS is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.

Program Overview. Modern industrial engineering is a combination of basic engineering knowledge and quantitative analysis techniques to support managerial decision making. Industrial engineers use the information and techniques from physical, mathematical, biological, behavioral, and engineering sciences to plan, control, design, and manage complex organizations and systems. Just as the other branches of engineering use the laws of physical sciences in designing and operating a product, industrial engineering applies these same laws to designing and operating systems in which these products are produced or in which services are provided. The major distinction between industrial engineering and other branches of engineering is that the industrial engineer must consider not only the behavior of inanimate objects, as they are governed by physical laws, but also the behavior of people as they interface with inanimate objects and as they operate together in organizations, whether these organizations be simple or complex.

The curriculum provides students with an opportunity to apply their engineering, mathematical, and science knowledge to design systems (production or processes) and solve engineering problems. Students learn to function on teams, communicate effectively, design and conduct experiments, and utilize current engineering tools. Students gain an understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities as they examine contemporary issues and the impact of engineering solutions in the global workplace. Perhaps most importantly, students learn to learn so that they can continue to update their industrial engineering skills throughout their careers.

The curriculum is continually evaluated by faculty, students, alumni, and industry to provide a contemporary industrial engineering program that meets the needs of customers. A variety of assessment tools are utilized in the evaluation process. Program changes are implemented on an ongoing basis. 

Undergraduate Program

General Standards and Requirements. Admission requirements and academic standards for the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering are consistent with the dynamic enrollment plan for the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering. Refer to the introduction to the Whitacre College of Engineering  section of this catalog for a description of the criteria for initial admission to the Whitacre College of Engineering and the lower-division foundational curriculum. The recommended foundational curriculum for industrial engineering consists of ENGL 1301 , ENGL 1302 ; MATH 1451 , MATH 1452 ; CHEM 1307 /CHEM 1107 ; PHYS 1408 ; ENGR 1315  or IE 1385 . 

A student may apply for admission to the upper division of a degree program upon completion of the foundational curriculum and a minimum of 12 credit hours of Texas Tech coursework. The acceptance criterion is based exclusively on a cumulative GPA for coursework completed at Texas Tech. The specific GPA standard varies among the degree programs and may change from one academic year to the next as necessary to align enrollments with the educational resources. For students who entered Texas Tech prior to June 1, 2012, a minimum 2.0 GPA is required for admission to the industrial engineering upper-division degree program. Students entering Texas Tech after June 1, 2012, must have a minimum 2.5 GPA. 

The academic standards required by the Whitacre College of Engineering and the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering are given in the introduction to the Whitacre College section of the catalog and summarized below. Exceptions to these standards are at the discretion of the Dean of the Whitacre College of Engineering.

• A grade of C or better is required for all courses in an engineering degree plan.
• A grade of C or better must be achieved in all prerequisites before the subsequent course may be attempted.
• A minimum 2.5 GPA is required to maintain academic good standing and continued membership in the Whitacre College of Engineering.
• A full-time student must achieve a C or better in 18 credit hours of coursework in the degree plan in each 12-month period.
• An engineering course may be repeated only one time after a course drop, withdrawal, or failure to achieve a C or higher. A maximum of three engineering courses may be repeated. 

Students entering the industrial engineering program are assigned a faculty advisor and are responsible for arranging a course of study with the advisor’s counsel and approval. The curriculum is designed to provide a comprehensive education in industrial engineering and to develop effective engineers by balancing the breadth and depth of instruction. 

A minimum of 130 hours is required for graduation. The courses are offered so that progress through the program is efficient and flexible to accommodate the needs of individual students. A faculty advisor assists each student with his or her individual program on a semester-by-semester basis.

The department follows the general standards and requirements of the Whitacre College of Engineering. Any student requesting an exception must submit a written request and any supporting documentation to the Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for its approval. 

Graduate Program

For information on graduate programs offered by the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering, visit the Graduate Programs  section of the catalog.

Undergraduate Program Offerings, Course Descriptions & Curricular Tables

(Click on program for curricular table.)

Programs

• Industrial Engineering BS

• Industrial Engineering, Undergraduate Minor

Courses

• IE 1385 - Computing Principles for Industrial and Systems Engineers
• IE 2301 - Engineering Design in Production Operations
• IE 2324 - Engineering Economic Analysis
• IE 3244 - Engineering Data Analysis
• IE 3311 - Deterministic Operations Research
• IE 3325 - Management Systems Control
• IE 3328 - Manufacturing Systems Control
• IE 3341 - Engineering Statistics
• IE 3346 - Quality Assurance and Engineering Statistics
• IE 3351 - Manufacturing Engineering I
• IE 3361 - Work Analysis and Design
• IE 4120 - Internship and Coop
• IE 4316 - Simulation Systems Modeling
• IE 4320 - Fundamentals of Systems
• IE 4331 - Individual Studies in Industrial Engineering
• IE 4333 - Senior Design Project
• IE 4351 - Facilities Planning and Design
• IE 4352 - Manufacturing Engineering II
• IE 4358 - 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, Fundamentals and Practices
• IE 4361 - Engineering Design for People
• IE 4362 - Industrial Ergonomics
• IE 4363 - Work and Product Safety Engineering
• IE 4380 - Information Systems Engineering
• IE 4381 - Introduction to Critical Infrastructure
• IE 4382 - Cybersecurity for Information Systems
• IE 4383 - Industrial and Networked Control Systems
• IE 4384 - Security for Systems and Software
• IE 4385 - Cyber Attacks
• IE 4386 - Requirement Engineering for Systems and Software