Industrial Engineering

200 | 300 | 400 | Graduate Courses

(Administered by the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering)

Patrick Patterson, Chair of Department
Distinguished Professors (Emeritus): Cowles
University Professors (Emeritus): David
Professors: Heising, Morris, Sannier, Vardeman
Professors (Emeritus): Berger, Even, Griffen, Hempstead, Mohr, Montag, Moore, C. Smith, G. Smith, Squires, Tamashunas, Vaughn
Professors (Collaborators): Dittmar
Associate Professors: Adams, Cruz-Neira, Gemmill, Jackman, Meeks, Min, Olafsson, Patterson, Peters, Ryan
Associate Professors (Emeritus): Love
Assistant Professors: Frank

Undergraduate Study

For the undergraduate curriculum in industrial engineering leading to the degree bachelor of science, see College of Engineering, Curricula. This curriculum is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

Industrial engineers are employed to design, analyze, and improve systems and processes found in manufacturing, consulting, and service industries. Professional responsibilities are typically in design, management, analysis, optimization, and modeling of industrial systems. An industrial engineer is focused on human factors, operations research, enterprise computing, engineering management, manufacturing engineering, and quality. Industrial engineers are typically found in organizations responsible for operations management, process engineering, automation, logistics, supply chain management, scheduling, plant engineering, quality control, and technical sales.

The overall goal of the industrial engineering undergraduate curriculum is to produce technically qualified industrial engineers who are capable of successful professional practice in the field. To meet this goal, the curriculum includes in-depth instruction to accomplish the integration of systems using appropriate analytical, computational, and engineering practices. The curriculum also provides graduates with the necessary educational foundation to pursue advanced studies in industrial engineering or related fields.

The industrial engineering curriculum has the following objectives. The graduates of the curriculum shall be able to
1. use broad-based analytical tools and information technology for decision-making and system design, analysis, and performance evaluation
2. formulate problems in specific application areas, including manufacturing, production, logistics, ergonimics, management, service industry, public policy, and information systems
3. provide solutions for engineering projects that are focused on design, operations, and process improvement
4. communicate their ideas via written and oral communication means
5. work in multidisciplinary teams with the understanding of team dynamics and project planning
6. pursue lifelong learning so they can effectively adapt to the changing demands in their workplaces and be able to perform tasks outside their field of original expertise
7. understand their potential for top management and leadership roles in their chosen professional careers.

Details on industrial engineering program outcomes that foster the attainment of these objectives are available at appropriate sections of www.imse.iastate.edu/.

The industrial engineering undergraduate curriculum provides students with fundamental knowledge in mathematics and science, engineering science, social science, and humanities as well as professional industrial engineering course work. Management electives provide students with an opportunity to become familiar with modern business practices that they will encounter in their career. A senior capstone design course provides students with an opportunity to solve open-ended industrial problems with an industrial partner. The cooperative education program provides students with real world experience in the profession and a good perspective on career choices. Students are encouraged to participate in international experiences through exchange programs and industrial internships.A joint BSIE/MBA program is available for students pursuing greater emphasis on management.

Graduate Study

The department offers work for the degrees master of science and doctor of philosophy with a major in industrial engineering. A formal minor is available to graduate students having a major in another department. Graduate study is designed to improve the student's capability to conduct research as well as improve professional expertise in industrial engineering.

The Prerequisite to major graduate work is the completion of a curriculum similar to that required of undergraduate students in engineering at this institution.

With the help of a program of study committee, a graduate student develops an educational program in areas within industrial engineering. Typical areas of concentration include engineering management, human computer interfaces, manufacturing systems, operations research and optimization, enterprise computing, and information engineering.

Courses open for nonmajor graduate credit: 305, 312, 341, 348, 361, 375, 408, 409, 413, 419, 441, 448, 465, 471, 483.

Courses primarily for undergraduate students

I E 101. Industrial Engineering Profession. (1-0) Cr. R. F.S. Introduce students to the industrial engineering profession, its scope, industrial engineering tools, and future trends.

I E 148. Information Engineering. (2-2) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Credit or enrollment in Math 142. Development of information solutions for engineering problems. Fundamentals of the software development process. Engineering computations and the human/computer interface. Data models and database development. Program connectivity and network applications.

I E 248. Engineering System Design, Manufacturing Processes and Specifications. (2-2) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Credit or enrollment in Mat E 272. Introduction to metrology, engineering drawings and specifications. Engineering methods for designing and improving systems. Theory, applications, and quality issues related to machining processes.

I E 271. Applied Ergonomics and Work Design. (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Phys 221. Basic concepts of ergonomics and work design. Their impact on worker and work place productivity and cost. Investigations of work physiology, biomechanics, anthropometry, work methods, and their measurement as they relate to the design of human-machine systems.

I E 298. Cooperative Education. Cr. R each time taken. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of department and Engineering Career Services. First professional work period in the cooperative education program. Students must register for this course before commencing work.

I E 305. Engineering Economic Analysis. (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: Math 166. Economic analysis of engineering decisions under uncertainty. Financial engineering basics including time value of money, cash flow estimation, and asset evaluation. Comparison of project alternatives accounting for taxation, depreciation, inflation, and risk. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 312. Optimization. (3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Math 266. Concepts, optimization and analysis techniques, and applications of operations research. Formulation of mathematical models for systems, concepts, and methods of improving search, linear programming and sensitivity analysis, network models, and integer programming. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 341. Production Systems. (3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Stat 231; credit or enrollment in I E 312. Introduction of key concepts in the design and analysis of production systems. Topics include inventory control, forecasting, material requirement planning, project planning and scheduling, operations scheduling, and other production systems such as Just-In-Time (JIT), warehousing, and global supply chains. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 348. Solidification Processes. (2-2) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 248. Theory, applications, and quality issues related to metal casting, welding, polymer processing, powder metallurgy, electronic assembly, and semi-conductor manufacturing. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 361. Statistical Quality Assurance. (Same as Stat 361.) (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Stat 231 or 401. Statistical methods for process improvement. Simple quality assurance principles and tools; modern quality culture including TQM, 6 Sigma, ISO 9000, and Baldrige. Measurement system precision and accuracy assessment. Control charts. Process capability assessment. Experimental design and analysis for process improvement. Significant external project in process improvement. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 375. Introductory Production Systems. (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Junior classification, Math 160 or 166. Principles and concepts in the design and control of production systems, including demand forecasting, fixed and variable capacity planning, master production scheduling, inventory control, types of production and work flow systems, quality control, and project management. Not available for degrees in industrial engineering. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 396. Summer Internship. Cr. R each time taken. SS. Prereq: Permission of department and Engineering Career Services. Summer professional work period.

I E 397. Engineering Internship. Cr. R each time taken. F.S. Prereq: Permission of department and Engineering Career Services. Professional work period for a maximum of one semester per academic year.

I E 398. Cooperative Education. Cr. R each time taken. F.S.SS. Prereq: 298, permission of department and Engineering Career Services. Second professional work period in the cooperative education program. Students must register for this course before commencing work.

I E 408. Interdisciplinary Problem Solving. (Same as E E 408, I Tec 408.) (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Junior or senior classification. Use the Theory of Constraints as a way of approaching problem solving, win-win negotiation, project planning and effective delegation in the context of engineering/business systems. Team projects aimed at improving design outcomes. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 409. Interdisciplinary Systems Effectiveness. (Same as E E 409, I Tec 409.) (3-0) Cr. 3. F.SS. Prereq: Junior or senior classification. Focus on functions that determine the effectiveness of an entire organization. Generic Theory of Constraints solutions to production, distribution, and project management are compared to traditional solutions. Strategy for improvements discovered using simulations. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 413. Stochastic Modeling, Analysis and Simulation. (4-0) Cr. 4. F. Prereq: Math 266, Stat 231. Development and analysis of simulation models using a simulation language. Application to various areas of manufacturing and service systems such as assembly, material handling, and customer queues. Utilizing model output to make important business decisions. Fitting of data to statistical distributions. Introduction to Markov processes and other queuing models. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 419. Manufacturing Systems Modeling. (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Stat 231. Modeling material handling systems, inventory systems, and production systems for performance analysis. Introduction to analysis, simulation, and physical models of manufacturing systems. Simulation languages such as ARENA, AweSim, and ProModel. Not available for degrees in industrial engineering. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 441. Industrial Engineering Design. (1-6) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 248, 271, 305, 361; credit or enrollment in 341 and 413. A large, open-ended design project related to an enterprise. Application of engineering design principles including problem definition, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 448. Manufacturing Systems Engineering. (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 248 or similar manufacturing experience. Fixturing and tooling requirements for manufacturing process planning, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, computer aided inspection, make versus buy decisions, cellular and flexible manufacturing, and facility layout. The role of these topics in supporting lean manufacturing will be integrated throughout the course. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 449. Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing. (Dual-listed with 549.) (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2006. Prereq: 248, some experience with theory of matrices. Representation and interpretation of curves, surfaces and solids. Parametric curves and surfaces and solid modeling. Use of CAD software and graphics programming techniques for CAD/CAM integration. Application of computer technologies in planning and controlling manufacturing processes. Computer numerical control, CNC programming languages, and process planning.

I E 466. Multidisciplinary Engineering Design. (Same as E E 466.) See Electrical Engineering.

I E 471. Safety and Reliability in the Design of Work Systems. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2006. Prereq: 271. The quantitative study of work systems through the methods of engineering analysis and design, human reliability analysis, and the use of simulation to predict, model, and reduce or eliminate workplace hazards.Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 481. e-Commerce Systems Engineering. (Dual-listed with 581.) (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2005. Prereq: 148. Design, analysis, and implementation of e-commerce systems. Information infrastructure, enterprise models, enterprise processes, enterprise views. Data structures and algorithms used in e-commerce systems, SQL, exchange protocols, client/server model, web-based views.

I E 483. Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining. (Dual-listed with 583.) (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2006. Prereq: 148, 312, and Stat 231. Introduction to data warehouses and knowledge discovery. Techniques for data mining, including probabilistic and statistical methods, genetic algorithms and neural networks, visualization techniques, and mathematical programming. Relationship to enterprise computing. Advanced topics include web-mining and mining of multimedia data. Case studies from both manufacturing and service industries. A computing project is required. Nonmajor graduate credit.

I E 490. Independent Study. Cr. 1 to 5 each time elected. Prereq: Senior classification, permission of instructor. Independent study and work in the areas of industrial engineering design, practice, or research.
A. Manufacturing
B. Human Factors
C. Operations Research
D. Enterprise Computing and Information Management
E. Engineering Management
H. Honors

I E 498. Cooperative Education. Cr. R each time taken. F.S.SS. Prereq: 298, permission of department and Engineering Career Services. Third and subsequent professional work periods in the cooperative education program. Students must register for this course before commencing work.

Courses primarily for graduate students, open to qualified undergraduate students

(An undergraduate student must have an academic standing in the upper one-half of his/her class to enroll in any 500-level industrial engineering course.)

I E 501. M.S. Research Basics and Communications. Cr. 1. F. Principles and practices for research tasks at the M.S. level including proposal writing, presentations, paper preparation, and project management.

I E 508. Design and Analysis of Allocation Mechanisms. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2006. Prereq: 312 or Math 307. Market-based allocation mechanisms from quantitative economic systems perspective. Pricing and costing models designed and analyzed with respect to decentralized decision processes, information requirements, and coordination. Case studies and examples from industries such as regulated utilities, semiconductor manufacturers, and financial engineering services.

I E 510. Network Analysis. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2006. Prereq: 312. Formulation and solution of deterministic network flow problems including shortest path, minimum cost flow, and maximum flow. Network and graph formulations of combinatorial problems including assignment, matching, and spanning trees. Introduction to deterministic and stochastic dynamic programming.

I E 513. Analysis of Stochastic Systems. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2006. Prereq: Stat 231. Introduction to modeling and analysis of manufacturing and service systems subject to uncertainty. Topics include the Poisson process, renewal processes, Markov chains, and Brownian motion. Applications to inventory systems, production system design, production scheduling, reliability, and capacity planning.

I E 514. Production Scheduling. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2005. Prereq: 312, 341. Introduction to the theory of machine shop systems. Complexity results for various systems such as job, flow and open shops. Applications of linear programming, integer programming, network analysis. Enumerative methods for machine sequencing. Introduction to stochastic scheduling.

I E 519. Simulation Modeling and Analysis. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2007. Prereq: Com S 311, Stat 401. Event scheduling, process interaction, and continuous modeling techniques. Probability and statistics related to simulation parameters including run length, inference, design of experiments, variance reduction, and stopping rules. Aspects of simulation languages.

I E 531. Quality Control and Engineering Statistics. (Same as Stat 531.) See Statistics.

I E 533. Reliability. (Same as Stat 533.) See Statistics.

I E 534. Linear Programming. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2005. Prereq: 312. Develop linear models. Theory and computational aspects of the simplex method. Duality theory and sensitivity analysis. Introduction to interior point methods and column generation. Multiobjective linear programs.

I E 537. Reliability and Safety Engineering. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2005. Prereq: Graduate classification in engineering. Mathematical basics for dealing with reliability data, theory, and analysis. Bayesian reliability analysis. Engineering ethics in safety evaluations. Case studies of accidents in large technological systems. Fault and event tree analysis.

I E 541. Inventory Control and Production Planning. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2006. Prereq: 341. Economic Order Quantity, dynamic lot sizing, newsboy, base stock, and (Q,r) models. Material Requirements Planning, Just-In-Time (JIT), variability in production systems, push and pull production systems, aggregate and workforce planning, and capacity management.

I E 545. Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing. (0-3) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2005. Prereq: 248 or similar manufacturing experience. Introduction to rapid prototyping processes and other rapid manufacturing methodologies. Operating principles and characterisctics of current and developing rapid prototyping processes. Use of rapid prototypes in product design, development, and service. Selection of rapid prototyping systems based on required model accuracy. Rapid methodologies used in manufacturing processes and rapid tooling approaches.

I E 549. Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing. (Dual-listed with 449.) (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2006. Prereq: 248, some experience with theory of matrices. Representation and interpretation of curves, surfaces, and solids. Parametric curves and surfaces and solid modeling. Use of CAD software and graphics programming techniques for CAD/CAM integration. Application of computer technologies in planning and controlling manufacturing processes. Computer numerical control, CNC programming languages and process planning.

I E 557. Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling. (Same as Cpr E 557, M E 557.) (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: M E 421, programming experience in C. Fundamentals of computer graphics technology. Data structures. Parametric curve and surface modeling. Solid model representations. Applications in engineering design, analysis, and manufacturing.

I E 561. Continuous Quality Improvement of Process. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2007. Prereq: 361. Methods for continuous quality improvement in process analysis. The systems analysis for process improvement model based on W. Edwards Deming. Quality function deployment methods. Case studies of applications to manufacturing and other heavy industries. Use of process analysis computerized programs and tools for design analysis.

I E 565. Systems Engineering and Analysis. (Same as Aer E 565, E E 565.) (3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Graduate classification in engineering. Introduction to organized multidisciplinary approach to designing and developing systems. Concepts, principles, and practice of systems engineering as applied to large integrated systems. Life cycle costing, scheduling, risk management, functional analysis, conceptual and detail design, test and evaluation, and systems engineering planning and organization. Not available for degrees in industrial engineering.

I E 566. Applied Systems Engineering. (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 565. Design for reliability, maintainability, usability, supportability, producibility, disposability, and life cycle costs in the context of the systems engineering process. Students will be required to apply the principles of systems engineering to a project including proposal, program plan, systems engineering management plan, and test and evaluation plan. Not available for degrees in industrial engineering.

I E 570. Systems Engineering and Project Management. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. SS., offered 2006. Prereq: Graduate classification or permission of instructor. Systems view of projects and the processes by which they are implemented. Focuses on qualitative and quantitative tools and techniques of project management. Specific systems concepts, methodologies, and tools for effective management of both simple and complex projects. Introduction of important performance parameters for planning, cost control, scheduling, and productivity, including discussions of traditional and state of the art tools and systems.

I E 572. Design and Evaluation of Human-Computer Interaction. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2006. Prereq: Graduate classification or permission of instructor. Human factors methods applied to interface design, prototyping, and evaluation. Concepts related to understanding user characteristics, usability analysis, methods and techniques for design and evaluation of the interface. The evaluation and design of the information presentation characteristics of a wide variety of interfaces: web sites (e-commerce), computer games, information presentation systems (cockpits, instrumentation, etc.), and desktop virtual reality.

I E 574. Interaction Techniques for Emerging Technologies. (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Com S 227 and 228 or programming skills in C++ and Java or permission of instructor. Interactive systems and their impact on end-users. In-depth coverage of the diverse emerging interactive systems, from hand-held PDAs to conventional desktop and web systems to immersive virtual environments. Focuses on the kowledge and skills to understand the relationship between hardware and software components when designing interaction methods for applications.

I E 576. Human Factors in Product Design. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2005. Prereq: Graduate classification or permission of instructor. Investigation of the human interface to consumer and industrial systems and products, providing a basis for their design and evaluation. Discussions of human factors in the product design process: modeling the human during product use; usability; human factors methods in product design evaluation; user- device interface; safety, warnings, and instructions for products; considerations for human factors in the design of products for international use.

I E 577. Human Factors. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2005. Prereq: 271, Stat 231 or 401. Physical and psychological factors affecting human performance in systems. Signal detection theory, human reliability modeling, information theory, and performance shaping applied to safety, reliability, productivity, stress reduction, training, and human/equipment interface design. Laboratory assignments related to system design and operation.

I E 581. e-Commerce Systems Engineering. (Dual-listed with 481.) (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2005. Prereq: 148. Design, analysis, and implementation of e-commerce systems. Information infrastructure, enterprise models, enterprise processes, enterprise views. Data structures and algorithms used in e-commerce systems. SQL, exchange protocols, client/server model, web-based views.

I E 582. Enterprise Modeling and Integration. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2006. Prereq: 3 credits in information technology or information systems. The design and analysis of enterprise models to support information engineering of enterprise-wide systems. Representation of system behavior and structure including process modeling, information modeling, and conceptual modeling. Applications in enterprise application integration, enterprise resource planning systems, product data management systems, and manufacturing execution systems.

I E 583. Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining. (Dual-listed with 483.) (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2006. Prereq: 148, 312, and Stat 231. Introduction to data warehouses and knowledge discovery. Techniques for data mining, including probabilistic and statistical methods, genetic algorithms and neural networks, visualization techniques, and mathematical programming. Relationship to enterprise computing. Advanced topics include web-mining and mining of multimedia data. Case studies from both manufacturing and service industries. A computing project and an additional project with more theoretical content are required.

I E 584. Introduction to Virtual Reality. (3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Com S 227 and 228 or programming skills in C ++ and Java or permission of instructor. Virtual reality technology and practices. Technical introduction to the field in preparation for designing and developing immersive spaces. Designing virtual worlds, designing efficient software frameworks, and integrating multiple hardware and software components within time-critical constraints.

I E 585. Requirements Engineering. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2007. Prereq: 3 credits in information technology or information systems. Principles and practices for requirements engineering as part of the product development process with emphasis on software systems engineering. Problem definition, problem analysis, requirements analysis, requirements elicitation, validation, specifications. Case studies using requirements engineering methods and techniques.

I E 588. Information Systems for Manufacturing. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2006. Prereq: 148, 448. Design and implementation of systems for the collection, maintenance, and usage of information needed for manufacturing operations, such as process control, quality, process definition, production definitions, inventory, and plant maintenance. Topics include interfacing with multiple data sources, methods to utilize the information to improve the process, system architectures, and maintaining adequate and accurate data for entities internal and external to the enterprise to achieve best manufacturing practices.

I E 590. Special Topics. Cr. 1 to 3.Prereq: Advanced study of a research topic in the field of industrial engineering.

I E 599. Creative Component. Cr. var.
A.Industrial Engineering
C. Operations Research

Courses for Graduate students

I E 601. Ph.D. Research Basics and Communications. Cr. 1. F. Principles and practices for conducting research at the Ph.D. level, including problem definition, proposal writing, presentations, conference proceedings, paper preparation, and project management.

I E 613. Stochastic Production Systems. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2007. Prereq: 513. Modeling techniques to evaluate performance and address issues in design, control, and operation of systems. Markov models of single-stage make-to-order and make-to-stock systems. Approximations for non- Markovian systems. Impact of variability on flow lines. Open and closed queuing networks.

I E 631. Nonlinear Programming. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2007. Prereq: 534. Develop nonlinear models, convex sets and functions, optimality conditions, Lagrangian duality, unconstrained minimization techniques. Constrained minimization techniques covering penalty and barrier functions, sequential quadratic programming, the reduced gradient method.

I E 632. Integer Programming. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2006. Prereq: 534. Integer programming including cutting planes, branch and bound, and Lagrangian relaxation. Introduction to complexity issues and search-based heuristics.

I E 642. Simultaneous Engineering in Manufacturing Systems. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2006. Prereq: 549 or M E 415. Current engineering methods for the product life cycle process. Feature- based design, computer-aided process planning, and data-driven product engineering.

I E 690. Advanced Topics. Cr. 1 to 3. Prereq: Permission of the instructor. Advanced topics related to Ph.D. research in industrial engineering under the direction of the instructor.

I E 697. Engineering Internship. Cr. R each time taken. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of department. Professional work period for a maximum of one semester per academic year.

I E 699. Research. Cr. var.
A. Industrial Engineering
C. Operations Research