Masters in Industrial and Systems Engineering

Operations Research

Operations research is a discipline that deals with the application of advanced analytical methods to help make better decisions. It consists of a wide range of problem-solving techniques and methods to improve decision making and efficiency. Specialization in operations research will give you the ability to manage organized systems and take objective decisions. Operations research approaches a problem in phases which can be listed as follows: problem formulation, model construction, deriving solutions from models, testing the solution, and implementing solutions. Model construction is the biggest and most crucial phase, and it heavily depends on mathematics and computing.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of operations research analysts is projected to grow 27 percent from 2016 to 2026 which is much faster than the average for all occupations. As technology advances and companies seek efficiency and cost savings, the demand for operations research analysis should continue to grow.

Industrial Management

Industrial management is a sub discipline of the business administration field, which is mainly concerned with the detailed study of structures and organizations of different companies. The specialization gives the students an insight into production, financial, human resource, and marketing management along with commercial law, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility. Industrial managers have to create detailed reports of recommendations and suggestions to help improve these organizations. They supervise day to day operations of industrial and manufacturing plants which involve coordination, planning, and execution of directives that are responsible for manufacturing a wide range of consumer goods. Quality control is one of the most important tasks which an industrial manager performs to make sure that a minimum quality standard is observed within the organization. Industrial managers are team leaders in their respective organizations and act as a communication channel between managers from multiple departments.  

Supply Chain Engineering

Supply chain is a system that moves a product from the supplier to the consumer. Supply chain engineering is a discipline which analyzes and coordinates an organization’s supply chain.  Supply chain engineers manage the entire life cycle of a product starting from its acquisition to the final delivery. They use software systems to plan and track the movement of products. The performance of supply chain process is an important factor in a company’s profitability. Supply chain systems have become increasingly complex as they continue in their efforts to gain more efficiency at minimal cost. The course will educate students about the optimization of supply chains, integration of technologies, processes, and people to fulfil supply chain objectives, outsourcing, collaboration, supply chain control, and so on.

Employment is expected to grow as companies need more supply chain engineers to move products more efficiently, solve problems, and identify areas for improvement.

Manufacturing Systems Management

Manufacturing systems management is a collection of technologies and methods used to define how products are to be manufactured. The specialization provides detailed insights into all the stages involved in the commercialization of the product – conceptualization, designing, manufacturing, development, distribution, production, and so on. Students will get to know about finance and manufacturing enterprise, innovation management, different manufacturing systems, manufacturing management, and so on.  Specialization in this field prepares technical professionals for effective leadership in the manufacturing sector.

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Supply Chain Management can be defined as a methodology to design, plan, execute, control, and monitor supply chain activities in order to make full use of global infrastructure and balance supply with demand. This is the methodology of maximizing resource utilization, minimizing wastage, and providing good customer service. Supply chain managers take care of external things such as planning the end product, procuring raw material, transport, and delivery of end products.

Operations management and Supply Chain management are both linked with each other. In fact, Operations management is a part of SCM. Operation managers in fact take care of internal issues such as sales forecast, increasing productivity, maintaining quality standards, and balancing supply with demand.

The demand for Industrial and Systems graduates in the SCM field is very high, and again there are many managerial roles to choose from once you enter the job market. Overall job opportunities should also be good because of the employment growth rates and the need to replace logisticians who are expected to retire or otherwise leave the occupation. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts growth rate for SCM jobs at 7 percent, which is as fast as the national average itself.

Global Rank

Industrial Engineer

Industrial engineers are professionals who deal with complex systems and processes with the aim of optimizing them and minimizing wastage as far as possible. They create innovative industrial systems which combine major industrial components and human resources, in other words, manage workers, machines, information, and energy, to ensure an economically viable and cost-efficient functioning. Nowadays, industrial engineers also use the tools of data science and machine learning while developing different production models and implementing them. Industrial engineers are employed in a wide range of industries. This occupation is versatile both in the nature of the work it involves and in the industries in which its expertise can be put to use.

Quality Engineer

Quality engineer is an engineering professional who is concerned with the principles and practice of product and service quality assurance. Quality engineers create and implement strategies for quality assurance in product development and production as well as software development. If anything goes wrong, it’s the quality engineer’s job to meticulously document the problem and work with other engineers to find a solution.

Employment for industrial and quality engineers is projected to increase by 10 percent by 2026 which is faster than the average for all occupations.

Supplier Quality Engineer

Supplier quality engineers are professionals who hold speciality in the fields of  manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics. Their main responsibility is to assess the quality of supplied products, and by doing so, they ensure that the products received are free from defects. Compliance with regulatory standards is ensured by regular audits  performed by them. A large portion of their working hours is spent travelling to and visiting different supplier facilities in order to perform these audits and analyze their procedures which helps them identify the areas that can be improved. Supplier quality engineers carry out detailed tests of received supplies to weed out potential failures which stem from manufacturing defects common in the industry.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide specific employment outlook data for supplier quality engineers, its findings indicate that that supply chain related roles will grow by 7 percent between 2016 and 2026.

Supply Chain Manager

Supply chain managers are the professionals who make sure that the manufactured goods reach their suppliers and customers. They supervise and closely monitor the products through each and every stage of the production - right from the purchase of raw materials till the delivery of the final product. A good foresight and inventory management skills are indispensable when it comes to mobilizing manufactured goods from warehouses to customers. A supply chain manager is in direct communication with suppliers and should be able to analyze cost effectiveness of current contracts. They work across all areas in the employment sector such as manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and retail.

Quality Engineer (Medical devices)

Quality engineers for medical devices are responsible for all aspects of quality assurance in the design and production of medical devices. In other words, we can say that they are the quality engineers who specialize in the field of medical device manufacturing. They design and implement tests that effectively and efficiently monitor the quality of the medical devices in each stage of the production process. Due to the vital nature of the medical device field, the role of quality engineers becomes very important.

Job prospects

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of industrial engineers is projected to grow at 10 percent  from 2016 to 2026 which is faster than the average for all occupations. Industrial engineers are employed in a wide range of industries such as manufacturing industries, consulting services, R&D firms, and wholesale trade. The current growth in healthcare and changes in the way healthcare is delivered is set to accelerate the demand for industrial engineers. Graduates of masters in industrial and systems engineering are sure to find better prospects for employment in this field.