General Information
"Choosing a Career in Industrial Engineering"
Industrial engineers figure out how to do things better. They engineer processes and systems that improve quality and productivity. They work to eliminate waste of time, money, materials, energy, and other commodities. Most important of all, IEs save companies money. This is why more and more companies are hiring industrial engineers and then promoting them into management positions. As companies adopt management philosophies of continuous productivity and quality improvement to survive in the increasingly competitive world market, the need for industrial engineers is growing. Why? Industrial engineers are the only engineering professionals trained as productivity and quality improvement specialists.
“‘Industrial engineer’ is synonymous with systems integrator - a big-picture thinker, in other words. It's an employee who takes what exists today and conceptualizes what should exist in the future. IEs spend most of their time out in the real operating environment, coming up with scientific approaches to problems rather than temporary solutions,” says John Samuels, vice president of Norfolk Southern.
Many people are misled by the term “industrial engineer.” The "industrial” does not mean just manufacturing. It encompasses service industries as well. It has long been known that industrial engineers have the technical training to make improvements in a manufacturing setting. Now it is becoming increasingly recognized that these same techniques can be used to evaluate and improve productivity and quality in service industries.
- Where do IEs work?
Manufacturing firms and service industries hire a significant number of IEs. Today, more and more businesses hire IEs in areas like sales and marketing, finance, information systems, and personnel. Other industries employing IEs are hospitals, airlines, banks, railroads, and social services.
- How much can IEs earn?
Starting Salaries
According to a 1999 salary survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, bachelor’s degree candidates in industrial engineering received starting offers averaging about $43,100 a year; master’s degree candidates, $49,900.Average Income
According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual earnings of industrial engineers were $52,610 in 1998. The middle 50 percent earned between $42,690 and $73,870.Salaries are Rising
According to the IIE 2000 Salary Survey, IIE members reported that they bring home an average total annual compensation of $76,000, up from 1998's average $71,000.Job Outlook
Employment of industrial engineers is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2008, reflecting industrial growth, more complex business operations, and greater use of automation in factories and offices.
- How do IEs benefit society and business?
Industrial engineering has provided a systematic approach to streamline and improve productivity and efficiency. Benefits that can be linked directly to the work of industrial engineers include:
- Leaner, more efficient, and more profitable business practices while increasing customer service and quality.
- Improved efficiency.
- The idea of setting labor or time standards.
- Good organization and improving productivity.
- Increased ability to do more with less.
- Making work safer, faster, easier, and more rewarding.
- Focused on optimization - doing more with less - and helps to reduce waste in society.
- Increased cycle time and throughput thus helping more people get their product quicker.
- Assistance in guiding society and business to care more for their workforce.
- Showing ways to improve the working environment.
- Making the world safer through better designed and easier to use products.
- Reducing costs associated with new technologies.
All UTC Undergraduate Engineering Specialities:
Chemical |
Civil |
Electrical |
Environmental |
Industrial |
Mechanical |
