Industrial Engineering → What is IE?
What is Industrial Engineering
Although industrial engineering is the fourth largest branch of engineering in terms of employment, many people do not know about industrial engineering. According to the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), Industrial engineering is concerned with the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment, and energy. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematics, physical, and social sciences together with the principles and methods of engineering analysis and design to specify, predict, and evaluate the results to be obtained from such systems."
IEs are "big picture" problem-solvers and, as a result, are hired by all types of companies and organizations. For example, IEs help to: make hospital emergency rooms more efficient, improve product quality in manufacturing, reduce wait times for rides at theme parks, improve job safety in offices and factories, and ensure that goods and services are delivered without delays.
With an emphasis on decision-making, industrial engineering is an excellent "liberal" education in engineering. Starting salaries for IEs are competitive with other engineering disciplines. Best of all, job satisfaction surveys indicate that IEs typically rank in the top 20% with respect to job satisfaction, higher than other major engineering disciplines and IEs typically have greater flexibility in career options than other academic disciplines.