Industrial Engineering

ABET Information

The Industrial Engineering Program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Program Mission

The mission of the Industrial Engineering (IE) Program at WPI is to prepare undergraduate students for professional engineering practice, providing the foundation for careers of leadership in challenging global and technological environments. We strive to accomplish this through:

  • An innovative, project-based curriculum
  • An emphasis on industrial engineering skills with system applications
  • A flexible curriculum responsive to student interests and changes in the competitive environment
  • An environment that encourages faculty/student interaction
  • A culture that encourages the active involvement of students in their learning

Program Educational Objectives

The educational objectives of the IE Program describe the expected accomplishments of graduates during the first few years after graduation. They include:

  • Industrial Engineering Knowledge and Design Skills. Graduates should be able to support operational decision-making and to design solutions that address the complex and changing industrial engineering problems faced by organizations, using current concepts and technologies.
  • Communication Skills. Graduates will be sought out to represent their companies both for internal and external communications based upon the excellence they will have achieved through persistent updating of their knowledge of new communication tools and by taking advantage of opportunities for critical peer review.
  • Teamwork and Leadership Skills. Graduates should be able to serve as change agents in a global environment, based on strong interpersonal and teamwork skills, an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility and a willingness to take the initiative.

Student Outcomes

Specifically, graduating students should demonstrate that they attain the following:

  • an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
  • an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
  • an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
  • an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
  • an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
  • an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
  • an ability to communicate effectively
  • the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context
  • a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning
  • a knowledge of contemporary issues
  • an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice

Student Enrollment Data

Click here for Engineering student enrollment and graduate data on each program (pages 18 and 27).