North Carolina State University
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Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
UPCOMING EVENTS & DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
# 31
What’s it worth to you?
According to a December 2006 study by the U.S. Department of Labor the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the average yearly earnings of industrial engineers with BSIE degrees in 2006 were $68,620. A more recent 2007 salary survey, by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, showed IE bachelor's degree candidates received starting offers averaging about $55,067 a year, while master's degree candidates averaged $64,759 a year.
# 33
You go, girl!
If you’re a female considering a career in industrial engineering, you may be wondering how women fare in the field. Although women comprise only about 12 percent of industrial engineers, their ranks are studded with some shining stars. Like Doreen Yochum, COO of AT&T Labs. Carol A. Sanchez, winner of the National Hispanic Engineer Achievement Award for the Most Promising Engineer. Judith Liebman, Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sheri Phillips, IBM associate partner and Six Sigma Blackbelt. Will your name someday be added to the list?
# 36
You could go anywhere
Most industrial and systems engineers work in office buildings, labs or manufacturing plants. Some spend time outdoors, studying a process or procedure, monitoring or directing operations, or solving onsite problems. Some industrial engineers rarely travel for work, except to conferences or symposia, while others travel extensively to plants or worksites. Some work for huge corporations, some for mid-size universities, some for small consulting firms. In short, there are plenty of opportunities to make an engineering career just what you want it to be.
# 37
Check your personality
Industrial engineers should be creative, inquisitive, analytical, detail oriented. They should be able to work as part of a team. They should know when to be tactful or conciliatory, and when to stand their ground and defend their ideas. And they must possess boundless tenacity and perseverance – it can be difficult to persuade management to accept new recommendations or discard approaches that once worked well. Put simply: we can teach you most of what you need to succeed as an industrial engineer. But some of it, you’re either born with or you‘re not.
# 39
Industrial engineers who have risen to the top
Mike Duke, President and CEO of Wal-Mart. Lee Iacocca, retired CEO of Chrysler. Jim McCaslin, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson. Ed Woolard, retired CEO of DuPont. Henry Ford – the Henry Ford. Michael Eskew, CEO of UPS. Tom Landry, former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Yun Jong Yong, CEO of Samsung Electronics. Distinguished NASA engineer Homer Hickam, and astronauts Mike Massimino, Nancy Currie, and Rex Walheim. Is it a coincidence that so many people (and this is just a few) who were trained in industrial engineering are now in positions of power and prestige? We think not.
Student and Professional Organizations
Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)
IIE is the world's largest professional membership society dedicated solely to the support of the industrial engineering profession and individuals involved with improving quality and productivity. Visit the NCSU IIE student chapter website for additional information.
Alpha Pi Mu (APM)
APM is the industrial engineering honor society, recognizing outstanding junior and senior students. Juniors in the upper one-fifth and seniors in the upper one-third of their classes are eligible for consideration. Each year members undertake projects that are of value to the department and their fellow industrial engineering students. Efforts are made to advance movements for further improvement of the student's education, to create a closer and more meaningful student-faculty relationship, and to promote the function and importance of the industrial engineer. Please email the APM officers for additional information.
American Society for Quality (ASQ)
"The American Society for Quality, a professional association headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, creates better workplaces and communities worldwide by advancing learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange" (Source: www.asq.org).
Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)
"SME is the world's leading professional society supporting lifelong manufacturing education. Through member programs, publications, expositions and professional development resources, SME promotes an increased awareness of manufacturing engineering and helps keep manufacturing professionals up to date on leading trends and technologies" (Source: www.sme.org).
Furniture Club
The NCSU Furniture Club seeks to enhance the professional development and strengthen the spirit of fellowship among students, alumni, faculty, and friends of the furniture industry. Though mostly composed of students of the Industrial Engineering/Furniture Manufacturing Program, the club also welcomes students from the Industrial Design, Wood Science, and Industrial Engineering curriculum, or anyone else with an interest in furniture.
Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFES)
: The North Carolina State University Chapter of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society is organized primarily to serve the needs of ergonomics students at NC State. Its purpose is to promote and advance the understanding of human factors involved in the design, manufacturing, and use of machines, systems, and devices of all kinds through the interchange of knowledge and methodology in the behavioral, biological, and physical sciences.The chapter's membership is comprised mainly of graduate students and faculty in the departments of Industrial Engineering and Psychology, although students and faculty from any university department who have an interest in the area of human factors/ergonomics are welcome to join.