Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Overview

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Is your interest in:

  • Working at an amusement park reducing wait times for rides?
  • Developing optimal distribution plans for vaccines?
  • Being part of a design project team to make a medical device?
  • Integrating systems for satellite tracking of shipments?
  • Exploring the impact of adding robots to a manufacturing line?
  • Designing sustainable products that use less energy or materials?
  • Discovering a new way to assemble a product that will prevent worker injury?

If you answered yes to any of the questions, then we invite you to learn more about Industrial and Systems Engineering at RIT.

Industrial and System Engineers focus on integrating information, machines, and people effectively, efficiently, and safely produce goods and services. RIT will help you gain the knowledge through coursework, acquire skills practicing in our world class laboratories, and develop professionally through the cooperative experiences awaiting you. Our students have worked at organizations like Walt Disney Company, Tesla, Hershey Foods, Lockheed Martin, and have consulted in the healthcare or pharmaceutical industry. Many still work there post-graduation.

A world of opportunities to design processes and systems that improve quality and productivity awaits you!

Accreditation

The BS degree in industrial engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org. For Enrollment and Graduation, Program Educational Objectives, and Student Outcomes, please visit the college’s Accreditation page.

The department will provide an education that integrates experiential learning and applied research, with a student-centered approach, resulting in graduates who make immediate and long-lasting contributions in manufacturing, service, government, and academia.

The department is globally recognized for graduates who are highly sought after due to their ability to solve problems and transform organizations. Our graduates, along with research performed by our students and faculty, positively impact the quality and competitiveness of manufacturing and logistics, the efficacy of health care, and the integration of sustainable practices into many settings.

We impart important values to our students at all levels of their study, ensuring we graduate industrial engineers who are well rounded and prepared to make meaningful contributions to their field.

  • Student Centered: Our department makes decisions and behaves in a manner that demonstrates the primary importance of our students’ needs and interests.
  • Community: Our department is a close-knit community characterized by respect for our differences, inclusion of a diverse set of ideas and people, and friendly collaboration among the faculty, staff, and students.
  • Teaching Excellence: We demonstrate continuous excellence and innovation in how we deliver classes to our students, and the support we provide our students outside of class.
  • Experiential Learning: We provide experiential learning throughout our undergraduate and graduate curricula via cooperative education, relevant projects, and practical experiences in our state-of-the-art labs.
  • Practical Research: Our innovative research makes an impact on the outside world, both directly through its application, and for our students via project opportunities and incorporation into our courses.
  • Innovation: Our teaching and research are characterized by new ideas and approaches, as well as a willingness to take risks.

Why select Industrial and Systems Engineering at RIT?

7

Lab facilities

10%

increase in employment for industrial engineers projected 2019-2029

100%

Undergraduate students participate in a co-op experience

6

BS/MS dual degree options

Degree Programs

Undergraduate Degrees

An industrial engineering degree designed to optimize, design, and manage the operational and manufacturing processes by which goods are made and distributed.

Learn more about the Industrial Engineering BS program 

Minors and Immersions

The minor in engineering management integrates technological and managerial expertise while focusing on the management of these areas. Engineering management is concerned with understanding the technology involved in an engineering project and the management process through which the technology is applied.

Learn more about the Engineering Management Minor program 

A minor in industrial engineering focuses on the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, equipment, and energy. Students utilize skills in statistics, ergonomics, operations research, and manufacturing.

Learn more about the Industrial Engineering Minor program 

This multidisciplinary minor is for students interested in exploring issues associated with developing and delivering sustainable product systems. Courses enhance the understanding of the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, ethical, and environmental), develop awareness of the need for more sustainable approaches to product development, and explore strategies for developing and delivering sustainable product systems.

Learn more about the Sustainable Product Development Minor program 

Graduate Degrees

An engineering management master's degree that combines your engineering knowledge with business insights to successfully manage an engineering or technology focused company.

Learn more about the Engineering Management ME program 

An industrial engineering master's degree that offers an in depth look at the contemporary manufacturing process and its product development and logistics processes. A customized curriculum includes research opportunities that prepare you to lead integrated systems.

Learn more about the Industrial and Systems Engineering MS program 

In the mechanical and industrial engineering doctorate you'll graduate with a depth of knowledge in mechanical or industrial engineering while engaging in cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary research.

Learn more about the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Ph.D. program 

Conduct research in nano-engineering, design methods, and technologies for micro- and nano-scaled systems. This microsystems engineering doctorate is a multidisciplinary program that addresses the technical challenges of micro- and nano-systems.

Learn more about the Microsystems Engineering Ph.D. program 

A sustainable engineering degree that allows you to reduce a product’s environmental effects at every stage of its lifecycle–from conception, development, and prototyping to commercialization, recycling, and disposal.

Learn more about the Sustainable Engineering MS program 

Research

The advanced manufacturing research group focuses on developing next generation manufacturing techniques, working with and characterizing novel materials, and designing new products having unique properties made possible through the use of advanced materials and processes. Students have access to world-class facilities, including the AMPrint Center, the Brinkman Advanced Machine Tools Lab, and the Interdisciplinary Manufacturing Engineering and Design (iMED) Lab.

Keywords

3D Printing (3DP), Additive Manufacturing (AM), Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR), CNC Machining, Computer Aided Design, Biomanufacturing

Examples

  • Metal AM via jetting of liquid metal droplets
  • Engineered lattice and cellular materials
  • Collaborative robotics
  • 3D printed tissue scaffolds
  • Carbon fiber composite 3DP/AM
  • Training of machine operators using AR/VR
  • Printed electronics
  • Hybrid metal additive and subtractive manufacturing

Learn to develop statistical and mathematical models and apply decision-making techniques to analyze complex processes. The data analytics research in our department is focused on the application of fundamental operations research tools such as statistics, optimization, simulation, machine learning, and decision analysis among others. These tools are used to study complex problems in different domains including:

  • Autonomous mobile robots
  • Vaccine supply chain
  • Energy efficiency
  • Transportation
  • Manufacturing
  • Product development

Learn to apply industrial and systems engineering principles and tools to improve healthcare efficiency, quality of care, logistics, patient safety, patient flow, and access to care. Students interested to pursue their career in healthcare systems engineering have the opportunity to focus on innovative research projects in:

  • Health data and statistical analysis
  • Healthcare supply chain and distribution
  • Patient flow
  • Healthcare financing models
  • Patient safety
  • Healthcare capacity management
  • Healthcare logistics

A wide variety of industrial and systems engineering methodologies such as statistics, optimization and mathematical modeling, simulation, lean, Six Sigma, ergonomics and human factors, and bio-manufacturing could be used to solve complex healthcare related issues. Our faculty often partner with Rochester Regional Health, University of Rochester, Greater Rochester Independent Practice Association (GRIPA), Common Ground Health, and Finger Lakes Performing Provider System (FLPPS) to solve real world problems.

Learn and apply Human Factors/Ergonomics principles to the design of products (e.g., exoskeletons), operations, and work environments as they relate to human capacities, safety, and health.

Our students have the opportunity to engage with theoretical and applied research topics in Human Factors/Ergonomics and practice their skills in experiment design and data analytics. The Human Factors/Ergonomics research in our department focuses on several topics/areas, including:

  • Assistive devices such as exoskeletons
  • Locomotion and risk of falls
  • Human muscle fatigue
  • Wearable systems and remote monitoring
  • Occupational biomechanics

Sustainable engineering refers to the integration of social, environmental, and economic considerations into product, process, and energy system design methods. Additionally, sustainable engineering encourages the consideration of the complete product and process lifecycle during the design effort. The intent is to minimize environmental impacts across the entire lifecycle while simultaneously maximizing the benefits to social and economic stakeholders.

Keywords

Life Cycle Assessment, Design for the Environment, Renewable Energy, Clean Energy, Triple Bottom Line

Examples

  • Characterization of a transpired solar collector
  • Lead-free piezoelectric materials for energy harvesting
  • Electric load forecasting
  • Dynamic modeling of an anaerobic digestion system
  • Environmental and economic comparison of alternative military housing systems
  • Life cycle impacts of alternative road deicing systems
  • Life cycle analysis of a remanufacturing strategy for retired wind turbines
  • Incorporating functional analysis into life cycle assessment methodology
  • Comparative assessment of alternative collection strategies for recycling

Latest News

  • December 3, 2021

    man in a corn field looking at a stalk.

    Growing faculty diversity

    RIT has modernized its approach to recruiting faculty members to improve representation. Assistant Professor Eli Borrego, pictured above, is an expert in the genetics and biochemistry of plant-microbe and plant-insect communication and ecology, and he was introduced to RIT through the Future Faculty Career Exploration Program.

  • October 8, 2021

    researcher looks into microscope while professor adjusts display on laptop.

    Faculty compensation is focus of NSF-sponsored research

    To build understanding of faculty compensation systems and improve conversations around salary, several RIT faculty members are sharing their experiences with a National Science Foundation-funded multidisciplinary research team. The team’s goal is to significantly expand knowledge of best practices for faculty compensation to a broader community in higher education and provide insights to guide compensation practices.  

Student Resources

The industrial and systems engineering department offers a variety of resources for our students that range from academic support to handbooks and more. Visit our Student Resources for more information.

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