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DEGREE Industrial Engineering, BS

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Major in Industrial Engineering

As an industrial engineering major, you’ll work at the intersection of engineering, people, and business. As with other engineering disciplines, you’ll apply your science and mathematics skills to solving difficult problems. Our course curriculum is set to provide a diverse background to students, providing you with the opportunity to pursue whatever your area of interest might be. Our coursework focuses on four principal areas:

  • Engineering Analytics and Operations Research
  • Healthcare Systems Engineering
  • Human Factors and Ergonomics
  • Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management

And for students interested in both data science and engineering, we also offer a Certificate in Engineering Data Analytics.

With an industrial engineering degree, the possibilities are endless!

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At a glance

Industrial and systems engineering department

3
faculty scholarly productivity index
10
undergraduate ranking among public universities
6
graduate ranking among public universities
Facts & stats

Program and degree information

View the Undergraduate Guide for information on requirements, four-year plans and more.

Determine what kind of student you will be and learn more about what information you need to apply.

Freshman A freshman includes anyone who is currently a student in high school or who has not taken college coursework since graduating from high school.
Transfer Student A transfer student is anyone who has attended another college or university after graduating from high school and wishes to enroll in an undergraduate degree program at UW–Madison.
Cross-campus Student Cross-campus transfer students are students who are currently enrolled in another school or college at UW-Madison who wish to transfer into the College of Engineering.
Reentry Student Students who previously attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison as an undergraduate and would like to complete their first undergraduate degree will need to apply for reentry admission. Reentry students are those who have not been enrolled in courses for a semester or more.

Tuition and segregated fee rates are always listed per semester (not for Fall and Spring combined).

 

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The College of Engineering is committed to recognizing the potential and accomplishments of incoming and enrolled students by supporting their education through a variety of scholarships at the college and departmental level.

 

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Educational Objectives
We recognize that our graduates will choose to use the knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their undergraduate years to pursue a wide variety of career and life goals, and we encourage this diversity of paths. Whatever path our graduates may choose, we expect them to be meeting the following objectives at least three to five years after graduation.

  1. Demonstrate competence in the professional practice of industrial engineering.​
  2. Demonstrate industrial engineering skills needed as a foundation for leadership in a career and the profession.​
  3. Act with professional and ethical responsibility, fostering an inclusive work environment, and appreciate the impact of proposed solutions to a global and/or societal context.​

Learning Outcomes

  1. Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  2. Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
  3. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  4. Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
  5. Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  6. Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  7. Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies
  8. Recognize, describe, predict and analyze systems behavior
  9. Understand physiological, cognitive, and sociotechnical aspects of humans as components in complex systems design
  10. Apply the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice, such as quality engineering, optimization, simulation, and project management

Degrees

The B.S. in Industrial Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Industrial and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

View the UW-Madison Guide for information on all industrial and systems engineering courses.

 

View all ISyE courses

A broad menu of courses means you can choose a specialization—a resume-boosting opportunity to place greater emphasis on education in select areas of industrial engineering.

Certificate programs

In addition to our engineering majors, you also can choose from nine certificate programs that are designed to enhance your education, expand your skillset, and make you a more versatile, marketable engineer. When you successfully complete a certificate program, you’ll also see it reflected on your transcript.
Close up of putting liquid into tray of vials

Certificate for Biology in Engineering for Engineering Majors

People looking at drafting table

Certificate in Architecture

Data center with AR screens

Certificate in Engineering Data Analytics

Solar panel on blue sky background

Certificate in Engineering for Energy Sustainability

Green field, wind turbines and blue sky.

Certificate in Engineering Thermal Energy Systems

Global map with push pins in various locations

Certificate in International Engineering

CNC Laser cutting metal

Certificate in Manufacturing Engineering

atom orbit in space

Certificate in Nuclear Engineering Materials

Close up typing on Laptop

Certificate in Technical Communication

Fast track to a master’s degree

An accelerated engineering master’s program is a great choice if you’d like to earn your master’s degree by adding as little as a single year of study at UW-Madison. Here are two that are popular with other undergrads who are majoring in industrial engineering. If one of these isn’t what you’re looking for, be sure to check out everything we offer!
View all accelerated programs

Industrial Engineering: Systems Engineering and Analytics, MS

Analytics and the ability to effectively use data is quickly becoming an important component in engineering decision making—and our accelerated master’s program fills a strong need in the marketplace for people who use analytical tools to transform data into insights for making better decisions.

View Program

Industrial Engineering: Human Factors and Health Systems Engineering, MS

As a master’s student in our accelerated Human Factors and Health Systems Engineering program you’ll gain exposure to physical ergonomics, cognitive ergonomics, macroergonomics and broad issues in health care, including long-term care, prevention, quality improvement, health care financing, and system evaluation.

View Program

Research opportunities

You’re an undergrad at a university known for its world-changing research. As an undergrad, you can be part of that—whether in a lab in our department, elsewhere in engineering, or even in other schools or colleges across UW-Madison! And if you discover a passion for research, want to further specialize in your field, or simply enjoy the process of learning in an academic setting, you can get any of those through our advanced master’s and PhD degree programs, too!

Research experience

As an undergrad, you can help pioneer new knowledge or technologies on your own or as a researcher in a professor’s lab.  It’s a great opportunity to apply what you’re learning in class, explore a field or topic that interests you, and gain insight into what it’s like to be a graduate student.

Undergraduate research

Industrial Engineering: Research, MS

As a master’s student in industrial engineering, you’ll learn under internationally respected faculty in areas that include decision science and operations research, quality engineering, manufacturing and health systems, and/or human factors.
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Industrial and systems engineering news

Our faculty are leading the way in education and cutting edge research in areas that span decision sciences and operation, health and human factors, and manufacturing.
All department news
Qin lab in front of test flight plane
April 15, 2024

UW-Madison engineers make 3D printing breakthrough in race to in-space manufacturing

Kangwook Lee talking with students
April 9, 2024

Data ethics course teaches undergrads how to reduce bias in AI

Qiaomin Xie
April 1, 2024

Xie hopes to advance reinforcement learning with NSF CAREER Award

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