Industrial and operations engineers analyze data to design better systems and processes that improve the lives of all people. U-M IOE graduates are in high demand and make a positive impact across the globe in nearly every industry including business, consulting, energy, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, robotics, aerospace, automotive and more.
The U-M IOE curriculum emphasizes the use of data analytics, mathematics and business principles to create better, more efficient systems and processes that save time, money and resources. Through these foundational principles, students will learn to enhance people’s everyday lives and make a positive difference in the world.
National polls consistently rank U-M IOE’s undergraduate and graduate programs among the best in the United States. Exceptional faculty and graduate students bring high-impact research to the world while creating a hands-on learning environment for our outstanding undergraduate program. Our undergraduate graduates earn an impressive average of $85k right out of college and our master’s earn $103k, backed by an unwavering demand for their expertise.
Course Guide
Industrial and Operations Engineering Courses
Contact
Departmental Website: ioe.engin.umich.edu
Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering
Industrial and Operations Engineering Building
1205 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2117
Department Administration
Department Chair
Professor Julie Simmons Ivy
1877A Industrial and Operations Engineering Building
For more specific information, visit the IOE Department website.
Vision
U-M Industrial and Operations Engineering will lead the discovery and innovation of engineering knowledge to create and improve all types of systems. We will foster the next generation of engineering leaders who can achieve long-term impact for the common good.
Mission
We advance scientific and mathematical methods to help solve local and global challenges. We analyze data to improve decision-making and shape systems comprised of humans, machines, and processes. We educate and mentor students, emphasizing critical thinking, global citizenship, and the pursuit of the common good.
Values
Collaboration, Excellence, Creativity, Integrity, Respect
Goals
In addition, the IOE Program also has the following goals:
- To recruit, educate and support excellent, diverse students and prepare them to be leaders in the practice and further development of industrial and operations engineering.
- To have one of the leading undergraduate programs in the world in industrial and operations engineering.
- To engender the skills and desire to continually learn and grow through a lifelong professional career.
Objectives
- Launch a successful career by effectively practicing industrial and operations engineering or be successful in advanced graduate study in engineering, scientific, business, or related disciplines; practicing something other than IOE.
- Assume leadership roles in their career or graduate program.
- Contribute to the social and economic environments of their communities.
- Have the breadth of knowledge and motivation to continue to develop their career skills through ongoing learning.
Outcomes
- An ability to identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics.
- An ability to 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.
- An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
- An ability to 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.
- An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
- An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
- An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Enrollment and Graduation Data
The University Registrar publishes the number of students enrolled annually in this program, and the number of degrees granted each term by this program. Additionally, you can see recent degrees granted below:
| Level | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Bachelors Degrees | 187 | 170 | 138 |
| Masters Degrees | 97 | 64 | 120 |
| Doctoral Degrees | 12 | 13 | 8 |
Accreditation
The Industrial and Operations Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Industrial and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.
Program Outcomes
The matrix maps how each course in our curriculum addresses our program outcomes. Only the outcomes tracked are noted below.
|
Course |
Student Outcomes (Black – High) |
||||||
| Apply math and science | Design | Communicate | Ethics | Teams | Experiments, Analyze, and Interpret Data | Lifelong Learning | |
Undergraduate Degree Program
Industrial and Operations Engineers analyze data to improve decision-making and shape systems comprised of humans, machines, and processes. Since its inception in 1956, the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE) at the University of Michigan (U-M) has advanced scientific and mathematical methods to help solve local and global challenges, expanding its research and teaching focus from the manufacturing industry into all sectors of the economy.
National polls consistently rank U-M IOE’s undergraduate and graduate programs among the best; the undergraduate program is currently #5 in the United States while the graduate program is #2. Exceptional faculty and graduate students bring high-impact research to the world while creating a hands-on learning environment for our strong undergraduate program.
U-M IOE continues to break boundaries and evolve with the changing times. This is where students and faculty collaborate, thrive and optimize.
Sample Schedule
BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering
The Industrial and Operations Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Industrial and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.
Please see the PDF version of the sample schedule. Additional information can be found on the IOE Department Advising website.
Areas
Computing & Analytics
Learn the data science concepts needed to create decision support systems using advanced analytic techniques that transform raw data into information to aid engineers, managers, and executives in making decisions.
Human Systems Integration
Understand the human factor— how our bodies and our minds impact our efficiency and our ability to work and how to use this knowledge to design safe and efficient workplaces and organizations.
Management Engineering
Learn how to apply administration, group dynamics, and human motivation to managerial problems critical for success in today’s workplace.
Manufacturing & Service Systems
Learn how to use principles from lean manufacturing and Six Sigma to maximize benefits and minimize costs to achieve breakthrough performance in all sectors of the economy.
Operations Research
Learn advanced methods to describe, predict, and optimize system performance. Leverage techniques from math, statistics and computation to build data-driven models fundamental to all economic sectors.
Quality Engineering
Apply design techniques and reliability analysis to design quality control systems that are resilient to sources of uncertainty such as weather events, market uncertainty, and emergencies.
Sequential Undergraduate/Graduate Study (SUGS)
BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering / MSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering
The IOE SUGS program is open to College of Engineering undergraduate students who have achieved senior standing (85 credit hours) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5. SUGS students are allowed to “double count” six credit hours of graduate courses toward the BSE and MSE degrees. Students considering the SUGS program must “reserve” at least six undergraduate elective credit hours for courses that are eligible for credit in the IOE Master’s degree program. SUGS students must enroll in Rackham for at least two (9 credit) terms, paying full Rackham tuition with no other U-M registration.
BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering / MS in Biomedical Engineering
This SUGS program is open to all undergraduate students from Industrial and Operations Engineering who have achieved senior standing (85 credit hours) and have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Please contact the Department of Biomedical Engineering for more complete program information.
Graduate Degrees
- Master of Science (MS) in Industrial and Operations Engineering
- Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) in Industrial and Operations Engineering
- Dual M.S. in Industrial and Operations Engineering/ Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Industrial and Operations Engineering
MS and MSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering
The Master of Science degree in Engineering in Industrial and Operations Engineering is available to students who complete the MSE course requirements and have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized program in engineering. The Master of Science degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering is available to students with a bachelor’s degree from a recognized program in physics, mathematics or other fields related to engineering. Students who hold bachelor’s degrees from other fields and who wish to receive an MS in Industrial and Operations Engineering should consult with the program advisor as specialized programs (usually involving additional credit hours over basic requirements) can be developed.
The basic requirements include 30 credit hours of approved graduate courses subject to the following restrictions:
- At least 18 credit hours of IOE courses.
- At least five courses (equal to or greater than 14 credit hours) must be at a 500 or greater level. At least four IOE courses (equal or greater than 12 credit hours) at a 500 or greater level. IOE 590 (Masters Directed Study, Research, and Special Problems) may be used for at most 3 credit hours of the required 12 credit hours of IOE courses at the 500 level or above. Other directed study courses, courses graded S/U, and one- and two-credit seminar classes may not be used to satisfy 500-level requirements.
- At least one cognate course (equal or greater than 3 credit hours) from outside the IOE Department.
- No more than six credit hours of independent study.
An overall grade point average of “B” or higher in graduate courses taken in the program is required.
Special options, for which recommended courses have been defined, include:
- Business Operations Engineering
- Data Analytics & Applied Statistics
- Health & Human Safety
- Human Systems Integration
- Operations Research & Analytics
- Quality Control & Reliability Engineering
Health Engineering and Patient Safety Concentration:
The HEPS Concentration is a three-semester program with its own requirements, which is conducted while simultaneously fulfilling the IOE Master’s requirements. It has its own additional application procedure after admission to the Master’s program.
Requirements for Concentration in HEPS:
- Fulfill all requirements for IOE master’s program
- 3 semesters (Fall, Winter, Fall)
- Complete year-long, program-designed, hands-on project (3 credits in the second semester, full-time in the summer, 3 credits in the 3rd semester
- Satisfy the following course requirements:
- IOE 813: Seminars in Healthcare Systems Engineering — must be taken first semester (Fall 1)
- Statistics/Data Analysis: 1 course
- Intro to Healthcare: 2 courses
- Technical Core: 2 courses
- Methodology: 2 courses
- Program Focus: 2 courses
- Students may petition for special permission to count additional courses toward the HEPS requirements
- Please review the HEPS Master’s Concentration website for material describing these options and other details of the graduate programs.
PhD in Industrial and Operations Engineering
The doctoral degree is conferred in recognition of marked ability and scholarship in some relatively broad fields of knowledge. A part of the work consists of regularly scheduled graduate courses of instruction in the chosen field and in such cognate subjects as may be required by the committee. In addition, the student must pursue independent investigation in a subdivision of the selected field and must present the result of the investigation in the form of a dissertation.
A student becomes an applicant for the doctorate when admitted to the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies and accepted in a field of specialization. There is no general course or credit requirement for the doctorate.
At the end of the first year in the program, a student must pass the qualifying review process to continue in the program. This qualifying review process is a holistic evaluation of the student’s potential for scholarly research, and more details on the required coursework, GPA and research experience are provided on the IOE website. Most students, at the end of their second year, take a preliminary examination in their chosen area of concentration. The student must also satisfy a breadth requirement before taking the exam. After successfully passing this exam, the student is admitted to candidacy and selects a doctoral committee to supervise preparation of the dissertation. A defense of the dissertation in the presence of this committee is required.
Information that describes the general procedure leading to the doctorate is available on the Rackham Graduate School website.
Dual MBA / MS in Industrial and Operations Engineering
The Ross School of Business and the College of Engineering Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering offer a dual degree program enabling a student to pursue concurrent work in Business Administration and Industrial and Operations Engineering leading to the MBA and MS (IOE) degrees. The program is arranged so that all requirements for the degrees are completed in two and one-half years of enrollment with the required 65 credit hours completed.
Students interested in the MBA/MS (IOE) dual program must apply to, and be admitted by, both schools, using their respective application forms and indicating that application is being made to the joint program. Only one application fee is necessary. Students are expected to meet the prerequisites for each program. In particular, the statistics requirement for the IOE program should be discussed with an advisor prior to beginning either program. This program is not open to students who have earned either the MBA or MS (IOE) degrees. However, students registered in the first year of either program may apply.
Students admitted to this joint program must satisfy the following degree requirements:
- The MBA 60-credit-hour degree program including:
- the 31.5-credit-hour MBA core (no credit is awarded for Business Administration core courses successfully waived; credit must be earned with Business electives);
- 5 elective hours in Business Administration (12 of the 13.5 must be approved by IOE);
- 15 credit hours of transferable electives from the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering.
- The 18 hours of graduate-level IOE courses, including at least twelve credit hours in courses numbered 500 or above. Directed study courses and seminar classes may not be counted toward the IOE 500-level or above requirement.
- A 2-credit independent study in IOE or the Business School, which would lead to a paper integrating business and IOE perspectives on a particular area of interest.
- A student must register for at minimum 15 credit hours using their Rackham registration. This usually occurs in the 4th semester.
The total credit hours for the joint degree program will be at least 65.
The dual program can begin with studies in either school; however, because of the sequential nature of the core courses in the MBA program, most students will find it advantageous to start the first year in the Business School. Students who wish to begin with Industrial Operations Engineering should consult a counselor in the Business School to work out an appropriate plan of study.