Industrial and Systems Engineering Mission and Program Outcomes

Mission

The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering is committed to achieving excellence in teaching, conducting high-quality research to meet the needs of technological and societal challenges, engaging in outreach and services and preparing engineering professionals.

Program Educational Objectives

The Industrial and Systems Engineering department at Northern Illinois University expects that our graduates will be:

• Practicing industrial engineering skills successfully in their respective organizations.
• Continuing self-directed learning for professional and personal development.
• Demonstrating professionalism, ethics, and leadership within an organization, community, or society, in three to five years following graduation.

Student Outcomes

• An ability to identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics.
  • Formulates the given system appropriately for the purpose of understanding the qualitative and/or quantitative behavior of the system and the effects of potential changes made to the system.
  • Identifies constraints or customer requirements and key areas in a given system where improvements can be made.
  • Applies appropriate engineering principles to solve complex industrial and systems engineering problems.
  • Applies appropriate science principles to solve complex industrial and systems engineering problems.
  • Applies appropriate mathematical tools to solve complex industrial and systems engineering problems.
  • Chooses the "best" solution based on stated criteria and formulates evidence that supports the solution.
• 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.
  • Identifies and understands the critical issues and determines the overall goal and objectives of the design project.
  • Determines what information is critical and evaluates resources needed to obtain it.
  • Applies analytics tools, software, creativity and "outside-of-the-box thinking" to generate solutions.
  • Evaluates and selects the preferred solution(s) considering technical, non-technical or external factors and design tradeoffs.
• An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  • Communicates information, concepts and ideas effectively in writing using standard formats, grammar and mechanics.
  • Communicates information, concepts and ideas effectively through well-organized and high quality presentations.
• 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.
  • Demonstrates knowledge of codes of conduct that guide the professional practice of engineering.
  • Identifies various types of impacts for an engineering solution (i.e. environmental, political, economical, etc.).
  • Questions decision by incorporating the ethical impacts the decision can have on the individual, the client, the company and/or the public.
• 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.
  • Shares responsibilities and duties and takes on different roles when applicable.
  • Develop solutions through consensus by analyzing alternative perspectives and ideas objectively.
  • Develop and follow a project plan with milestones to achieve project goals.
• An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  • Defines a problem statement, dependent/independent variables and/or appropriate hypothesis.
  • Uses and documents measurement techniques to collect data.
  • Applies appropriate tools and techniques to analyze data.
  • Interprets results and draws conclusions with respect to the assumptions and constraints.
• An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
  • Demonstrates an understanding of emerging trends and innovation in Industrial and Systems engineering.
  • Demonstrates the ability to use information-seeking tools.