Beginning this fall, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s industrial engineering major will be renamed to industrial and systems engineering – a change that is driven by a growing demand for systems engineering.
“Industrial and systems engineers are specialized in utilizing a holistic approach (systems) in engineering problem solving,” said Dr. Vettrivel Gnaneswaran, industrial and systems engineering assistant professor. “Rebranding and restructuring into the industrial and systems engineering curriculum will make our program the pioneers in performance and productivity evaluation of people, processes and products in the state of Wisconsin.”
"Rebranding and restructuring into the industrial and systems engineering curriculum will make our program the pioneers in performance and productivity evaluation of people, processes and products in the state of Wisconsin." – Dr. Vettrivel Gnaneswaran
These changes will include updates to the curriculum including more statistics coursework, a new course in systems design and credit for internships and co-ops.
“Statistics and systems are extremely crucial for an engineer’s success in the manufacturing world,” said Dr. Jodi Prosise, Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering. “It helps them to explain what is happening in the world around them, such as quality, logistics and data. An overall systems view is important to see the big picture and how everything in an organization fits together.”
David Luber, engineering manager of Andresen Window and Doors, is excited about the change.
“I am pleased to have been involved with the Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering Industry Advisor Board team working together with the UW-Platteville engineering faculty and staff to make the decision to transition to industrial and systems engineering,” said Luber. “I believe that this change will positively set up the industrial engineering group for increased growth, success and recognition [for graduates] going forward. I look forward to continuing to work closely together with the newly re-branded industrial systems and engineering team and building on that relationship into the future.”
Industrial and systems engineering is one of the seven engineering majors offered by the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science at UW-Platteville. For more information about industrial and systems engineering, contact Dr. Jodi Prosise, department chair, at prosise@uwplatt.edu. For more information about the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science, contact emsdeansoffice@uwplatt.edu.