|
INTRODUCTION
The Department of Industrial
Engineering (IE) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) was established in 1395 H
(1975 G) thus becoming a pioneer in IE education and training in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The program was extended to the female section within
KAU main campus with effect from fall 2012. Since then IE graduates are
working in various technical or managerial positions that include
manufacturing industry, banks, hospitals, transportation companies, communications,
service industry, energy sector, and defense industries.
Industrial Engineering (IE) is a
branch of engineering which deals with design, development, implementation,
and improvement of integrated systems that include people, materials,
information, equipment, and energy. It is thus unique as compared to other
branches of engineering in the sense that it deals not only with inanimate
objects but also with the behavior of human beings in relation to these
objects. For this purpose, it draws heavily on mathematical, physical, information
and social sciences, and other engineering principles of system analysis and
design.
The demand for industrial engineers in
KSA is increasing due to multiple reasons:
|
a.
|
The Kingdom is short of manpower and
every effort is directed to hire engineers to design, install, and maintain
integrated systems.
|
|
b.
|
Since the pace of development is
very fast, there is considerable scope for improvement in different aspects
of working in almost every organization.
|
The IE program covers five very important
areas of the industry:
|
a.
|
Operations Research
|
|
b.
|
Information Systems
|
|
c.
|
Stochastic Processes
|
|
d.
|
Human Factors Engineering
|
|
e.
|
Engineering Management
|
The program offers a 5-year study
program leading to a Bachelor of Science degree (B. Sc.) in Industrial
Engineering. The program provides graduates with strong basic engineering
knowledge, professional skills, effective proficiency, ability to work in
teams, and appreciation of the ethical, social, and global issues required
for engineers of the future.
In 2002, the program was evaluated for
the first time by EAC of ABET based on the Engineering Conventional Criteria
and was recognized to be “Substantially Equivalent” to ABET-accredited
engineering programs. In 2008, the program underwent an EAC of ABET general
review visit that resulted in the accreditation of the program. In 2015, the program had the last EAC of
ABET general review visit that resulted again in the accreditation of the
program.
The Vision of the
Department
Innovation and leadership in
industrial engineering and its applications.
The Mission of the
Department
To prepare industrial engineering
graduates equipped with world-class professional competencies capable of
conducting scientific research and rendering community services allowing for
a sustainable development.
Objectives
Prepare the student to be:
|
1. be effective in applying contemporary tools of industrial engineering
to meet the needs of upcoming challenging industrial world,
2. function effectively in diverse teams to handle problems pertaining to
different industrial and managerial settings by assuming leadership
positions,
3.
apply effective
e-media, computers and software in solving engineering problems.
|
|
Industrial Engineering Programs
Undergraduate program
The undergraduate degree program
is designed to study a minimum of 155 credit hours in a number of areas, as
follows:
Career Opportunities
Students who graduate from
Industrial Engineering possess skills that make them technically competent
and competitive in fast-changing industrial environments. Therefore, a
significant percentage of the graduates join a variety of entities in the
Kingdom both in the private and public sectors. On the other hand, a
considerable number of graduates work as engineers or researchers or join the
military. Also, many industrial engineers continue their education by
obtaining masters and /or Ph.D. degrees.
|