Industrial Engineering

About this opportunity

The availability of vast amounts of data and computational power has opened new and exciting opportunities for Industrial Engineers. Graduates are equipped with a diverse array of analytics tools to process and analyze data, and convert them to actionable decisions to improve almost any system. 

Upon graduation, our students work at almost all sectors of industry, since they are able to apply their systems analysis and optimization skills in whatever industry they work at. Many of our graduates are hired as data scientists, and enjoy the benefits of being trained in statistical analysis techniques as well as optimization and control methodologies while having a deep understanding of business and logistic operations. This allows them to define opportunities to improve systems with respect to any defined metric, and develop a vision to deliver decision making tools and analytics. A large number of Industrial Engineering graduates move to management positions in later years of their employment due to their skills to manage projects, and their ability to see the "big picture". 

Any Barrett student who is considering majoring or minoring in Industrial Engineering should contact the lead FHA.

Thesis

One of the signature components of the Honors experience is the Honors thesis or creative project. This project represents the culmination of your entire honors experience and undergraduate education. Students will begin to consider ideas and interest areas as early as the first year and confirm their project plans by senior year. 

To identify a topic that you are interested in, you are encouraged to browse the engineering faculty website of your chosen industry focus area, talk to the faculty who you have taken classes, and attend research seminars that are posted on the SCAI or other engineering school websites.  Completing a thesis is much easier if you choose a topic you are passionate about!  
Recommended steps for completing the Honors Thesis in Engineering Management:

• Think about a research topic or area: Think about what you like and identify specific areas of interest. Consider engineering topics that you have not studied in depth and explore research areas through various journal articles. Visit with faculty members, the Director of Undergraduate Programs, or your academic advisor for ideas on possible research topics.
• Select your faculty committee: First select a committee director by visiting with a faculty member in your industry focus area or Engineering Management who is currently studying a research topic that interests you, and is someone with whom you feel comfortable with working. You can work with your committee director to determine another committee member from the faculty. Note that in certain cases, your second committee member can be an industry practitioner, rather than a faculty member at ASU. 
• Select report contents: You and your faculty advisor should agree on the form and depth of the report, deliverables and timeline. Be sure to meet the requirements of the Barrett Prospectus and Thesis Submission due dates.  
• Agree on research scope: You and your faculty advisor will need to discuss and agree on the scope of the research/design problem. This may change over the course of the project, but the discussion provides a starting point for both you and your faculty advisor. It is a good idea to document agreements made between you and your faculty advisor to eliminate any miscommunication.
• Enroll in IEE 492 Honors Directed Study and IEE 493 Honors Thesis:  IEE 492 can be used as a 3-hour technical elective for the Engineering Management curriculum and is generally taken one semester prior to taking IEE 493. While enrolled in IEE 492, you will develop a solid literature review and research proposal, and initiate the research. While enrolled in IEE 493, you will complete your research, complete writing your honors thesis, defend your thesis, and submit an approved copy to Barrett.
• Make a schedule: It is important for you to create a “working thesis” schedule with your faculty advisor that identifies deadlines for your research and deadlines identified by the Honors College. The Honors College has specific dates for receiving a thesis prospectus, performing the oral defense, and submitting the final document. The Thesis Prospectus is used for identifying all project milestones and tasks.
• Progress through your research: Start your research and meet with your advisor on a regular basis. Start early and finish early so that you can produce a good thesis and have time for revisions. You can expect to revise your thesis several times.
• Finish the process: The thesis process culminates with an oral defense. The oral defense is your opportunity to meet with your selected committee in person or virtually, and present your research project. You will explain your study and answer questions from the committee members. After the defense, some revisions to your report may be required before the final document is submitted to the Honors College.

Academic Preparation

Students should approach their courses with curiosity and brainstorm ideas about future research and thesis work. In their junior year, students should begin to solidify plans for the thesis and then complete the project in their final year. Students may also complete an honors thesis outside of the Industrial Engineering program based on other course work, research or academic preparation activities.  

Recommended Timeline

Students typically begin to work on their thesis topic in their junior year and complete the project in their last two semesters. Defense of honors theses should be completed by mid-spring of the senior year. Many students use research from past semesters with Engineering faculty and Fulton Schools of Engineering Research programs such as Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative (FURI) and the Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) for thesis work. 

Other Honors Opportunities

Barrett students who complete  IEE 412 Introduction to Financial Engineering will earn automatic honors credit. 

Honors Enrichment Contracts: Students can speak to the faculty instructor for their courses to inquire about honors work.  The honors contract should be explicit and fully detail the expectations for the quantity and quality of coursework.