Industrial Engineering


Faculty Honors Advisors

Daniel McCarville

About this opportunity

The availability of vast amounts of data and computational power has opened new and exciting opportunities for Industrial Engineers. Our 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

Typically, an honors thesis in Industrial Engineering involves defining a clear problem and identifying data and appropriate models to develop a solution. Industrial Engineering students are trained to use a large spectrum of analytics tools, ranging from descriptive analytics tools that aim to assess current system characteristics and performance (statistical models, data mining, etc.) to predictive tools that allow us to make what-if type analysis (simulation models, forecasting tools, etc.) to prescriptive tools that identify optimal decisions to take in various settings (mathematical modelling, other optimization and control approaches, stochastic modeling, etc.). Thesis directors provide guidance on the methodology to be used, but generally the development of the thesis as a comprehensive and novel study of a well-defined problem is the student's responsibility, and is the source of the true professional development that results from the honors thesis experience. Our goal is to create the best environment where that development can take place, through mentoring and guidance offered by thesis directors, unit FHA and advisors. 

In accordance with Barrett's requirements, our unit requires a two-person thesis committee. The thesis director must be a continuing faculty member at ASU with a terminal degree; the second committee member can be anyone with sufficient expertise in the thesis topic.

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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. Once you select a faculty committee, you can expect to spend a great deal of time working on your thesis. So, you need to be committed to your research topic and to working with your faculty committee on a regular basis. If you still need help identifying a thesis faculty director, please discuss your options with the Director of Undergraduate Programs or your academic advisor. They can give you an overview of faculty research interests and make suggestions based on your research interests.
  3. Select report contents: You and your faculty advisor should agree on the form and depth of the report and other deliverables. Based on the specific topic of the thesis, different report outlines may be appropriate. Note: Students must adhere to the style guide provided by the Honors College.
  4. 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.
  5. Enroll in IEE 492 Honors Directed Study and IEE 493 Honors Thesis: If you decide to complete a three (3) credit hour thesis, you will need to enroll in IEE 493 (Honors Thesis). However, most thesis research projects expand beyond three hours and typically include IEE 492 (Honors Directed Study). Between IEE 492 and IEE 493, students will earn six (6) credit hours toward their 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, and defend your thesis.
  6. 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 (e.g., November 16, 20XX or April 14, 20XX), and submitting the final document (e.g., December 2, 20XX, or April 28, 20XX). Ideally, you should create a Gantt chart identifying all project milestones and tasks.
  7. Progress through your research: Start your research and meet with your advisor on a regular basis (preferably once a week). 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.
  8. Finish the process: The thesis process culminates with an oral defense. The oral defense is your opportunity to meet with your selected committee, 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

If they choose to do so, students can complete an honors thesis outside of the engineering management program, and will need to work within this other program's thesis guidelines. If choosing to complete a thesis with an engineering management focus, then students should be on track in their junior or senior year.

IEE 492 is generally taken before the semester that students take IEE 493, and is counted as a technical elective toward the student's major in Industrial Engineering. During the course, the student conducts literature review and compiles a clear definition of the problem that he/she intends to address in the thesis. Typically, student and the thesis director plans a series of activities that will lead to the successful completion of the student's thesis by the end of the semester that the student takes IEE 493.

Recommended Timeline

Students can begin their honors thesis in the junior or beginning of the senior year. Students will enroll in IEE 492 for the first semester, and IEE 493 for the second semester.

In preparation to the 492-493 sequence, students start forming ideas for their theses during their junior year, if not earlier. Sometimes, they are familiar with a professor whose expertise lies clearly in the domain of research that the student is interested in; in those cases students contact the faculty member and start formalizing ideas with the faculty member. There are, however, many situations in which the student is not sure about which faculty member to talk to. It is a good idea to schedule an appointment with the unit FHA and discuss potential thesis ideas and direction, so that the unit FHA can connect the student to a faculty member whose expertise and interests are lined up with the student's thesis idea. It is better to identify a topic and thesis director as soon as possible; sometimes students make use of summer internships to deepen their knowledge of an area and the problem that they want to solve.

Other Honors Opportunities

  1. HON prefix courses have a maximum enrollment of 19 students, are conducted in seminar format, are interdisciplinary in content and approach, and have a significant writing component. These courses are taught primarily by the faculty in Barrett Honors College.
  2. Honors-only courses carry the prefix of the department offering the course. They are designed to challenge students in a small class format. IEE 412 is an honors course.
  3. Regular courses through Honors Contracts: Most courses carrying the prefix of the department may be turned into an Honors course through an Honors Contract between the faulty and the student. You should talk to the faculty instructor for the course that you are interested in and see if the instructor would like to offer an Honors Contract. The Contract should be explicit and fully detail the expectations for the quantity and quality of coursework. You will submit the Honors Contract online which is available each semester up until the deadline for contract submissions. The following courses commonly provide Honors Contracts; however, students must still request the contract from the course faculty.

IEE 300 IEE 305 IEE 369 IEE 376
IEE 380 IEE 381 IEE 385 IEE 421
IEE 431 IEE 437 IEE 454 IEE 456
IEE 458 IEE 461 IEE 470 IEE 474
IEE 475 IEE 477

More information about Honors Contracts can be found at:
http://barretthonors.asu.edu/academics/honors-courses-and-contracts/honors-enrichment-contracts/

College

Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

Campus

Tempe

Academic Unit

Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems, Industrial Engineering