Production Systems
In production systems engineering, challenges in manufacturing service and health care systems are tackled through the application of the engineering sciences: e.g., analytic models, information and knowledge-based methods, operations research expertise, and advanced computer technology.
Our focus is on integrated systems in which people and technology work. MS students can conduct research in a variety of production systems areas:
- Production Planning and Scheduling
- Sustainable Manufacturing
- Engineering Design
- Additive Manufacturing
- 3-D Printing
- Cyber Manufacturing
- Nanomanufacturing and Biomanufacturing
- Healthcare Systems and Global Health and Equity
- Lean Six Sigma
Students in this area typically have a bachelor's degree in industrial or mechanical engineering, or another engineering field.
Production Systems research is funded by such agencies as the National Science Foundation and the Agency for Healthcare Research, as well as national and local corporations like Catholic Health Systems, Boeing, GE Technologies and the Erie County Medical Center. We often work in teams with faculty and students from other programs, such as Human Factors and Operations Research, to solve problems beyond the expertise of any single discipline.
We have an active student body, with chapters of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), American Society for Quality (ASQ), the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), and the Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE).
Students who have conducted production systems take positions in academic institutions, federal laboratories, national corporations, and service industries.
Students with an interest in production systems may also be interested in the following opportunities:
The Production Systems core courses for the qualifying exam are as follows:
- IE 504 Facilities Design
- IE 505 Production Planning and Control
- IE 506 Computer-Integrated Manufacturing
- IE 507 Design and Analytical Experiments 1
- IE 551 Simulation and Stochastic Models
ISE MS students who wish to conduct thesis research in the area of Production Systems/Manufacturing should complete the following courses:
- IE 504 Facilities Design
- IE 505 Production Planning and Control
- IE 506 Computer-Integrated Manufacturing
- IE 507 Design and Analysis of Experiments
- IE 551 Simulation
- IE 508 (Quality Assurance) and IE 509 (Six Sigma) are strongly recommended as elective courses
Suggested Course Sequence for First-Year Students
Fall Semester
IE 507 Design & Analysis of Experiments
IE 504 Facilities Design
IE 506 Computer-Integrated Manufacturing
Elective
Spring Semester
IE 505 Production Planning and Control
IE 551 Simulation
Elective
Elective