News and Highlights
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U.S. BLS Reports Industrial Engineering has Promising Future with Big Earnings
The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics has great news for those who want to pursue careers in industrial engineering. In spite of the declining manufacturing industry in the U.S., industrial engineering employment is expected to grow 20% over the next 8-10 years, almost double the rate of the average for engineering professions and other occupations.The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that increasing competition and advancing technology will require companies to focus on key industrial engineering tasks such as increasing productivity, output, and service quality. Additionally, the growth of the service sector industry in the U.S. has contributed to the demand for engineers.
Earnings for industrial engineers also compared well to other engineering disciplines, with a median IE annual income of $69,000 and 10% of IEs earning over $100,000 per year. The average starting annual salary by college degree for industrial engineers was over $55,000 for bachelor’s, $65,000 for master’s and $77,000 for the Ph.D.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Engineers (visited January 25, 2008).
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New Degree Specialization in Service Systems Engineering
Service Systems Engineering is a new multidisciplinary engineering field that employs scientific engineering principles to improve service enterprises. In response to the growing demand for technically proficient engineers in the service industries, the ISE Department is now pleased to offer a Master of Science in Engineering Science Degree with a Specialization in Service Systems Engineering.This degree provides graduate study for those engineers who will be involved with the forecasting, pricing, planning, scheduling, and controlling aspects of the service enterprise. Students learn how to re-engineer processes to reduce costs, apply data mining to solve problems, and use six sigma concepts to improve service quality in medical, financial, information technology, and customer service fields. The program is also desirable to those who wish to advance to managerial and leadership positions in service organizations. Graduates of this program will be able to lead technical teams, programs, and projects to meet the service sector challenges in the new global economy.
Applications for Fall 2008 admission are being accepted now. For more information about the program, please contact Victor Paquet, Sc.D., Director of Graduate Studies.
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New Interdisciplinary Training Program in Occupational Safety and Health
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has awarded the University at Buffalo a three-year grant that will allow graduate students of industrial and systems engineering, pharmacology and toxicology, rehabilitation science, and social and preventive medicine departments to participate in a new occupational safety and health (OS&H) training program. The program is designed specifically to improve the safety and health of the Western New York workforce by increasing the number of qualified OS&H professionals in the region.Trainees gain core competencies in injury prevention, epidemiology, and industrial hygiene through a uniquely varied educational experience featuring academic courses, OSHA/OTI approved continuing education training, a journal club, and interaction with OS&H practitioners at professional meetings.
Those who have engineering backgrounds must first be accepted into the M.S. program to be eligible to participate. Full-time students who are permanent U.S. residents are also eligible for trainee fellowships that cover tuition costs and provide monthly stipends. Those interested should contact Victor Paquet, Sc.D., Associate Professor.