BS-Industrial & Robotics Engineering

Industrial Engineers learn to apply human and material resources to the efficient, optimized, resourceful, and profitable creation of and/or provision of services. Students in Gannon University’s Industrial and Robotics Engineering (IRE) program can choose from one of the following six concentrations.

• Economics and Financial Systems

• Healthcare Systems

• International Industrial Engineering

• Robotics and Production Engineering

• Supply Chain and Logistics Systems

• Ergonomics and Human Factors

The IRE program creates opportunities for students to optimize their educational experience through collaboration and/or course cross-listings with other programs on campus, such as mechanical engineering, mathematics, biomedical engineering, the Dahlkemper School of Business, the Small Business Development Center, and the Erie Technology Incubator. This program prepares students for technical leadership roles that involve the interface between engineering and business professionals. Some of the other key components of their learning include the design of efficient and safe working environments, and human-centered design.

Science, mathematics, business, and engineering methods are at the core of industrial engineering, where students will learn to apply them to complex systems and processes. The IRE curriculum is designed to ensure that students acquire knowledge and skills in a wide variety of engineering and management disciplines as well as robotics. Because industrial engineering is a wide- ranging discipline with numerous career options, students can decide where they want to work, and find their skill sets directly applicable.

Our industrial engineering program remain ahead of the curve with participation in the constant evolution of the technology landscape. While the degree awarded is relating specifically to industrial engineering, capacity for state-of-the-art robotics training has been built up within the program. You will be part of the team contributing meaningfully to defining the future of technology and creating innovative products and process designs.

Industrial Engineers:

1. Find ways to design effective work systems and eliminate wastefulness in a broad range of processes.

2. Devise efficient ways to improve productivity in systems involving the interplay of workers, machines, materials, information, and energy in the creation of a product or the provision of a service.

3. Device ways to do things better.

4. Find ways that are smarter, faster, safer, and easier, so that companies become more efficient, productive, and profitable, and employees have work environments that are safer and more rewarding.

5. Automate manufacturing and service processes to increase production and precision, and

6. Build, configure, and test robots for different applications.

7. Studies human-machine/human-robot ‘working relationships’ in an integrated work environment to determine and implement measures that ensure the comfort of the human while at the same time, improving productivity.

Industrial Engineers are employed in a wide range of industries, including the service, entertainment, shipping, and healthcare fields. For example, nobody likes to wait in a long line to get on a roller coaster ride, or to get admitted to the hospital. Industrial engineers tell companies how to shorten these processes. They (IEs) try to make life and products better and do more with fewer resources. The program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Industrial Engineering Program Criteria.

Program Educational Objectives

The Industrial and Robotics Engineering program has a clear overall goal and design consistent with the mission of Gannon University, which are reflected in the program’s educational objectives (PEOs).

Graduates from the IRE program at Gannon University are expected to:

1. Demonstrate leadership abilities through career advancement, as evidenced by promotion and/or acceptance of increasing professional responsibilities.

2. Demonstrate interest in continuing advanced professional degrees or graduate studies in industrial engineering, professional training, or engineering certification.

3. Demonstrate expertise in solving higher-level problems relevant to their organization, with the main emphasis on safety, quality, productivity, innovation, continuous improvement, and integration into existing or creation of new systems.

4. Effectively communicate and participate throughout the organization regarding complex problems and solutions, technological advancements, and global innovation to various audiences from all levels of the business.

Industrial Engineers are highly sought after due to the profession’s multidisciplinary relevance the ability to identify sources of waste relating to time, money, materials, man-hours, machine time, and energy as it applies to complex processes, systems, and organizations, and seek to optimize the same. Hence there is a wide variety of educational experiences that our graduates are exposed to, preparing them for diverse post- graduation occupations. Our students’ extensive technical preparation and the design of our curriculum strategically position them for tomorrow’s jobs. All of the aforementioned objectives need to be interpreted not as outlooks or attitude but as the active contribution of our students to society.

Concentrations within Industrial and Robotics Engineering

Industrial and Robotics Engineering students can select from six areas of focus, but it is not required. It’s imperative to note that for students interested in signing up for any of the tracks, course prerequisites need to be fulfilled unless waived at the discretion of the chair/program director of the host department/program for a course.

Robotics and Production Engineering

Emphasizes production in industrial or service industries. The student learns methods for developing engineering solutions for a broad range of production and production-related problems. Students select three of the following:

• IE 455 Operations Research II

• IE 440 Lean Systems II

• IE 415 Safety

• IE 465 Healthcare Systems Engineering

• IE 456 Robotics I

• IE 457 Robotics II

Ergonomics and Human Factors

Focuses students on biological and human systems in the context of Industrial Engineering. This concentration is best suited for students intending to pursue graduate study in Engineering. Note that the student must select Biology over Chemistry in the Freshman year and take MATH 243 as the math/science elective in the Sophomore year to avoid extra courses or an additional semester to complete the bachelor’s degree.

• BIOL 104 and BIOL 105 (instead of CHEM 111 and CHEM 112

• MATH 243 Calculus 4 as a math elective,

• BME 355 Computer Simulation of Human Movement

• BME 356 Motion Capture Lab

• BME 479 Biomed Robotics and Biomimetics

Healthcare Systems

Emphasizes the engineering and management of healthcare systems. Students learn to develop engineering and managerial solutions for a broad range of problems in the operation of a health care facility.

• IE 440 Lean Systems II and

• IE 465 Healthcare Systems Engineering, plus one of the following:

  • HCMG 305 Introduction to the U.S. Healthcare System (3 credits)

  • HCMG 340 Healthcare Economics (3 credits)

  • HCMG 410 Healthcare Law, Regulation, and Policy (3 credits)

  • HCMG 450 Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics (3 credits)

Supply Chain and Logistics Systems

Emphasizes design and management of the supply chain.

• IE 455 Operations Research II, plus two of the following:

  • SCMG 310 Global Logistics (3 credits)

  • SCMG 340 Sourcing and Supply Chain Management (3 credits)

  • SCMG 415 Supply Chain Risk Management (3 credits)

  • SCMG 425 Supply Chain Design (3 credits)

International Industrial Engineering

Emphasizes the growing importance of international teams to design and develop engineering solutions for production and service businesses.

• Approval of all courses by Program Director

• Study Abroad required. Expenses to be paid by the student.

• Approved courses taken abroad as technical electives.

• Selection of Liberal Studies courses with an international focus

Economics and Financial Systems

Emphasizing prices, lead-time, risk, and analysis to influence demand, coordination, and competition. This track is more qualitative regarding processes but quantitative regarding financial aspects.

• BCOR 111 Principles of Microeconomics or

• BCOR 112 Principles of Macroeconomics as a Social Science, plus three from the following list:

  • ECON 327 Econometric Methods

  • FINC 312 Financial Management I

  • FINC 312 Financial Management II

  • FINC 411 Advanced Financial Management

  • FINC 423 Financial Models

Students completing MGMT 330 are eligible to take the exam for Certified Associate Project Manager. All students in their final semester of the IRE program are eligible to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam. The FE exam is the first step toward state licensing as a Professional Engineer (PE).