Description of Industrial Engineering Graduate Courses

IME 505 Human Factors Engineering (3-0-3). The physical and mental capabilities and limitations of the worker are studied and applied to the design and analysis of equipment, occupational tasks, and the environment. Topics include research methods, cognition, visual and auditory systems, controls, displays, anthropometry, and workplace design.

IME 506 Industrial Safety and Health (3-0-3). Fundamental principles and techniques of industrial safety and hygiene are presented. Topics include federal regulations, hazard analysis, fire and explosion prevention, machine guarding, hazardous material control, industrial ventilation, survey and sampling techniques, and personal protection equipment.

IME 510 Advanced Engineering Statistics

IME 520 Applied Engineering Design (3-0-3). Prerequisites: Undergraduate course in statistics and probability (ESC 310), graduate standing, and permission of instructor. Statistical considerations for designing effective engineering experiments. Topics include: planning of comparative experiments; sampling techniques; sequential tests; randomization and blocking, including incomplete blocking; Latin and Graeco Latin squares; factorial and fractional factorial designs; and response surface analysis.

IME 530 Operations Research I (3-0-3). Prerequisites: Undergraduate course in linear algebra, graduate standing, and permission of instructor.  Deterministic models in operations research, including linear programming and network formulations; the simplex, transportation, and assignment algorithms, with applications to engineering and management problems.

IME 540 Quality System Design (3-0-3). Prerequisites: IME 320 or equivalent and permission of instructor. Philosophies and structures of a generic quality system are introduced. Also examines the backgrounds of various industrial quality assurance systems, such as ISO 9000, CIS 9000, and Ford 01. A comprehensive examination of ISO 9000 is included, along with various implementation issues.

IME 545 Advanced Metal Cutting (3-0-3). Prerequisites: IME 250 or equivalent and permission of instructor. The physical models describing chip-formation phenomenon are described, analyzed, and applied to various machining operations. Machine performance and production economics are discussed and applied to automated and conventional machining systems.

IME 548 In-Process Sensing and Process Control (3-0-3). Study and analysis of the role of sensors and computers in manufacturing process control. Intrinsic and extrinsic properties of products and materials are explored with respect to in-line, on-line, and off-line methods of monitoring, adaptive control, and automated inspection systems.

IME 550 Industrial Automation (3-0-3). Broad introduction and analysis of the basic building blocks of modern automated manufacturing and quality inspection systems. Topics include sensors, actuators, machine vision, programmable logic controllers, and PC based data acquisition and control.

IME 551 Industrial Automation Laboratory (0- 3-1). Application of sensors and control interfaces for manufacturing systems. Design setup, implementation, data gathering, and analysis of collected data on real-process control.

IME 560 Manufacturing Systems Engineering (3-0-3). Analysis and design of automated production systems; quantitative models are introduced and applied to flow-balance characteristics of synchronous and asynchronous fabricating and assembly systems.

IME 562 Production and Inventory Control (3- 0-3). Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission of instructor. Note: This course is not a substitute for IME 470. This is an introduction to the analysis of various aspects of production planning and control. Topics include classical inventory models, MRP, DRP forecasting, production planning, scheduling, queuing, and line balancing. Emphasis is on integration of production and control activities.

IME 570 Continuous Quality Improvement (3- 0-3). Prerequisites: IME 320 or equivalent and permission of instructor. The philosophy, techniques, and methods for continuous improvement of manufacturing, business, and service processes are studied. The Shewhart cycle, team- building and dynamics, quantitative and qualitative methods, Taguchi, and other quality-engineering methods also are covered.

IME 575 Systems Simulation (3-0-3). (Addenda Revised 04/2007) Prerequisites: Undergraduate course in statistics and probability (ESC 310) and permission of instructor. Introduction to simulation, including development of simulation models, random number and random variable generation, model validation and testing, analysis of model output, and an overview of simulation languages. Emphasis is on the use of simulation modeling in decision-making, through a series of projects involving decision problems.

IME 580 Engineering Management (3-0-3). Studies of current methods for the effective control of projects in the private and public sectors are presented. Included are the analyses of qualitative and quantitative factors that affect the successful completion of projects. Emphasis is on the development of project criteria, analysis of project networks, and the effects of time, financial, and organizational changes on projects.

IME 600 Economic Evaluation of Industrial Projects (3-0-3). Prerequisite: Undergraduate course in engineering economics or permission of instructor. Advanced study in the time-value of money, project costing, evaluation of industrial projects, and economic decision models for investments in manufacturing and industrial projects. Topics include, but are not limited to, activity-based costing, venture capital, concepts and impact of risk, and corporate financial evaluation.

IME 610 Concurrent Engineering (3-0-3). An understanding of the principles of system-level design, product quality requirements, and design for manufacturability and assembly are presented. Addresses testability, reliability, and maintainability issues; explores rapid prototyping and design- review techniques. Additional topics include selection of materials, manufacturing processes and functional testing, and life-cycle engineering.

IME 623 Reliability Engineering (3-0-3). Concepts, models, and goals of reliability engineering for engineering systems, qualitative analysis of economic specifications, performance levels, maintenance levels, and redundancy systems.

IME 631 Operations Research II (3-0-3). Prerequisites: IME 530 or equivalent and an undergraduate course in statistics and probability. A study of stochastic models in operations research, including stochastic processes, queuing models, probabilistic inventory models, and probabilistic decision models, with applications to engineering and management problems.

IME 641 Manufacturing Expert Systems (3- 0-3). Prerequisites: IME 530 and permission of instructor. The concepts and principles on which the Artificial Intelligence (Al) models known as Expert Systems are constructed and how they are employed in modem manufacturing are studied. Fundamentals of the PROLOG language and applications to engineering design and manufacturing-systems control problems.

IME 652 Robotics and Machine Vision (3-0-3). The basic principles underlying the analysis and application of robots used in manufacturing systems are introduced and analyzed. Stand-alone and robot-integrated machine-vision systems and their applications are discussed in detail.

IME 653 Robotics and Machine Vision Laboratory (0-3-1). The student receives hands-on experiences in programming and applying robots, robotic arms, and machine-vision systems to material processing and handling problems.

IME 654 Advanced Industrial Automation and Control (3-0-3). Design and analysis of integrated manufacturing cell-control systems for material handling, processing, and automated inspection systems. Topics include PLCs, machine vision, I/O communication, and manufacturing automation protocols.

IME 655 Advanced Industrial Automation and Control Laboratory (0-3-1). Projects representing the advanced concepts developed in IME 654 are assembled and applied to automated processing and assembly cells in the industrial automation laboratory.

IME 656 Nondestructive Evaluation (3-0-3). A comprehensive analysis of nondestructive-testing techniques for characterization and defect evaluation. Methods covered include radiography, ultrasonics, eddy currents, microwaves, magnetic flux, and penetrant inspection, with hands-on applications in a laboratory setting.

IME 660 Computer Integrated Design and Manufacturing (3-0-3). Prerequisite: IME 560 or equivalent. Introduction of the concepts of solid modeling of parts, computer-aided design strategies, control of manufacturing processes through computers, integration of computer-controlled machine tools with design models, and understanding of CAD/CAM systems architectures through case studies and projects.

IME 663 Competitive Manufacturing Management (3-0-3). Prerequisite: IME 562 or permission of instructor. A study of the management concepts and principles that will guide manufacturing into the future. Topics include approaches to waste elimination, teaming, continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, advanced production planning and control systems, supply-chain management, and activity-based costing. This is a Web-based course.

IME 664 Engineering Project Control (3-4-3). Prerequisite: Undergraduate course in production and inventory control. Survey of methods and techniques used to plan, implement, manage, and control projects. Topics include team-building, resource allocation, control techniques, resource-leveling, and analysis of alternatives. Application of techniques to small and large projects is emphasized.

IME 666 Systems Engineering, Analysis, and Management (3-0-3). Basic graduate course for introducing the concept of systems, systems engineering process, definitions, planning, design, advancement, and control of complex human-made systems and organizations (enterprises). Major topics include system- engineering process, planning, system design, life cycle, reliability, maintainability, integrated logistics support, and costs issues. Includes several examples of new enterprise systems engineering products and processes.

IME 678 New Product Development, Marketing, and Management. (3-0-3). Prerequisite: IME 666. A study of the latest practices, processes, methodology, marketing, and management of the development, introduction, and successful product life-cycle management of new, high-technology products. Topics include opportunity identification, new- products development process, alternative evaluation, product-test (marketing) strategies, introduction and roll-out strategies, and customer support.

IME 679 Technology Management for Engineers (3-0-3). Technology management concepts, principles, and processes with engineering examples that govern the successful implementation of new technologies are studied. Also addresses the process strategies for managing technology (S-curve) changes in today’s high-technology, engineering-driven world. Topics include the engineer’s role in innovation and entrepreneurship, innovation and technology forecasting, product/technology life cycle, economic life cycles, S-curves, and technology change.

IME 696 Directed Studies in Industrial Engineering (1-4 credits). Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. A directed or independent study of an individual problem or subject under the supervision of a graduate faculty member. Students must register for this course in the IME Department for assignment of a section number. Students must furnish a title for the directed or independent study, at the time of registration.

IME 697 Master’s Project (3-0-3). A student may include one semester of IME 697 as part of his or her plan of study. An IME Graduate Faculty member must agree to be the advisor. The student must prepare a formal proposal for approval, prior to registering for the course. This should be done during the semester prior to taking the course. The student must present a formal report on the project to his or her advisor and at least one additional faculty member, prior to the end of the semester.

IME 698 Master’s Thesis Research (1-3 credits). Intended for students planning to enroll in IME 699 who have not yet developed a topic or had a Thesis and Dissertation Proposal Form approved.

IME 699 Master’s Thesis (1-3 credits). Prerequisite: Completed Thesis and Dissertation Proposal Form, approved by the IME Department, on file with the College of Graduate Studies. Students must register for a minimum of 3 credits hours the first semester in which the student is enrolled in IME 699. This course may be repeated for 1-3 credit hours until the Thesis is successfully defended. Each student pursuing the thesis option must successfully defend his or her work in an oral examination. The oral examination is open to the public, and a notice must be posted two weeks prior to the examination.

IME 741 Manufacturing Expert Systems (3-0- 3). Prerequisites: IME 530 and permission of instructor. Construction of artificial intelligence models known as expert systems (ESs). Fundamentals of the PROLOG language; applications of ESs to engineering design and manufacturing systems.

IME 752 Robotics and Machine Vision (3-0- 3). The basic principles underlying the analysis and application of robots used in manufacturing systems are introduced and analyzed. Stand- alone and robot-integrated machine vision systems and their applications are discussed in detail.

IME 753 Robotics and Machine Vision Laboratory (0-3-1). Students receive hands-on experience in programming and applying robots, robotic arms, and machine vision systems to material processing and handling problems.

IME 754 Advanced Industrial Automation and Control (3-0-3). Design and analysis of integrated manufacturing cell-control systems for material handling, processing, and automated inspection systems. Topics include PLCs, machine vision, I/O communication, and manufacturing automation protocols.

IME 755 Systems Design and Integration Laboratory (0-3-1). Projects representing the advanced concepts developed in IME 754 are assembled and applied to automated processing and assembly cells in the industrial automation laboratory.

IME 762 Advanced Production and Inventory Control (3-0-3). Prerequisites: IME 562 and permission of instructor. Emphasis on the integration of planning and control functions in a dynamic environment. Application of current philosophical, analytical, and empirical research dealing with alternative approaches for planning and control of manufacturing operations are studied.

IME 764 Advanced Engineering Project Control (3-0-3). Prerequisites: IME 530 and permission of instructor. The theory, concepts, techniques, and process of project control are examined. Emphasis is on the scheduling of scarce resources and the impact of technology on project decisions.

IME 775 Advanced Simulation Design and Analysis (3-0-3). Prerequisites: IME 575, ESC 310, and permission of instructor. Theoretical study of queuing models and random number generators, input analysis, output analysis, model verification and validation, model animation, and a review of simulation-modeling languages.

IME 796 Directed Studies (3-0-3).

IME 895 Seminar (no credit).

IME 897 Doctoral Research (1-3 credits). Up to ten credits may be applied to the dissertation credit requirement.

IME 899 Dissertation (3-12 credits). Prerequisites: Successful completion of candidacy examination prior to enrollment and Thesis and Dissertation Proposal Form on file with the College of Graduate Studies.