Undergraduate Overview
T
he objectives of the undergraduate program in the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Arkansas are to produce graduates who, within just a few years of graduation, can: (1) successfully apply core industrial engineering knowledge and skills for industrial or public sector organizations, (2) successfully pursue advanced professional degrees, graduate studies in industrial engineering, professional training, or engineering certification, and (3) demonstrate professional and intellectual growth as managers and leaders in industrial engineering, society, and their communities. Our curriculum includes not only industrial engineering courses, but also courses in engineering science, computer science, mathematics, physical science, english, economics and other social sciences, humanities, and fine arts. Richard Cassady, Professor of Industrial Engineering, serves as the Chair of Undergraduate Studies. Students enter our program as sophomores, since all first-year College of Engineering students participate in the Freshman Engineering Program. Directed by Richard Cassady, the Freshman Engineering Program includes two semesters of academic coursework, peer mentoring, professional development, academic advising, and academic assistance programs. Since the Freshman Engineering Program was implemented in 2007, second-year retention (in engineering) of first-year engineering students has increased from approximately 60% to approximately 70%. Roughly 13% of retained Freshman Engineering Program students choose industrial engineering for their sophomore year. More information on the undergraduate program can be found at http:// industrial-engineering.uark.edu/academics/undergraduate-program/ index.php.
Award Winning Senior Design Teams at West Point with Dr. Greg Parnell and match them with an industrial partner in mid-October. Each team is led by a student project manager and advised by a member of the industrial engineering faculty. The industry partner provides the team with a point of contact and meets with the team (in-person or virtually) at least once per week to help the team identify and meet stakeholders, obtain data, assess the validity of their industrial engineering analysis, and review draft versions of course milestones and project results. During the second eight weeks of the fall semester, each team gets to know their industry partner by conducting stakeholder analysis and background research on their sponsor and the issues that are of interest to the sponsor. This background research includes reviews of published work on how other organizations have addressed similar
8
Industrial Engineering Capstone Experience
issues. The goal for this preliminary analysis is to require teams to utilize
Recently the undergraduate senior design course was restructured and
a variety of industrial engineering tools including extensive data analysis
renamed. The Industrial Engineering Capstone Experience was extended
and visualization. By the end of the fall semester, each team defines
to a two-semester course. The course will put students in teams of 4-5,
meaningful objectives for their work with their sponsor. They also define