What is Mechanical and Industrial Engineering?

Mechanical engineers and Industrial engineers create systems to design, develop, test, and evaluate products and services for a variety of industries. Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Graduates have broad and diverse careers in design, production, quality control, supply chains and logistics, research and development, and project/product management.

The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering has a longstanding tradition of excellence in education, offering bachelor's degrees since 1919 and graduate studies since 1949.

Mechanical Engineering (ME)

Mechanical engineers deal with all things that move, from individual components to machines to biological systems. Mechanical engineers combine a variety of physical sciences to build and design machines and systems, such as nuclear plants, automobiles, railway equipment, spacecraft, equipment for energy generation/conversion/storage, instruments for medicine, equipment for waste management and environmental control. It would be hard to find an area in everyday life that was not in some way affected by a mechanical engineer. Their work plays a crucial role in developing the technology and infrastructure that shape our modern world. When mechanical engineers work in specific industries, they are sometimes identified by the field: nuclear engineers, automotive engineers, railway engineers, and aerospace engineers for example.

ME is a field of study intended for professionals who are interested in creating complex engineering systems to solve the technical problems of today and tomorrow. MEs are employed in a wide range of design and product development industries.

Industrial Engineering (IE)

Industrial Engineering use a combination of physical and social sciences to balance factors like time, workers, and technology to achieve goals safely and within budget. Industrial engineering involves designing and implementing analytical solutions to problems that arise in the management of systems by applying the principles of mathematical modelling, production planning and control, supply chain, quality engineering, engineering statistics and operations research. IEs focus on the efficient utilization of resources to produce high quality, cost-competitive goods, and services in a safe and organized work environment.

IE is a field of study intended for professionals who are interested in managing and analyzing complex systems, formulating models of these systems, and solving them with the intention of improving system and business performance. Unique and in contrast to other disciplines in engineering IEs focus on information driven decision making and a broad-based systems perspective. IE graduates consider themselves to be problem solvers. IEs are motivated by problems arising in any setting where outcomes are influenced by key decisions. IEs are employed in a wide range of manufacturing and service industries.