Industrial engineering combines knowledge from the physical, mathematical and social sciences to design systems that integrate people, equipment and information in the most efficient way. Improvements made by industrial engineers in automation, information control and process quality revolutionized manufacturing in the past century and greatly increased quality of life. Trends toward globalization, increased complexity and rapid technological innovation create an even greater need for industrial engineering in the 21st century.

Successful industrial engineering concepts are also spreading to the financial, logistics and health care services industries, affording new areas of opportunity.

Faculty members in the industrial engineering program are internationally recognized for their innovative research projects, funded both by government and industry. The MS program in industrial engineering at ASU is consistently ranked among the top 20 in the nation for graduate programs in the United States.