Engineering with a Human Face

As a student in RIT's department of industrial and systems engineering, you will be part of a small, close-knit group within the larger College of Engineering. With ten faculty and about 250 students, the department offers you a chance to work closely with your professors in applying engineering theory to real-world situations. Your education takes place both in campus classrooms and laboratories and through cooperative education, where you gain paid, professional work experience while still in school.

The five-year undergraduate program includes more than a year of co-op experience, which you begin in your third year. Our co-op program allows you to alternate quarters in the classroom with quarters on co-op working in industry or the public sector. When you graduate, you already have more than a year of experience on your resume! Co-op salaries for our students averaged approximately $600 a week. Employers ranged from Eastman Kodak Company and IBM to Intel and Walt Disney World.

One reason employers welcome our students is that they are well prepared for professional careers. Much of this preparation takes place in our extensive laboratories. RIT specializes in undergraduate education, so all the laboratories and facilities are open and available to undergraduate students, including the department's Human Performance/Ergonomic Lab, the Product and Process Development Lab, the Advanced Systems Integration, the Computer Tools Lab, and the Brinkman Machine Tools/Manufacturing Lab.

Be involved on campus. Our student chapter of the Institute of Industrial Engineers is very active. A good source of professional contacts, our chapter participates in regional and national events. Many students also join RIT's Society of Women Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the National Society of Black Engineers. Make the grade and join two engineering honor societies. You can also compete in competitions, such as the Rockwell Software / IIE International Simulation Competition or the National Material Handling Design Competition. Our students placed in the top 5 in both competitions. Want a roommate who really understands life as an engineering student? Live in Engineering House, a special RIT dormitory floor.