Representatives from industry, economic organizations and academia gathered March 14 to discuss a new industrial engineering program expected to launch in fall 2024 or spring 2025 within the College of Engineering. The Nevada System of Higher Education approved the program in November 2023.

Industrial engineering is concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment and energy. With the growth of manufacturing in Nevada, many are eager for such a program, which would be the first of its kind in the state.

“It’s really needed, as we continue to diversify the economy of our state,” Tom Simpkins of Manufacture Nevada, an organization that bridges industry and state, said. “We have so many manufacturers moving here and this checks one of the boxes for them.”

About 20 professionals from such companies as Arrow Electronics, Hamilton, Lithium Americas, Redwood Materials, Tesla and Verus as well as the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the Economic Development Authority of Northern Nevada and Manufacture Nevada gathered with Engineering leadership to listen to three industrial engineering experts and to provide input on the new program. They also discussed how to support the endeavor, whether it’s providing student internships or supplying guest lecturers and adjunct staff to instruct in their areas of expertise.

Additionally, the group laid the foundation for an advisory board to guide the program and discussed the timeline for accreditation through ABET, the international nonprofit that accredits programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology.

“We really want your support and ideas on how to make this program successful,” Victor Vasquez, Chemical & Materials Engineering chair, said.

The need for industrial engineering

Vasquez shared a proposed curriculum for the 126-unit bachelor’s degree program, which will be housed in the Chemical & Materials Engineering Department. A master’s and Ph.D. program also are planned.

He also was candid about the challenges the new program faces: resources are limited as the University faces budget cuts. Long-term, however, the program could provide great opportunity to students, as industrial engineers are needed in almost every industry, from health care to food processing to automobile manufacturing and more. Additionally, the manufacturing sector in Nevada has been growing steadily since 2015, according to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). In 2021, manufacturers accounted for 5.3% of the total output in Nevada, up from 4.89% in 2018, according to NAM data. In 2021, total output from manufacturing was $9.45 billion, up from $8.11 billion in 2018.

“I think the University of Nevada, Reno is in a great place,” Sunderesh Heragu, associate dean for Academic Affairs at Oklahoma State University, said. “I think your students have a good future.”

Heragu, who headed up the Industrial and Systems Engineering program at Oklahoma State, discussed modern challenges that will be solved in part by industrial engineers: catastrophic events such as health pandemics, climate change, wars and the shift to an aging population.

“The world we live in today is unpredictable,” he said. “Industrial engineering will always be in demand.”

Other academic leaders providing input on industrial engineering were Joseph Hartman, provost and vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Massachusetts; and Michael Riley, emeritus professor and department head of the Industrial & Management Systems Engineering department at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln. 

While the world needs industrial engineers, the discipline is broad, so the college is relying on industry to shape the program to meet Nevada’s needs. Representatives from regional industrial groups provided input on what skill sets incoming employees and interns need to have and to help the University become a wellspring of operations and manufacturing in the West.

For more information on the College of Engineering’s Industrial Engineering program, contact Associate Dean Indira Chatterjee.