How can i receive education equivalent to industrial engineering.

Hey guys, I am applying to many schools that do not offer Industrial Engineering, which is the major i would like to pursue in college. I would really like to attend UCSD or UCLA, however they both do not offer IE. I was wondering, would it be possible to receive education that is equivalent to industrial engineering. For example, I double major in mechanical engineering and management science, but do not take certain classes in mechanical engineering that are off topic for me.

Any input would be appreciated, especially from people who know a thing or two about engineering.

Thanks !!

How would you graduate with an incomplete level of coursework in a major? If you major in ME and don’t complete the requirements, you won’t receive a diploma in ME.
Were you planning on minoring?

USD has an IE department … USC … but also many of the CSUs offer IE. Berkeley.

Have you considered Georgia Tech … it’s not wildly expensive … but more than UCs … .and not in the snow belt.

If you know enough about IE to be sure you are actually going to major in it … go to a school that has the program … systems is somewhat close too at UC-Davis.

I think you should apply to schools that meet your educational needs, not ones that are in LA or SD… but that is your call.

Double major implies that you take all the requirements for both degrees, including ones that don’t interest you. Business plus engineering is easier in some schools than others, but you are going to have to crunch through the tough engineering freshman coursework to get through it. Double majors are difficult to complete in 4 years without a lot of AP or DE credits or a lot of summer classes (for engineering you have to take everything before junior year that is in the 4 year plan or expect to take another year ).

@PickOne1 I applied to GAtech and got rejected yesterday! I am also applying to USC and have applied to Berkeley and Davis but I am not expecting much.
As you may know, industrial engineering is very broad, some colleges dont even consider it engineering, instead they call it management science and operations research, which technically offers the same education. So i was just wondering if I would have flexibility at UCSD and UCLA to take classes that would be similar to industrial engineering.
My dad is an industrial engineer, and he told me that mechanical engineering and management science go well together and are basically very similar to IE.

I am also looking into doing something like general engineering and minoring in entrepreneurship.

Getting into UCSD and UCLA for engineering is pretty difficult … likely harder than Davis. Haven’t you already selected all the UC schools on your application ? Seems like time to wait and see your options.

There is a good deal of variation in all engineering programs. You can take a look at the ABET standards for ME, IE, systems, etc on the ABET website.

You can only combine ME and management as much as a particular school will let you and still grant you a degree. Some schools have minors in engineering … but all the classes you need will likely require calc, physics and chem and comp sci … aka the freshman engineering program.

Once you see where you get in … you should take the time to review all on-line info and then visit the schools or set up Skype and talk to engineering and management department and see how you can achieve your goals within their course offerings and other requirements.

CSU application period still open ?

Having dad as an IE can either be great in that you really are interested in that field or bad if it’s just something he likes. I think an ME can handle some management courses … but it’s not the same as some IE programs like Georgia Tech.

GT may however be the most difficult school to get into since they are ranked #1, so if there are other IE programs nearby that are still taking applications - go apply now !

“other IE programs nearby that are still taking applications- go apply now” Virginia Tech is a top 10 IE program, number 5 for undergrad right now I believe. They are accepting applications until January 15th. But merit is limited and the deadline for priority consideration for any scholarships there may be has already passed.

You can do a different engineering major as an undergrad, and then do IE for grad school. Just use some of your electives to take relevant classes, such as linear algebra, ergonomics, statistics, etc.

At some schools without a formal IE major, there may be electives or a sub-major concentration in operations research within the math or statistics department. There may be a non-ABET-accredited operations research major at some schools. Some schools may offer a systems engineering major that has some overlap with IE.

You may want to look up the course work and electives of an ABET-accredited IE major and see if similar courses exist at a school you are considering that does not have an IE major.

Schools in California with ABET-accredited IE majors include UCB, CPSLO, CPP, SJSU, CSUEB, USC, USD (the last two are private). For other schools, go through their course offerings (math and statistics are the most likely places to look) to see if they offer courses similar to what IE departments require and offer.

If you want to becomes a licensed Professional Engineer or take the patent exam, it would be best to earn an actual ABET-accredited IE degree, rather than a math or statistics degree with courses similar to IE ones.