ISE with a minor in physics?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

I am a junior undergraduate industrial & systems engineer. I hear a lot of IEs get involved with business and finance and I really would rather stay in a more “engineering” related career.

while looking through job applications, i’ve noticed a lot of job descriptions whose qualifications would say something like “materials engineering, mechanical engineering, or related quantitative field”. however, they essentially describe, to a T, what an industrial engineer would do. (DOE, stochastic modeling, computational stats, data analysis, etc). This is based purely off of the nature of the company (not one specific company, but generally science related companies). I am very interested in using concepts from industrial engineering in more science related areas of expertise. but im not quite sure how to get there without switching majors which Id rather not do because im already pretty far into my program.

would minoring in physics give me a competitive edge against other engineering disciplines given that the job seems related to IE? would the minor be a waist of time and knowledge that I don’t use as an IE? Do I simply not understand what these job descriptions are really asking for even though i am familiar with most of the terminology used in the description?

I know that this isnt a super specific question, but any input would be appreciated

2

We have a lot to unpack here…

On job descriptions. Often these are handled by HR with input from the hiring (engineer) manager. They often can be vague or generic. If the description looks like an IE job, then go ahead and apply.

It’s not uncommon, especially at companies with a smaller engineering staff, for them to hire a mechanical, electrical, material, etc, engineer and then train/assign them IE roles. These companies may be open to hiring an IE to back-fill such a position (and even train them in some ME/EE type stuff), or not. You can’t tell until you engage with the company.

IE covers a wide range of industries, and every industry is a “business”. It sounds like you want to get more engaged with manufacturing systems, supply chain and perhaps information/communications systems. Minoring in physics is an option, but your school may offer several better options. (a physics minor, isn’t’ really going to be very helpful in your job search).

A minor in CS is a popular choice for IE’s. Some schools also offer minors in EE, ME, Material Engineering, etc. Check what minors are available, also what certificates (like Six Sigma/Green Belt) may also be available.

Instead of taking a minor, you may want to look at the option of taking additional IE classes/electives that relate to the industry/field you’re most interested in, such as manufacturing systems.

Finally, see if there is a club/student organization/design team that’s associated with the industry/field that you are targeting. If nothing else, your school likely has an IISE (Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers) group, which you should join.

Good Luck!