<p>I am currently a sophomore engineering student at the University of Michigan and I have to declare pretty soon. The problem that I'm having is I can't really pick between Mechanical Engineering and Industrial and Operations Engineering. I see myself one day ending up in management and because of this I would like to get a MBA at somepoint in my career. Because I want to end up in management I think that the Industrial Engineering degree would set me on a faster track than that but I have my reservations. I feel that a Mechanical Engineer with a MBA or even just a business major could do the same thing that an industrial engineer could do but that that does not hold true in reverse. I like the mechanical engineering curiculum and it does interest me. I like that with the mechanical engineering program I will learn the technical side very well, but like I said I want to ultimately do management and I don't really want to spend too much time before I actually get there. I do however figure that I can always "fall back" upon a mechanical engineering degree but I"m not so sure on how that holds up for an industrial engineering degree. Do you think I would be making a mistake by going for a BS in mechE and then either a MBA or MSE in Industrial or since I really want to go into management should I go straight into Industrial or Business and then go for a MBA? Any Input?</p>
<p>In my experience the ME degree will get you a lot further. IE ("imaginary engineering") is a dying field in many areas of the country. I know at the University of Arkansas many of the IEs are having trouble finding jobs. Of course from UMich you will still have many opportunities with it. Many MEs go into management as well so don't think you need an IE degree to do that.</p>
<p>Hey Dr. Reynolds, I'm an industrial and management engineer at RPI and I've been given a different impression of the field of industrial engineering. According to the facts I've been given, an industrial engineer can work in nearly every industry, as all industrial processes can benefit from improved efficiency. The field used to just involve manufacturing, however now industrial engineers can work as administrators at hospitals, or even as financial consultants. Also the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't state that industrial engineering is a dying field at all. It must be a regional issue or something, because there's NO talk of industrial engineers not being able to find a job after they graduate. The only negative things I've heard are the imaginary engineering jokes :-(.</p>
<p>I've heard both of these views, which sort of makes it hard to try and figure out where to go. Thanks for your views. Anyone else?</p>
<p>I don't think IE is dying by any means. ME is the most flexible major in all of engineering though. The difficulty between ME & IE is very pronounced. From my experience, ME is much harder.</p>