Resource Guide for
Prospective and Current
Penn State Industrial
Engineers
By: Josh Addison
Eng 202C
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Table of Contents
I.
Introduction
a. Content and Scope
b. Audience and Purpose
c. Assumptions
d. Organization
e. Tips
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II.
Code of Ethics
a. NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers
III.
General Information
a. Industrial Engineering from Engineering.com
b. Penn State Industrial Engineering
c. Occupational Handbook for Engineers
IV.
Government Information
a. Statistical Abstract of the United States
b. Catalog of US Government Publications
V.
Specific Industrial Engineering Resources
a. Industrial Engineering and Management Journal
b. Institute of Industrial Engineers Periodical
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VI.
Professional Organization
a. Institute of Industrial Engineers
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VII. Additional Resources
a. Recommended Courses and Advising
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General Information Regarding the Guide
Content and Scope:
This guide contains resources for students looking to go to Penn State for industrial
engineering and current students already studying at the university. The guide
provides resources to stay up to date on the latest research in the field as well as
general information about the major to learn what the major is about. A multitude of
different subjects in Industrial Engineering are included for different specializations
and interests. Also included is information on the current job market of industrial
engineers.
Audience and Purpose:
The purpose of this guide is to be a resource to current and future engineers studying
at Pennsylvania State University. The guide provides information on the ethics of
engineering as well as general information about industrial engineering. Potential jobs
and salaries are also included in the guide.
Assumptions:
The article assumes that the student has an interest in industrial engineering. A lot of
the websites include research about industrial engineering and the level of difficulty
differs depending on the article. For example, knowledge of physics, chemistry,
calculus, or statistics may be required to understand some of the research done in the
resources. Due to the nature of industrial engineer constantly growing, different
research constantly comes out with varying difficulties in understanding. Industrial
engineering encompasses many different types of specializations that are different and
may require different types of knowledge such as work design, human factors,
efficiency, and manufacturing. Tips are included with each source to get the most out
of each website.
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Organization:
The guide is organized with the general information being at the beginning of the
document; the content becomes more specific further into the document with more
research resources. Included in the beginning in a code of ethics for all engineers to
be familiar with. A section is dedicated to government resources which can offer
more sources than some other public resources can while remaining open source.
Tips:
If you are a prospective student, it is recommended to start at the beginning to gain an
understanding of industrial engineering. Current students with an understanding of
the major can skip the general articles and go straight to the research sources. The
table of contents is useful for determining which resources are right for the reader.
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NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers
Link: http://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics
Description:
This website lists the code of ethics for engineers. As a growing profession and due to
the nature of the profession, the code of ethics is becoming increasingly important for
the success of engineers as a whole. This document lists the official code of ethics
created by the National Society of Engineers. It is important for all engineers to be
aware this code before becoming an engineer and following it while doing
professional work. The site covers the history of the code of ethics and includes a few
different translations for engineers whose native language might not be English. The
site includes more resources regarding ethics for engineers including a class that
engineers can take.
Tips:
 The sidebar on the left includes links to a French, German, and Spanish
translation of the document.
 The page can be downloaded into a pdf on the top of the screen.
 The code is lengthy so be patient and thorough when going through the
document.
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Industrial Engineering (Information about engineering.com)
Link:
http://www.engineering.com/Library/ArticlesPage/tabid/85/ArticleID/179/Industr
ial-Engineering.aspx
Description:
The website offers general information about industrial engineering. A focus of the
website is what industrial engineers do as well as different options they have in
specialization. The site also has a section dedicated to engineering ethics which is
something engineers should familiarize themselves with before deciding on the major.
The site is also an engineering library so after learning the basics about the major,
students can go deeper into engineering articles and current engineering news. This is
useful for prospective students to get an understanding of what industrial engineering
is and for current students to choose a specialization. The website also offers other
engineering resources such as information on ethics and other current engineering
news.
Tips:
 You can look at current engineering news using the links at the top of the
screen.
 Other features in the website are available on the sidebar on the right
 You can sign up for an account but one is not necessary to use the site.
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Penn State Industrial Engineering Homepage
Link: http://www.ie.psu.edu/
Description:
Penn State offers a lot of information about industrial engineering and their own
program on their website. The site lists classes and descriptions of the classes that
engineers should take. Also included is information on current events and research
happening in the industrial engineering field and upcoming events happening for
industrial engineers. There is even a section for alumni who have graduated from the
university. The site includes the faculty who serve as excellent resources to students
while at Penn State and alumni of the program. The site also includes major specific
clubs including clubs that work with businesses. This website would be useful for all
prospective, current, and past industrial engineers at Penn State because of the wealth
of information provided on the site.
Tips:
 Use the links at the top to help guide you through the website.
 The site has information for undergraduate and graduate programs.
 The site also includes organizations that students can join.
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Occupational Outlook Handbook for Industrial Engineers
Link: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/industrialengineers.htm
Description:
This website gives general information regarding work as an industrial engineer. The
website gives basic information about the pay for an industrial engineer and what
industrial engineers do in the workplace. Information on how to become an industrial
engineer and what to expect in the future is also included. Students who are interested
in learning more about what an industrial engineer does and the trajectory of a career
in industrial engineering should use this resource. Links are included to obtain more
information about each subheading and a link is included to find more information
about industrial engineering. This site is useful for prospective engineers as well as
engineers currently in school to understand the major more and get an understanding
of the job market for industrial engineers.
Tips:
 There are tabs at the top of the webpage to also help navigate through the
webpage.
 The page is also available in Spanish via the “En Espanol” button at the top of
the page.
 There is a link on the last time or bottom of the page that links to more
information.
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The 2012 Statistical Abstract
Link: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
Description:
The statistical abstract provides data on the “social, political, and economic
organization of the United States.” The site provides information on a multitude of
different aspects of the country including education, labor force, employment,
population, and manufactures. This information is valuable to many different types of
research and is open access and easy to locate. This information would be useful to
current students and engineers working on a project. The information offered in the
Statistical Abstract can be used to find problem areas in the country to dedicate more
time to as well as get general information regarding the scope of your project.
Tips:
 The sidebar on the left side organizes the information based on categories for
the user.
 Access to earlier editions is available on the top of the screen.
 A PDF version is available to the user.
 There are links on the right side which includes the most popular sections, a
summary, other resources, and a contact link.
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The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
Link: http://catalog.gpo.gov/F?RN=543770262
Description:
The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is an open resource to finding a
multitude of different documents from the U.S. government. A reader can search for
a topic of interesting in the search bar and the site provides different articles that
relate to the topic. The site includes the article as well as some other information
including the year and author. The strength of this site is the versatility in content so
students can find any number of topics relating to their field of interest. The site
includes articles that you would be unable to find in different areas and is free. This
site would be useful to anybody working on a project and conducting research on his
or her topic.
Tips:
 Use the bar at the top of the screen to navigate through the website.
 You can search based on keyword, title, author, and subject.
 To view the article, click on the link under the internet access.
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Institute of Industrial Engineers Periodical
Link: http://www.iienet2.org/
Description:
This website is the homepage of the Institute of Industrial Engineers homepage
which is a professional society for engineers. This website includes a variety of
resources for industrial engineers including information about conferences,
publications, and training. The website also has a section for job postings for
industrial engineers. This website is useful for prospective engineers looking for some
information and insight into industrial engineering as well as some career options. The
website is also useful for students and current engineers due to the many listings of
jobs, publications, and conferences open to them.
Tips:
 There is an “About IIE” section at the bottom of the page that give general
information about the society.
 There is a “News” sections which includes recent engineering news and recent
news regarding the society.
 There is a Calendar section that includes upcoming events in the industrial
engineering field.
 There is a lot of information on the page which can be overwhelming but the
design allows you to look at things one step at a time.
 It is a professional society so membership is required to access some features
of the site. Professional and student memberships are available.
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Industrial Engineering and Management Journal
Link: http://omicsgroup.org/journals/industrial-engineering-management.php
Description:
This journal provides new and up to date information on current research in industrial
engineering. Different articles have different topics that are discussed relating to the
field. The journal focuses on management in the industrial engineering field so
students who are particularly interested in that aspect would benefit the most from
this source. Industrial The journal is useful for students researching a topic of a
student wanting a better understanding of some topics in industrial engineering. The
journal is also useful for professionals looking to stay current with information as well
as use new research at the workplace. The journal is open access and available to
anyone on the site.
Tips:
 The website is also available in French.
 You can ask for a special issue or get citation help on the sidebar on the left.
 There are a list of related journals on the left if you would like to research
further.
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Recommended and Required Industrial Engineering Classes
A list of important classes to get into the Industrial Engineering major as well as
important classes you will take once in the major. Success and understanding in these
classes will benefit you in the later, more intensive IE classes. Some of the classes
such as IE 302: Engineering Economy also include material that will be useful to you
in your daily lives.
Physics: 211, 212
Math: 140, 141, 220, 231
IE: 302, 305, 327
Advising
Both the College of Engineering as well as the University has resources to help you
make the right choices in school and assist you in securing jobs and internships. Using
these resources will benefit students in many different ways including scheduling, job
searches, internship opportunities, and resume building. Below is a list of some of the
resources available to students.
Michelle Ash – Engineering Advisor
Office: 208 Hammond Building
Email: mxa33@psu.edu
Phone: 814-863-1033
Elena Joshi – Industrial Engineering Instructor and Undergraduate Program
Coordinator
Office: 302 Leonhard Building
Email: ejoshi@psu.edu
Phone: 814-863-3395
Paul Lynch – Industrial Engineering Lecturer and Advisor
Office: 212 Leonhard Building
Email: pcl120@psu.edu
Phone: 814-863-1300
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