Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering

About IMSE

Large group of students pose together indoors with University of Michigan signs, including “IMSE” and “Go Blue,” and many are wearing maize and blue apparel. Industrial engineering focuses on designing and managing systems for using production resources efficiently. It applies to fields like manufacturing, healthcare, services, and aerospace.

The Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn offers undergraduate programs in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, and Human-Centered Engineering Design, as well as master's degrees and a research-based Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering. This fully-funded doctoral program is offered through the Rackham Graduate School of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor but administered by UM-Dearborn.

IMSE faculty actively research areas such as integrated design, operations research, and human factors. They often receive competitive grants from federal and state sources and the automotive industry.

Department Highlights

Two individuals examining equipment in a lab setting, with one adjusting a device as the other observes.

Human-Centered Engineering Design

This program not only covers the core engineering principles but also integrates elements of art, entrepreneurship, business, and marketing. Discover more about Human Centered Engineering Design.

Four people engaged in a discussion around a table in an office setting.

Ground Breaking Research

IMSE faculty is actively engaged in research in the areas relevant to industrial and systems engineering. These areas include integrated design and manufacturing, operations research/decision science, and human factors and ergonomics. The faculty consistently obtains competitive research grants from federal government agencies, the state of Michigan and the automotive industry.

Smiling individual wearing a University of Michigan-Dearborn IMSE jacket standing in a brightly lit atrium.

Fixing the damn . . . waterways

In the U.S., ships transport $770 billion worth of commodities via inland lakes and rivers each year. IMSE Associate Professors Zhen Hu and Armagan Bayram aim to make this system more cost-effective and efficient. Learn more about fixing the waterways.

IMSE graduate Mahendra Kakad lands a job at Tesla

He credits his UM-Dearborn professors — particularly Professors Shan Bao and Onur Ulgen and lecturers Roger Klungle and Faisal Khalaf — with preparing him for this new role.

Read Mahendra's Story

Welcome to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. We are a community dedicated to designing efficient, human-centered, optimized, and sustainable systems that improve the world around us. Our internationally recognized faculty lead cutting-edge research, and whether in the classroom, the lab, or in collaboration with industry partners, we are committed to supporting our students and advancing solutions that make a meaningful impact. We invite all of you to join our department as we work together to build a bright future.

- Shan Bao, Chair of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering