Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering

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The BS in Industrial Engineering Program at LSU is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org. This page overviews the program's curriculum and requirements, as well as issues that may be relevant to students seeking admission to the program. Please be aware that the LSU General Catalog for the year you enter college is your ultimate rule book for the curricular requirements to earn your degree, and that the information presented here is intended only to summarize and supplement that document for the current catalog year.

Degree Requirements

General education courses provide students with a broader understanding of the world around them, ensuring that they can relate to the diversity of cultures, attitudes, and backgrounds that they will encounter in their careers. They are the means by which students learn to think, describe, interpret, and analyze the world. Their primary aim is to educate, rather than train, and to instill a desire for life-long learning.

To fulfill the BSIE general education requirements, students must complete 39 hours of course work in six major areas: 

General Education Area Course Required
English composition (6 hrs) ENGL 1001, ENGL 2000
Analytical reasoning (6 hrs) MATH 1550, MATH 1552
Arts (3 hrs) Choose 1 from the Gen. Ed. list
Humanities (9 hrs) CMST 1061 or 2060, plus choose 2 from the Gen. Ed. list
Natural sciences (9 hrs) CHEM 1201, BIOL 1001 or 1201
Social sciences (6 hrs) ECON 2030 plus 1 from the Gen. Ed. list

Students may alternatively take the Honors college equivalent of these courses.

The General Education list may be found in the LSU General Catalog for your catalog year. It is critical that you only choose General Education courses listed for your specific catalog year.

Today’s engineers work on global projects in culturally diverse environments. To help prepare for this environment, students in industrial engineering must meet a global knowledge requirement. This can be accomplished in one of two ways:

  • Through participation in a study abroad program of six or more weeks in length, during which course credit is earned.
  •  By taking a general education course that meets the global knowledge requirement (the course also counts towards the general education requirement). Currently approved courses are kept on a list available in the College of Engineering office. For a course to be included on this list, it must include instruction and guidance on at least two of the following:
    • Systematically compare the ideas, values, images, cultural artifacts, economic structures, technological developments, or attitudes of people from different modern societies.
    • Identify the historical context of ideas and cultural practices of global cultures and their dynamic relations to current societal contexts.
    • Explain how a culture changes in response to internal and external pressures.

In the BSIE Curriculum, you will see 9 credit hours (3 courses) of "Industrial Engineering Technical Electives" listed in the Senior year.  The electives allow a student to begin specializing into a particular area of Industrial Engineering matching their career objectives. At least one course must come from the Tech A electives, with the remainder from either Tech A or B electives.

List of IE Tech Electives

Minors

Many Industrial Engineering students pursue minors in addition to their IE degree. If you have a clear idea as to the type of industry you want to focus in upon graduation, a minor can help you gain additional understanding of the field and strengthen your competitiveness in that industries job market.   Minors require that students earn a C or better in every course required for the minor, and that the student maintains at least a 2.0 overall GPA in the minor coursework (this includes counting repeated courses). A listing of all minors at LSU can be found near the front of the LSU General Catalog; descriptions of requirements given may be found in the General Catalog under the corresponding college or department overseeing the minor.
 
To declare a minor, see a counselor in the College of Engineering Office of Student Services. They will enter it into the records system, after which it will appear as a new section on your degree audit. You may enroll in multiple minors.
 
To earn a minor, you MUST complete minor requirements PRIOR to graduation from LSU; you cannot return later to complete a minor.  However, an incomplete minor will not prevent you from graduating; it will simply be removed from your transcript if you graduate before all minor requirements are completed.
 
Following an overview of requirements for minors commonly taken by Industrial Engineering students. Occasionally the requirements noted here may become dated if the minors are changed mid-year. If interested in pursuing a minor, always contact the College of Engineering Student Service's office to get the latest requirements for the minor. You may also reference the LSU General Catalog.

Minors of Interest to Industrial Engineers

Any student not majoring in biological engineering may obtain a minor in biological engineering by completing each of these courses with a grade of “C” or better: BIOL 1201BIOL 1208BIOL 1202BIOL 1209BIOL 2051BE 3340BE 4303, and two courses chosen from a list of approved Design Electives available in the Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering’s main office. 

To graduate with a minor in business administration, students must complete 18 hours consisting of the following courses: ACCT 2000 or ACCT 2001ECON 2030FIN 3715ISDS 1100MGT 3200MKT 3401. Students must have a 2.0 GPA in the courses used to satisfy the minor. At least nine semester hours must be taken on this campus and, of the nine hours, three must be at the 3000 or 4000 level. This minor is NOT available to students in the E. J. Ourso College of Business.

Any student not majoring in computer engineering may obtain a minor in computer engineering by completing 20 credit hours of coursework with a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the minor field and a grade of “C” or better in each course. The coursework must include EE 2120EE 2230EE 2741EE 2742EE 3755 and six additional hours from the following list: EE 3710EE 3752, EE 47xx.  

To graduate with a minor in construction management, non-majors must complete CM 1112CM 2113CM 2116CM 3111CM 4101 and CM 4221. Registration in any CM course above CM 2112 is restricted to students admitted to a senior college with a declared CM major or minor. A grade of “C” or better is required in each course.

 To earn an E-commerce Engineering minora student must complete 18 credit hours of coursework. These must include IE 2060 or CSC 1253 or CSC 1350 or ISDS 3107IE 4425 or CSC 4402 or ISDS 3110IE 4427; and three courses from an elective list maintained by the Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department. A grade of “C” or better in each course is required. Tech elective list.

 Any student not majoring in electrical engineering may obtain a minor in electrical engineering by completing 21 credit hours of coursework with a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the minor field and a grade of “C” or better in each course. The coursework must include EE 2120EE 2130EE 2230EE 2741EE 3610, and six additional hours from the following list: EE 3160EE 3220EE 3232EE 3320EE 3410EE 3530

 To graduate with a minor in entrepreneurship, students must complete 15 hours consisting of the following courses: ENTR 2000ENTR 3012ENTR 3111; and six additional hours to be chosen from departmentally approved electives. Students must have a 2.0 GPA in the courses used to satisfy the minor. At least nine semester hours must be taken on this campus and, of the nine hours, at least three must be at the 3000 or 4000 level. The entrepreneurship minor is NOT available to students majoring in Entrepreneurship.

To earn a minor in environmental engineering, students in the College of Engineering must complete EVEG 3200 and EVEG 3110 and five courses chosen from a list of approved courses available in the dean’s office.

 

LSU is a worldwide leader in the field of internal audit. An internal audit minor includes courses in accounting and information systems & decision sciences. The minor is open to all LSU students.

To graduate with a minor in internal auditing, students must complete 15 hours consisting of the following courses: ACCT 3233ACCT 4233ACCT 4234; and six hours chosen from: ACCT 3122ACCT 3222ACCT 4235ACCT 4237ACCT 4244ACCT 4333ISDS 3100ISDS 3110ISDS 4113ISDS 4141ISDS 4244, or a faculty advisor approved elective. Students must have a 2.0 GPA in the courses used to satisfy the minor. At least nine semester hours must be taken on this campus.

To earn a minor in materials science and engineering, a student must complete ME 2733ME 3701ME 4723ME 4743CE 3400 or equivalent, and two additional courses chosen from an approved list of technical electives. A grade of “C” or better in each course is required.

 The requirements for an undergraduate minor in mathematics are as follows: MATH 1550 (or MATH 1551), MATH 1552 (or MATH 1553), MATH 2057 (or MATH 2058), MATH 2085 (or MATH 2070 or MATH 2090), and at least nine semester hours at the 3000 or 4000 level, but excluding MATH 3903 and MATH 4005.

To earn a minor in mechanical engineering, a student must complete at least 18 semester hours of credit in mechanical engineering with a grade of “C” or better in each course. The 18 hours must include ME 2334 or ME 3333 , and ME 2733ME 3133, and at least six hours must be at the 4000 level.

 An undergraduate minor in physics is available. Required courses are: PHYS 1201PHYS 1202PHYS 1208PHYS 1209 (or PHYS 2110PHYS 2112PHYS 2113PHYS 2108PHYS 2109), and PHYS 2221, plus three additional courses, for a total of 22-23 hours. The three additional courses, at least one of which must be at the 4000 level, must be chosen from the following: PHYS 2203PHYS 2231PHYS 2411PHYS 3098, or any three credit hour PHYS or ASTR course numbered from 4100 to 4299.

To earn a minor in structural engineering, a student must complete CE 3415CE 4400CE 4410CE 4430 or CE 4460CE 4435, and two additional courses chosen from an approved list (CE 4420CE 4440CE 4450, and no more than one of CE 4300/CE 4310/CE 4660.) The additional technical/design/analysis electives are available in the dean’s office. A grade of “C” or better in each course is required.

 

To earn a minor in sugar engineering, students in the College of Engineering must complete BE 4342 or BE 3340BE 4989*, BIOL 2083  or CHE 4260EE 3950ME 4433, and an approved design project. A grade of “C” or better in each course is required.

*BE 4989 can only be taken when the topic is related to Sugar Engineering.

To earn a minor in surveying, a student must complete CE 3500CE 4500CE 4520CE 4530, and CE 4550. The State of Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:693.B(3b) and (4f) specify the educational requirements necessary for licensing as a Professional Land Surveyor. Additional courses will be required by the board for the land surveyor license. A list of required and elective courses may be obtained from the Louisiana Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors registration board (LAPELS).

 

Students in the College of Engineering wishing to earn a minor in technical sales must complete ACCT 2000BLAW 3201 or CM 4211ECON 2030IE 3201 or FIN 3715 or PETE 3025MGT 3200MKT 3401PHYS 1202PHYS 2112 or PHYS 2113 or PHYS 2002, and CMST 1061CMST 2010CMST 2060 or CMST 2061.

Students in other colleges must have approval from the College of Engineering dean’s office to declare this minor.

Students who return to campus after having completed their undergraduate degrees and who complete the surveying or technical sales minors will be issued a certificate by the college.

To earn a minor in transportation engineering, a student must complete, with a grade of “C” or better in each course: CE 3600CE 4600CE 4650CE 4670EXST 2201, and three additional courses chosen from an approved list of technical/design/analysis electives available in the dean’s office.

Course Substitutions

Occasionally it is impossible for a student to take all required courses (for example, a course on an older catalog may no longer be taught). In such cases it is possible to substitute an equivalent course. Such substitution requires the approval of the IE Undergraduate Program Director. The substitution will appear on your degree audit and transcript once approved.

Taking Courses at Other Schools

You may decide to take a course at another university or another campus in the LSU system, perhaps during the summer. If you plan to use these credits toward degree requirements, you must be in good academic standing at LSU and you must obtain prior approval in writing for each course. Approval forms are available in the College of Engineering office. Approval for engineering courses must be obtained from the IE Undergraduate Coordinator and possibly the coordinators of other engineering programs (if taking non-IE engineering courses). The approval form also establishes what the equivalent course at LSU is. To see course equivalencies for Louisiana and other state colleges and universities, see the LSU Tiger Transfer Tables website.

Be aware that other universities may have different credit hour and semester systems. For instance, a 4-credit hour course at a University with a trimester system (8-10 week semester) may only transfer as 2.5 credit hours to LSU. You should make sure that courses taken at other schools will transfer with sufficient credit to replace the equivalent course at LSU.

LSU has a special relationship with Southern University and Baton Rouge Community College which allows cross-registration in courses considered equivalent to LSU courses (students can take courses at Southern and BRCC at the same time taking courses at LSU). For courses taken during the normal academic year semesters, students are limited to at most 1 math, 1 science, and 1 engineering course. This limit does not apply to courses taken during the summer terms. See the College of Engineering counselors for approval and instructions for cross-registering.

Note that there is a minimum residency requirement for College of Engineering. Students must take AT LEAST 30 credit hours of coursework within the College of Engineering at LSU. This limits the number of engineering courses that can be taken at other universities.

Required courses failed at LSU cannot be retaken at other universities. They must be retaken at LSU.

Exchange Programs

LSU has been actively promoting having students study abroad for one or more semesters. Exchange programs broaden students exposure to and understanding of other cultures, which is critical in our increasingly global economy. Please see http://ocs-web2.ocs.lsu.edu/apa/ for more details on these opportunities and how to arrange them.

Transfer Students

To be considered for admission to the College of Engineering, transfer students must have earned a 2.5 GPA for all college-level course work attempted as well as all other college admission requirements. The calculation is made using LSU's system of counting all attempts at all courses, even if your former institution used another system, such as replacing grades in repeated courses. The catalog allows the College of Engineering Office of Student Services to grant admission in exceptional cases if the GPA is below a 2.5, but above a 2.0. Upon written request, the Office of Student Services will evaluate an applicant's entire academic record and may grant admission to the College.

The transfer process is a multi-step process:

  1. First apply and have your transcripts sent to LSU.

  2. Attend a Transfer Student Orientation (You will be assigned an orientation date once you are accepted to LSU).

  3. Once you arrive at LSU, LSU Admissions will evaluate your coursework taken at other institutions to   determine if they can be accepted at LSU. This process does not evaluate whether courses are equivalent to existing   courses at LSU (exception: other higher education institutions in Louisiana have established equivalency relations with LSU for many courses).

  4. Transferred courses are then evaluated by specific programs (Physics transfer courses would be evaluated by Physics for example) and by the IE Undergraduate Coordinator to determine equivalence to existing LSU courses required by the IE program. Substitutions are then made for courses deemed equivalent.

Students contemplating transferring often would like an idea of what might transfer before applying to or arriving at LSU. While an official evaluation cannot be made until you are accepted and arrive at LSU, it is recommended that you contact the IE Undergraduate Coordinator (see "Contact Us" link for contact information) to get an idea of which courses will likely transfer and apply to the IE program. To see course equivalencies for Louisiana and other state colleges and universities, see the LSU Tiger Transfer Tables website.

Meeting Graduation Requirements

In addition to advising, the College of Engineering has a procedure called "Senior Check-Out" which is designed to assure you meet graduation requirements. The check-out procedure occurs early in the semester prior to the semester in which you anticipate graduation. You will be contacted by the College of Engineering to initiate the check-out process. See the IE Undergraduate Coordinator for this procedure and NOT your assigned IE faculty advisor. Get to know your classmates and the IE students a year or more ahead of you. They know the ropes and can help answer your questions. Join the student organization, IIE. It will help you get to know fellow students, department alumni, and your profession.

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