Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering

URL : http://ie.kaist.ac.kr

Introduction

Along with the advancement of mass production technology, Industrial Engineering(ID) has progressed to innovative methods and management system technologies with better quality, lower cost, and higher speed of production systems and production companies since the Industrial Revolution. In the 1980s, ID, integrated with cutting-edge information technology (IT), mostly dealt with enterprise information system technologies which innovate the complex business process (involving product design, manufacturing, sales, distribution, customer services, and, after services) and management methods. ID's problem analysis, solution technique, system design and integrated technique have been applied to the manufacturing industry such as steel, automobile, shipbuilding, electronic, and semiconductor, applied to the service industry such as information services, consulting, telecommunication services, distribution services, healthcare services, financial services, internet business, and applied to defense systems. In order to march along with the above trend, the department changed its name to Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISysE) in 2008. While most other engineering disciplines deal with component technologies, ISysE focuses on design, planning, control, management of complex and large systems such as manufacturing, engineering, enterprise, and social systems. Such system technologies are being increasingly demanded as the technologies, society, and economic & business systems become more complicated and larger.

As of November 2009, the department has 16 full-time faculty members, three emeritus professors, and three adjunct professors. The department will continue to recruit prominent new faculty in the areas of financial, healthcare, and information services to reach 25 faculty members in the next five years. The department offers undergraduate, master and doctoral programs. The average numbers of undergraduate, master, and doctoral students admitted each year are 40~60, 30~40, and 10~15, respectively.

Research & Education

The three main research and education areas in ISysE are Manufacturing Systems, Service Systems, and Engineering Systems (Public Systems). ISysE deals with the design, innovation, engineering, planning and control, and management of those complex systems to maintain competitiveness in quality, cost and speed. ISysE focuses on education and doing research on technologies and methodologies for design & modeling, optimization & analysis, strategies and planning & control, and information integration of the above three systems. In particular, ISysE intensively foster students with three strategic research clusters including Financial Engineering & Computation, System Engineering, and Hi-Tech Manufacturing Engineering.

ISysE participates in diverse interdisciplinary programs

• Information Communications Interdisciplinary Major
• Software Expert Program Interdisciplinary Major
• Culture Technology Interdisciplinary Major
• Military Strategic Program

Careers after Graduation

The graduates of ISysE are equipped with engineering knowledge, management skills, information skills as well as innovative minds and leadership qualities are currently working in the state-of-art manufacturing companies (e.g. electronic/semiconductor, automobile), information and system integration companies, professional consulting companies, research centers, and venture companies. ISysE is one of the departments at KAIST which has produced the most CEOs and senior directors.