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Fast Facts

Learn more about the Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech!

U.S. News & World Report

  • #4 Undergraduate program (2020)
  • #4 Graduate program (2020)
  • BS in ISE with possible minor in business
  • MS in ISE with five tracks:
    • Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics
    • Management Systems Engineering
    • Manufacturing Systems Engineering
    • Operations Research
    • General Industrial Engineering
  • PhD in ISE with seven concentrations:
    • Cognitive Engineering
    • General Industrial Engineering
    • Human Factors of Systems & Product Design
    • Management Systems Engineering
    • Manufacturing Systems Engineering
    • Occupational Ergonomics and Safety
    • Operations Research
  • Masters in Engineering Administration (MEA)
  • MS or ME in Systems Engineering

The undergraduate ISE program has been accredited by ABET.

39,471 sq ft of COE allocated space or 1595 sq ft/FTE in Blacksburg. Additional space in Falls Church.

  • Approximately 530 undergraduate students (Sophomore, Junior & Senior classes only)
  • Approximately 64 MS students, 72 PhD Students
  • Currently 34 Full-Time Professors
    • 9 Full Professors (7 chaired professors)
    • 12 Associate Professors
    • 12 Assistant Professors
    • 1 Collegiate Associate Professor
  • 5 Research Faculty
  • 12 administrative staff and 6 laboratory staff
  • 9 female faculty members
  • Approximately 35% of Bachelors degrees and 31% of graduate degrees to women
  • ISE at VT is known for its breadth of coverage of the industrial and systems engineering disciplines.
  • Focus areas include operations research, production systems (e.g. manufacturing), human factors engineering and ergonomics, systems engineering, management systems engineering.
  • Application domains include virtually all work and recreation systems such as transportation, construction, health care, safety and security, retail, chemical, manufacturing, etc.
  • External Research Expenditures of over $5 million
  • Total Budget of approximately $11 million annually
  • ROI for research portion of professorial salaries is approximately 5.6
  • Center for High Performance Manufacturing (funded by various sources)
  • Center for Engineering Logistics and Distribution (NSF)
  • Occupational Safety and HEalth Research Center (NIOSH)
  • Many department-level labs

"What is a Hokie? The origin of the word "Hokie" has nothing to do with a turkey. It was coined by O.M. Stull (class of 1896), who used it in a spirit yell he wrote for a competition."

Please visit the History and Traditions page to read more.

"The committee selected burnt orange and Chicago maroon after discovering that no other college utilized this particular combination of colors. Burnt orange and Chicago maroon were officially adopted and were first worn during a football game versus nearby Roanoke College on Oct. 26, 1896."

Please visit the  History and Traditions page to read more.