Department History

Iowa Curves

Slide rule class (1934)

Dick Squires teaching a design class Engineering (1964)

Jean Hempstead teaching an engineering economy course (1968)

Don Grant advises and mentors students in an industrial engineering class senior (1970)

Roger Berger teaching a quality engineering course using a hightech computer (by yesterday's standards, anyway)

Vic Tamashunas in a material handling class

Steven Schafer (MS'82) and Eric Malstrom using robotic "mini-mover" teaching an course

Engineering Annex

Travis Burk and Maria Cordoba in the welding lab

Students studying casting under the supervision of Kevin Brownfield

Black Engineering

The department first offered an industrial engineering degree in 1956, but the core curriculum started way back in 1919. That’s the year an industrial engineering option became available for mechanical engineers. J. O. Keller, who graduated from Penn State in 1914, came to Iowa State to direct the new program. Keller was one of the first students in the country to earn an IE degree.

In 1926 a general engineering (GE) curriculum was started, and in 1929 the Department of General Engineering (the predecessor to industrial engineering) was established with offices in Engineering Hall (now Marston Hall).

Engineering Hall (now Marston Hall) - the Original Home of IMSE

The GE curriculum consisted primarily of classes in electrical, mechanical, and civil engineering, as well as many classes in economics. There were only two GE courses (both personnel related) in the original curriculum.

Frank Paine was the first department chair, serving in that position from 1929 until he died of a heart attack in 1942. Joseph Walkup was appointed the new department chair in 1942, staying until 1973. During his tenure, many changes were made, including moving the general engineering department closer to the IE concept. Accordingly, an IE option was prepared and eventually offered in 1946. By 1955, the ECPD Accrediting Committee recommended that the department change its name to industrial engineering. The Board of Regents accepted the recommendation, and the change was made on July 1, 1956.

At that time, the department had 197 undergraduate students and three labs in Marston Hall. The curriculum was equally split between engineering and management through most of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. In 1989, IE became the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE), with more emphasis in the curriculum on manufacturing. Also that year, IMSE moved into the Engineering Annex, which allowed the department to increase the number of labs from three to six.

In 1999, engineering management was introduced as a new focus area to provide students with an opportunity to learn management principles. Also in 1999, IMSE moved again—this time to Black Engineering. That move increased the number of laboratory facilities available for students and faculty in the department to 16. In 2004, the department in collaboration with the College of Business introduced a new combined B.S. in IE and MBA program.

1929	Department of General Engineering (GE) established
1931	First PhD in engineering valuation awarded Depreciation and the “Iowa Curves” are most often associated with research and study in engineering valuation; first published in 1931, Iowa curves have been used to describe forces of retirement acting on physical property and intangible assets
1945	Letter from President Friley to Dean Agg about changes in curriculum to general engineering
1946	Industrial engineering option offered in GE department
1948	Society of Industrial Engineers founded on campus (later became IIE organization)
1953	Gamma Epsilon Sigma honorary society established
1955	ECPD Accrediting Committee recommended department change name to Department of Industrial Engineering
1956	Recommendation to change name passed by Board of Regents and became effective July 1, 1956
1961	Engineering operations curriculum offered for the first time Letter from President Friley Dean Agg about changes to the curriculum in general engineering
1974	Alpha Pi Mu, the national IE honor society, started in department— curriculum focuses on engineering and management courses
1989	IMSE moves to Engineering Annex— department focused on manufacturing and operations research
1992	New Ph.D. program in industrial engineering replaces engineering valuation Ph.D. M.S. in operations research is approved.
1995	Interdisciplinary M.S. in systems engineering began, managed by IMSE
1997	IMSE creates new manufacturing laboratories
1999	IMSE moves to Black Engineering. Engineering management becomes a focus area in the IE curriculum
2000	IMSE and EE departments partnered with the University of Iowa’s College of Business to offer Executive MBA program; program’s home is in IMSE
2002	Information Technology Throughout the Curriculum initiative instituted
2004	IMSE goes global with multi-national project teams
2006	First combined IE/MBA degree awarded and first engineering distance education MS/IE degree awarded.