The Role of Decision Analysis in Industrial and Systems Engineering Education

This paper provides a pilot study on the discrepancy between current Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) university programs and industry requirements. A summary of an interview series conducted with subject matter experts in ISE emphasizes the need for more instruction of decision analysis in ISE curricula. According to the analysis of the ten top-ranked ISE graduate and undergraduate programs in the USA, less than 20% of the ISE programs and specializations have core classes in decision making and decision analysis. The results of the interview series and the analysis of university ISE programs illustrate the need for more decision analysis education both in undergraduate and graduate ISE education.