Newsletter Archives; Fall 1997

The MSE Degree in Manufacturing evolved from a successful proposal submitted by the College of Engineering to the Boeing Company. Professor Kailash Kapur of IE serves as director and Professor Ramulu as associate director and advisor to this program, which awards a non-thesis MSE degree. The emphasis is on manufacturing engineering, including but not limited to large-scale systems and integration of product design with manufacturing processes. The program of study is based on core courses in the following areas: Computational Methods in Design and Manufacturing (INDE 599A), Design and Manufacturing (ME 572/INDE 594), Statistics and Experimental Design (INDE 524/599B), Manufacturing Processes (ME 599D), Quality and Reliability Engineering (INDE 521/526), CAD/CAM/CIM (ME 5XX/INDE 535), and Manufacturing Seminars (ME 599E/INDE 599E).

Through technical electives, each student can blend engineering science, engineering design and management to suit their needs. About ninety students from Boeing applied to this program; six are now MSE candidates and 52 are non-matriculated. The first core course, ME 599D: Manufacturing Processes, was offered in Fall 1997, and more than half of the 74 students were from Boeing.

Professor Ramulu is also interim co-director of PEMM, an interdisciplinary program addressing the challenges faced by manufacturing firms in an increasingly complex global marketplace. PEMM aims to bridge barriers between managers and engineers in manufacturing organizations. An effective manufacturing manager requires a strategic business perspective and a deep appreciation of the technical fundamentals of engineering and manufacturing. To develop these skills, PEMM integrates a business curriculum with manufacturing-oriented topics, emphasizing the integration of a firm's engineering, manufacturing, and business functions and considering a product's total life cycle - from initial design to delivery of the product and effective marketing strategy.

PEMM's goal is to serve as an umbrella unit for all manufacturing management related activities at the University. The full-time, two-year program began in 1993 and awards two concurrent degrees, MBA and MSE. Future plans include an MBA Certificate Program in Engineering, an MSE Certificate Program in Management, and distance learning programs.

For more information about these programs, contact Professor Ramulu by e-mail (ramulum@u.washington.edu) or visit the PEMM web site (weber.u.washington.edu/~pemm/).