The new service enterprise engineering minor answers a critical industry need for operational expertise in health care and human service fields. The aspects covered would be most beneficial to students in the industrial engineering, health policy administration and human development and family studies majors.
New Service Enterprise Engineering minor to be available at University Park
12/5/2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Service Enterprise Engineering initiative at Penn State (known as SEE 360) is proud to announce a minor in service enterprise engineering that will be available to undergraduate students starting in the summer of 2018. Open to all students, but most applicable for those in industrial engineering, health policy administration (HPA) and human development and family studies (HDFS), the minor answers a critical need for operational expertise in health care and human service fields.
The service sector represents over 80 percent of the economy and more than 70 percent of jobs in the United States. A minor in service enterprise engineering provides students a significant competitive advantage upon entering the workforce.
Chuck Schneider, chair of the Service Enterprise Engineering Advisory Board, knows that innovation and optimization are tools needed in the service sector today.
“The implementation of this minor is one tangible way in which Penn State can contribute to solving the societal concern of productivity optimization through developing future industry leaders,” he said.
Service enterprises are very diverse in terms of labor intensity, information intensity and prevailing productivity. Many people are unaware of the multitude of opportunities available to engineers in service industries. This minor will give students the ability to apply industrial engineering (IE) techniques to processes in hospitals, nonprofit organizations, retailers, banks, financial institutions, airlines and more.
Professor Vittal Prabhu is very excited about the increase in service enterprise engineering coursework now available to IE students.
“The curriculum that this minor provides will enable our IE students to learn more about health care and social services, while preparing them for new opportunities open in related service industries,” said Prabhu.
Students completing this minor will gain an understanding of applying industrial engineering and operations research tools for modeling, analysis, design and control of service enterprises.
Dennis Shea, associate dean of Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development (HHD), understands the advantage that a background in service engineering can provide students graduating from HHD.
“The availability of this minor provides students in the College of Health and Human Development, especially those in HPA and HDFS, an opportunity to gain important skills in operations and services engineering that will enable them to be industry innovators upon entering the workforce,” said Shea.
Information regarding requirements for the minor can be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
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