Course Planning Specifics

Industrial Engineering

Over the summer, your advisor will work with you to select course preferences for A and B terms and register you for classes before the semester begins. It is expected that you will take three classes in both terms in most cases. You will register for C and D term classes later in the fall semester.   

In addition to the course recommendations below that are specific to your major, each student must complete 4 Wellness and Physical Education courses in their four years at WPI. You are welcome to add a WPE course to any term. WPE courses are worth 1/12 unit, unlike major subjects discussed in course recommendations which are worth 1/3 unit, and can be taken in addition to the 3 courses recommended below. 

If you have questions about which courses to take after reviewing the recommendations, please reach out to the Industrial Engineering Program Director, Professor Sharon Johnson (sharon@wpi.edu)

For more information on the degree requirements for your major click here.

A & B Term

A Term Recommendations

MA

Four math courses are recommended for Industrial Engineering Majors in their first year, three in calculus and one in statistics. In choosing which Math course you will begin with, please consider the following.  

  1. Complete the Math Placement Exam. The Math Placement Exam will tell you which Calculus course you should start in based on your current knowledge. If you are recommended to start in MA 1020, this will be your math course for both terms.
  2. Consider if you have AP Credit:
    Students who obtain a score of “4” or “5” on the AB-level Exam will receive credit for MA 1021 and MA 1022 and should begin with MA 1023/1033 in A term followed by MA 1024/1034 in B term.
    Students who obtain a grade of “4” or “5” on the BC-level Exam will receive credit for MA 1021, MA 1022 and MA 1023 and could begin with MA 1024 in A-term then MA 2051 in B-term, OR MA 1033 in A-term followed by MA 1034 in B-term. 
  3. Students who received a 6 or 7 on the IB will receive 2/3 credit of MA 1000, and should use the math placement exam results to decide which math class to take.
  4. Consider the possibility of retroactive credit. If the Math Placement Exam recommends that you start in MA 1022, MA 1023/1033, or MA 1024 but you do not have AP credit, this could be a great option for you. If, in your first year, you complete MA 1022 and MA 1023/1033 on your first attempt, you will receive retroactive credit for MA 1021. If, in your first year, you complete MA 1023/1033 and MA 1024/1034 on your first attempt you will receive retroactive credit for MA 1021 and MA 1022.  If, in your first year, you complete MA 1024 and MA 2051, you will receive retroactive credit for MA 1021 and MA 1022. Please note that there is no retroactive credit for MA 1023. In determining if this is the right path for you, we strongly recommend completing the Math Placement exam and following the suggestion given to you. 

The sequence MA 1033 Theoretical Calculus III and MA 1034 Theoretical Calculus IV is an alternative to the MA 1023, MA 1024 sequence in A and B terms. The sequence is designed to give a deeper and more mathematically rigorous presentation of the relevant calculus topics. If you really enjoy math and have credit for Calculus I and II already, you should consider this sequence instead of the MA 1023-MA 1024 sequence.

CH/PH

Industrial Engineering Majors are recommended to take either two courses in Chemistry and one in Physics or two courses in Physics and one in Chemistry in their first year. Please begin by taking either Chemistry or Physics in both A and B term. 

If you choose to begin with Physics you should take PH 1110 or PH 1111 as your first course. You must be starting with MA 1021 or higher to begin with Physics. If you are starting with MA 1020 you should start with CH 1010. 

PH 1110 and PH 1111 are two different versions of mechanics. PH 1111 is recommended for students beginning the calculus sequence in MA 1023 (Calc III) or higher, and who have had a high school physics course (not physical science but physics).  For students who have not taken high school physics, it is recommended that you select PH 1110.

The traditional PH 1110 is taught in three one-hour lectures, two one-hour conferences, and two hours of labs per week. If you prefer more “seeing and doing,” and learning in groups with other students in class,  you may want to opt into the “studio style” version of the course in which class time will include a brief summary lecture, hands-on activities, and group problem solving. Studio-style courses often require more work outside of class before a topic is covered to be ready for the activities in the classroom, whereas traditional-style courses often require more work outside of class after a topic is covered to review and practice on your own (or with other students). The total amount of work outside of class turns out to be about the same between the two styles. Studio-style physics consists of two two-hour active learning sessions, a one-hour session for review problems or exams, and the same two-hour session of labs per week. The section numbers for studio-style physics are AS01 or AS02.

Certain sections of PH 1111 are also taught in a studio style, depending on the instructor and available classroom space.

If you choose to begin with Chemistry you should take CH 1010 in A term. 

GPS/HUA/SS

Your third course should be a GPS, Humanities and Arts, or Social Science course. More information is available about these courses below. 

GPS stands for Great Problems Seminar is a course that is exclusively for first year students and allow students to learn about a problem in the world and work with a group on how to fix it. These courses are helpful with the transition to college as well as useful for students when preparing for projects such as IQP and MQP in junior and senior year. GPS courses run for both A and B term, so you will only need to choose one. For more information click here.

Every student at WPI must complete the Humanities and Arts (HUA) Requirement. This consists of 6 courses in HUA subjects. The subjects available for HUA are:

  • Art (AR)
  • Music (MU)
  • Drama/Theatre (EN/TH)
  • Foreign Language- Spanish (SP), German (GN), Arabic (AB), Chinese (CN)
     
    • For Spanish Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Angel Rivera (arivera@wpi.edu)
    • For German Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Daniel DiMassa (ddimassa@wpi.edu)
       
    • For Arabic Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Mohammed El Hamzaoui (melhamzaoui@wpi.edu)
    • For Chinese Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Wen-Hua Du (wdu2@wpi.edu)
    • For English Language (International Students) Information, Please Email: Professor Althea Danielski (amdanielski@wpi.edu) and Professor Esther Boucher-Yip (efboucher@wpi.edu)
  • Literature (EN)
  • Writing/Rhetoric (WR, RH)
  • International Student English (ISE)
  • History (HI)
  • International Studies (INTL)
  • Philosophy (PY)
  • Religion (RE)

You should pick courses in subjects you are interested in. When you come to campus you will learn more about the HUA requirement and how you will complete it. 

You are required to take two Social Science Courses in your time at WPI. The subjects that are considered Social Science are:

  • Development (DEV)
  • Economics (ECON)
  • Environmental Studies (ENV)
  • Government, Political Science, and Law (GOV)
  • Psychology (PSY)
  • System Dynamics (SD)
  • Sociology (SOC)
  • Social Science (SS)
  • Society/Technology Studies (STS)

Note: ID 2050 is a course that is required before you go away for IQP and counts as one of your Social Science Courses. If you are planning on going away for IQP in your junior year, you may only want to take one social science course in your first year. 

B Term Recommendations

MA

Four math courses are recommended for Industrial Engineering Majors in their first year, three in calculus and one in statistics. In B Term you should take the next course in the Calculus series beyond your A term course. The following is the typical MA sequence for WPI Students.

MA 1021

MA 1022

MA 1023/1033

MA 1024/1034

MA 2051

Please consider the following when selecting MA courses:

  1. Complete the Math Placement Exam. The Math Placement Exam will tell you which Calculus course you should start in based on your current knowledge. If you are recommended to start in MA 1020, this will be your math course for both terms.
  2. Consider if you have AP Credit:
    Students who obtain a score of “4” or “5” on the AB-level Exam will receive credit for MA 1021 and MA 1022 and should begin with MA 1023/1033 in A term followed by MA 1024/1034 in B term.
    Students who obtain a grade of “4” or “5” on the BC-level Exam will receive credit for MA 1021, MA 1022 and MA 1023 and could begin with MA 1024 in A-term then MA 2051 in B-term, OR MA 1033 in A-term followed by MA 1034 in B-term. Students who obtain BC credit for MA 1021/1022/1023 are able to receive credit for both MA 1023 and MA 1033.
  3. Students who received a 6 or 7 on the IB will receive 2/3 credit of MA 1000, and should use the math placement exam results to decide which math class to take.
  4. Consider the possibility of retroactive credit. If the Math Placement Exam recommends that you start in MA 1022, MA 1023/1033, or MA 1024 but you do not have AP credit, this could be a great option for you. If, in your first year, you complete MA 1022 and MA 1023/1033 on your first attempt, you will receive retroactive credit for MA 1021. If, in your first year, you complete MA 1023/1033 and MA 1024/1034 on your first attempt you will receive retroactive credit for MA 1021 and MA 1022.  If, in your first year, you complete MA 1024 and MA 2051, you will receive retroactive credit for MA 1021 and MA 1022. Please note that there is no retroactive credit for MA 1023. In determining if this is the right path for you, we strongly recommend completing the Math Placement exam and following the suggestion given to you. 

The sequence MA 1033 Theoretical Calculus III and MA 1034 Theoretical Calculus IV is an alternative to the MA 1023, MA 1024 sequence in A and B terms. The sequence is designed to give a deeper and more mathematically rigorous presentation of the relevant calculus topics. If you really enjoy math and have credit for Calculus I and II already, you should consider this sequence instead of the MA 1023-MA 1024 sequence.

CH/PH

Industrial Engineering Majors are recommended to take either two courses in Chemistry and one in Physics or two courses in Physics and one in Chemistry in their first year. Please begin by taking either Chemistry or Physics in both A and B term. 

If you chose to begin with Physics you should take PH 1120 or PH 1121 as your B term science course. You must be starting with MA 1021 or higher to begin with Physics. If you are starting with MA 1020 you should start with CH 1020. 

PH 1120 and PH 1121 are two different versions of Electicity and Magnetism. PH 1121 is recommended for students beginning the calculus sequence in MA 1023 (Calc III) or higher and who have had a high school physics course (not physical science but physics).  For students who do not have high school physics, it is recommended that you select PH 1120.

The traditional PH 1120 is taught in three one-hour lectures, two one-hour conferences, and two hours of computerized labs per week. If you prefer more “seeing and doing,”  you may want to opt into the “studio style” version of the course in which class time will include a brief summary lecture, hands-on activities, and group problems. It will require more work outside of class to be ready for the activities in the classroom.  This version consists of two two-hour active learning sessions, a one-hour session for review problems or exams, and a two-hour session of computerized labs per week. The section numbers for this option are BS01 or BS02. Please keep in mind that you must select a matching Lecture, Discussion and Lab for PH1120 in Workday to register for the course. 

If you choose to begin with Chemistry you should take CH 1020 in B term. 

GPS/HUA/SS

Your third course should be a GPS, Humanities and Arts, or Social Science course. More information is available about these courses below. 

GPS stands for Great Problems Seminar is a course that is exclusively for first year students and allow students to learn about a problem in the world and work with a group on how to fix it. These courses are helpful with the transition to college as well as useful for students when preparing for projects such as IQP and MQP in junior and senior year. GPS courses run for both A and B term, so you will only need to choose one. For more information click here.

Every student at WPI must complete the Humanities and Arts (HUA) Requirement. This consists of 6 courses in HUA subjects. The subjects available for HUA are:

  • Art (AR)
  • Music (MU)
  • Drama/Theatre (EN/TH)
  • Foreign Language- Spanish (SP), German (GN), Arabic (AB), Chinese (CN)
     
    • For Spanish Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Angel Rivera (arivera@wpi.edu)
    • For German Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Daniel DiMassa (ddimassa@wpi.edu)
       
    • For Arabic Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Mohammed El Hamzaoui (melhamzaoui@wpi.edu)
    • For Chinese Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Wen-Hua Du (wdu2@wpi.edu)
    • For English Language (International Students) Information, Please Email: Professor Althea Danielski (amdanielski@wpi.edu) and Professor Esther Boucher-Yip (efboucher@wpi.edu)
  • Literature (EN)
  • Writing/Rhetoric (WR, RH)
  • International Student English (ISE)
  • History (HI)
  • International Studies (INTL)
  • Philosophy (PY)
  • Religion (RE)

You should pick courses in subjects you are interested in. When you come to campus you will learn more about the HUA requirement and how you will complete it. 

You are required to take two Social Science Courses in your time at WPI. The subjects that are considered Social Science are:

  • Development (DEV)
  • Economics (ECON)
  • Environmental Studies (ENV)
  • Government, Political Science, and Law (GOV)
  • Psychology (PSY)
  • System Dynamics (SD)
  • Sociology (SOC)
  • Social Science (SS)
  • Society/Technology Studies (STS)

Note: ID 2050 is a course that is required before you go away for IQP and counts as one of your Social Science Courses. If you are planning on going away for IQP in your junior year, you may only want to take one social science course in your first year. 

Searching for Courses

As you begin to plan your course preferences, consider using one of the following methods:  

  • Visit the Course Listings page. On this page, you can search for courses you are interested in and filter your search by subject, term, keyword, etc.  
  • The  WPI Planner is a helpful tool to assist you in viewing schedule and course times as you develop your plan. Click on this link to view the planner and instructions on how to use it.

Please note: As you begin to search for courses, it is helpful to review the recommended or suggested background included in the course descriptions. Recommended background is coursework or information that has been identified as important for you to have or understand before taking that course. Suggested background is helpful information to have but may not be absolutely necessary in order to excel in the course.  

Your Academic Support Advisor is available to assist you with questions.

C & D Term

C Term Recommendations

MA

Industrial Engineering Majors are recommended to take four math courses in their first year, three being in calculus and one being in statistics.

In C Term you should take the next course in the Calculus series beyond your B term course or MA 2611 (Statistics). The following is the typical MA sequence for WPI Students.

MA 1021

MA 1022

MA 1023

MA 1024

MA 2051

CH/PH

Industrial Engineering Majors are recommended to take either two courses in Chemistry and one in Physics or two courses in Physics and one in Chemistry in their first year. 

If you chose to take two Physics courses in your first two terms, you should consider taking CH 1010 in C term. 

If you chose to take two Chemistry courses in your first two terms, you should consider taking PH 1110/1111 in C term. PH 1110 and PH 1111 are two different versions of mechanics. PH 1111 is recommended for students who are concurrently taking MA 1023 (Calc III) or higher and who have had a high school physics course (not physical science but physics).  For students who do not have high school physics, it is recommended that you select PH 1110.

The traditional PH 1110 is taught in three one-hour lectures, two one-hour conferences, and two hours of computerized labs per week. If you prefer more “seeing and doing,”  you may want to opt into the “studio style” version of the course in which class time will include a brief summary lecture, hands-on activities, and group problems. It will require more work outside of class to be ready for the activities in the classroom.  This version consists of two two-hour active learning sessions, a one-hour session for review problems or exams, and a two-hour session of computerized labs per week. The section numbers for this option are C01S-C02S.

GPS/HUA/SS

Your third course should be a GPS, Humanities and Arts, or Social Science course. More information is available about these courses below. 

GPS stands for Great Problems Seminar is a course that is exclusively for first year students and allow students to learn about a problem in the world and work with a group on how to fix it. These courses are helpful with the transition to college as well as useful for students when preparing for projects such as IQP and MQP in junior and senior year. GPS courses run for both A and B term, or B and C termm so you will only need to choose one. For more information click here.

Every student at WPI must complete the Humanities and Arts (HUA) Requirement. This consists of 6 courses in HUA subjects. The subjects available for HUA are:

  • Art (AR)
  • Music (MU)
  • Drama/Theatre (EN/TH)
  • Foreign Language- Spanish (SP), German (GN), Arabic (AB), Chinese (CN)
     
    • For Spanish Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Angel Rivera (arivera@wpi.edu)
    • For German Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Daniel DiMassa (ddimassa@wpi.edu)
       
    • For Arabic Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Mohammed El Hamzaoui (melhamzaoui@wpi.edu)
    • For Chinese Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Wen-Hua Du (wdu2@wpi.edu)
    • For English Language (International Students) Information, Please Email: Professor Althea Danielski (amdanielski@wpi.edu) and Professor Esther Boucher-Yip (efboucher@wpi.edu)
  • Literature (EN)
  • Writing/Rhetoric (WR, RH)
  • International Student English (ISE)
  • History (HI)
  • International Studies (INTL)
  • Philosophy (PY)
  • Religion (RE)

You are required to take two Social Science Courses in your time at WPI. The subjects that are considered Social Science are:

  • Development (DEV)
  • Economics (ECON)
  • Environmental Studies (ENV)
  • Government, Political Science, and Law (GOV)
  • Psychology (PSY)
  • System Dynamics (SD)
  • Sociology (SOC)
  • Social Science (SS)
  • Society/Technology Studies (STS)

Note: ID 2050 is a course that is required before you go away for IQP and counts as one of your Social Science Courses. If you are planning on going away for IQP in your junior year, you may only want to take one social science course in your first year. 

D Term Recommendations

MA

Industrial Engineering Majors are recommended to take four math courses in their first year, three in calculus and one in statistics. In D Term you should take the next course in the Calculus series beyond your C term course or MA 2611 (statistics). If have completed the Calculus series and MA 2611, consider taking MA 2612 (statistics II) or MA 2621 (probability).

MA 1021

MA 1022

MA 1023/1033

MA 1024/1034

MA 2051

Please consider the following when selecting MA courses:

  1. Complete the Math Placement Exam. The Math Placement Exam will tell you which Calculus course you should start in based on your current knowledge. If you are recommended to start in MA 1020, this will be your math course for both terms.
  2. Consider if you have AP Credit:
    Students who obtain a score of “4” or “5” on the AB-level Exam will receive credit for MA 1021 and MA 1022 and should begin with MA 1023/1033 in A term followed by MA 1024/1034 in B term.
    Students who obtain a grade of “4” or “5” on the BC-level Exam will receive credit for MA 1021, MA 1022 and MA 1023 and should begin with MA 1024/1034 in A term followed by MA 2051 in B term. If you received a 6 or 7 on the IB, you will receive 2/3 credit of MA 1000, and you should use your math placement exam results to decide which math class to take.
  3. Consider the possibility of retroactive credit. If the Math Placement Exam recommends that you start in MA 1022 or MA 1023/1033 but you do not have AP credit, this could be a great option for you. If, in your first year, you complete MA 1022 and MA 1023/1033 on your first attempt you will receive credit for MA 1021. If, in your first year, you complete MA 1023/1033 and MA 1024/1034 on your first attempt you will receive credit for MA 1021 and MA 1022.  In determining if this is the right path for you, we strongly recommend completing the Math Placement exam and following the suggestion given to you. 

The sequence MA 1033 Theoretical Calculus III and MA 1034 Theoretical Calculus IV is an alternative to the MA 1023, MA 1024 sequence in A and B terms. The sequence is designed to give a deeper and more mathematically rigorous presentation of the relevant calculus topics. If you really enjoy math and have credit for Calculus I and II already, you should consider this sequence instead of the MA 1023-MA 1024 sequence.

Engineering Science

Industrial Engineering Majors are recommended to take OIE 2850 (Engineering Economics) or to take a course in Engineering Science (ES) course in D term, in place of science.  Suggested ES courses include: ES 1310, ES 2001, ES 2800, ES 3001, ECE 2010, and ME 1800.

GPS/HUA/SS

Your third course should be a Humanities and Arts, or Social Science course. More information is available about these courses below. 

Every student at WPI must complete the Humanities and Arts (HUA) Requirement. This consists of 6 courses in HUA subjects. The subjects available for HUA are:

  • Art (AR)
  • Music (MU)
  • Drama/Theatre (EN/TH)
  • Foreign Language- Spanish (SP), German (GN), Arabic (AB), Chinese (CN)
     
    • For Spanish Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Angel Rivera (arivera@wpi.edu)
    • For German Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Daniel DiMassa (ddimassa@wpi.edu)
       
    • For Arabic Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Mohammed El Hamzaoui (melhamzaoui@wpi.edu)
    • For Chinese Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Wen-Hua Du (wdu2@wpi.edu)
    • For English Language (International Students) Information, Please Email: Professor Althea Danielski (amdanielski@wpi.edu) and Professor Esther Boucher-Yip (efboucher@wpi.edu)
  • Literature (EN)
  • Writing/Rhetoric (WR, RH)
  • International Student English (ISE)
  • History (HI)
  • International Studies (INTL)
  • Philosophy (PY)
  • Religion (RE)

You are required to take two Social Science Courses in your time at WPI. The subjects that are considered Social Science are:

  • Development (DEV)
  • Economics (ECON)
  • Environmental Studies (ENV)
  • Government, Political Science, and Law (GOV)
  • Psychology (PSY)
  • System Dynamics (SD)
  • Sociology (SOC)
  • Social Science (SS)
  • Society/Technology Studies (STS)

Note: ID 2050 is a course that is required before you go away for IQP and counts as one of your Social Science Courses. If you are planning on going away for IQP in your junior year, you may only want to take one social science course in your first year. 

Students should also consider OIE 2850: Engineering Economics. 

 

Once you go through the above recommendations, please be sure to review Registration Information so you know how to register on November 13th. 

Registering in Workday

Note: This task is only for registering for C & D Term.

PRE-REGISTRATION PREP 

  • Watch the 10 min. overview  video  
  • Login to Workday​ 
  • Use Find Course Sections to build at least one Saved Schedule for C-Term, D-Term, and if you're taking any 10 or 14 week classes, Spring Semester (instructions)​​​ 

November 13, 7AM ET: REGISTER 

  • Login to Workday​ 
  • Open a browser tab or window for C-Term, D-Term, and Spring Semester (if you have any 10 or 14 week classes) and View My Saved Schedules for each​ 
  • [Optional] Open tabs for alternate course sections from other Saved Schedules or search results​ 
  • When registration opens, click Start Registration, then click Register (instructions) 
  • Open View My Courses, scroll right to Drop or Swap (instructions)​ 
  • Waitlisted? If a spot opens, a notification will be sent to your WPI email asking you to login to Workday and take action