Concentration Mapping Industrial & Systems Engineering

Concentrations Mappings ISE Program

(Summer Training Option, 129 Credit Hours)

1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

This interdisciplinary concentration covers artificial intelligence and machine learning. It will provide the students with the required knowledge to develop intelligent techniques and systems. Students are exposed to topics such as machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. Furthermore, it also covers perception, motion and manipulation, and reinforcement learning. It promotes interdisciplinary education where computer science intersects with mathematics and engineering. The applications of this concentration are wide-ranging and include automatic image and video processing, healthcare, financial data and trading, speech recognition, facial identification, and seismic survey processing.

Host: ICS

2. Automated Construction Management

This interdisciplinary program covers a variety of knowledge areas in Automated Construction Management (ACM). These areas broadly include construction planning, scheduling and cost control, integrated project delivery systems, quality and project management, emerging automation technologies, introduction to different types of construction robots, use of drones, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Building Information Modelling and automation in construction management. These knowledge areas enable graduates to effectively apply the latest technologies to manage construction projects from the planning stage until the project completion. The applications of this program are wide-ranging, as they are relevant to private and public construction projects in Saudi Arabia, as well as, in line with the fourth industrial revolution in construction (IR 4.0), and it is widely applicable in diverse types of construction projects, including building, industrial and heavy construction.

Host: ARE

3. Corrosion and Materials Degradation

This interdisciplinary concentration provides the students with the required fundamental understanding of electrochemical corrosion engineering and materials degradation. Students are exposed to topics such as corrosion types and mechanisms, and materials’ degradation. Furthermore, it also equips students with the ability to use numerical and analytical techniques to predict and evaluate corrosion phenomena in order to develop sound corrosion management plans. In addition, it promotes interdisciplinary education where materials science and engineering intersect with chemistry and mathematics and other engineering disciplines. The applications of this concentration are wide-ranging and include oil and gas industries, petrochemical industries, desalination plants, and constructions.

Host: MSE

4. Data Science and Analytics

This interdisciplinary program focuses on the analysis and handling of data from multiple sources and for various applications in order to draw inferences from it, combining topics from mathematics, statistics, and computer science. These topics include probability theory, inference, least-square estimation, maximum likelihood estimation, finding local and global optimal solutions (gradient descent, genetic algorithms, etc.), and generalized additive models. It also covers machine learning topics such as classification, conditional probability estimation, clustering, and dimensionality reduction (e.g. discriminant factor and principal component analyses), and decision support systems. The program also covers big data analysis, including big data collection, preparation, preprocessing, warehousing, interactive visualization, analysis, scrubbing, mining, management, modeling, and tools such as Hadoop, Map-Reduce, Apache Spark, etc.

Host: MATH

5. Decision Analytics

The interdisciplinary field of Decision Analytics (DA) seeks to understand and improve the judgment and decision making of individuals, groups, and organizations. Decision Analytics is grounded in theories and methods drawn from mathematics, probability and statistics, operations research, optimization, and artificial intelligence-based tools such as machine learning. The knowledge of this multidisciplinary area can be applied almost everywhere including government, manufacturing, design, health care, transportation, city planning, and business. The Industrial and Systems Engineering department proposes a concentration in DA with the aim to equip students with the knowledge and skills for scientific decision-making process. The concentration consists of four courses taught by the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, Mathematics and Information and Computer Sciences. The courses are Decision Making, Intelligent Decision Support Systems, Applied Game Theory and Cases in Decision Analytics.

Host: ISE

6. Energy Efficiency

This interdisciplinary program covers sustainable energy-efficient practices and the most effective management of energy systems. The scale of application includes component-level, small system level (e.g. building), and large-scale level (e.g. entire cities, and interconnected systems). Students evaluate component and system energy efficiency and design efficient energy management programs, as well as learn energy auditing and reporting. Topics include the principles and application of energy conservation, loss inspection, instrumentation calibration, renewable and sustainable energy systems, building energy management, and smart monitoring of energy systems. Topics also include demand side management; efficiency of generation, transmission, and distribution systems; energy efficiency policies, standards, and regulations; and auditing of buildings, HVAC, and compressed air systems.

Host: EE

7. Intelligent Energy Systems Management

The digital revolution taking place in the energy and utility sectors is known as Energy 4.0, which involves the internet of things, big data, cloud computing, machine learning, and data analytics, automation, interconnectivity, etc. Therefore, modern energy systems management should exploit a large volume of data acquired from various measurement devices for extensive monitoring and control of the systems to achieve efficiency and sustainability goals in the energy sector. The knowledge of the mentioned technologies helps develop intelligent energy ecosystems for buildings, factories, and smart grids with the incorporation of distributed energy resources.

Host: ME

8. Process Safety

This interdisciplinary program aims to produce students with the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary to be qualified safety engineers. Graduates of this program learn the principles of process safety and hazard analysis, mitigation, and prevention, with special emphasis on the chemical process industries. Topics include source modeling for leakage rates, dispersion analysis, relief valve sizing, fire and explosion damage analysis, hazards identification, risk analysis, accident investigation, occupational safety, safety administration, the legal aspect of industrial safety, hazardous waste management and treatment, including regulations, environmental audits, and pollution prevention. Students also learn the assessment and management of risk, uncertainty, and reliability, including quantitative risk assessment, and understanding the link between safety and human factors.

9. Research Concentration

Concentration have become a common concept at KFUPM, in which a student specializes in a certain multidisciplinary topic. By now, the University has over 45 concentrations in various interesting and exciting fields. In this particular concentration, the focus is on research. The student will take a total of four courses in the Junior and Senior years, for a total of 12 credit hours over the course of two or more semesters. These hours are counted towards the degree plan. Two of the courses will constitute the undergraduate thesis, whilst another course will be on innovation and entrepreneurship, and the fourth can be an elective undergraduate or graduate course in the area of focus of the student. In this concentration, the student is expected to devise a problem and spend the duration of the program in developing research in this area, and to bring it to a fruitful conclusion. Part of the assessment of the undergraduate thesis is that it is accepted for publication in an actual journal outside of KFUPM or in KFUPM’s Journal of Undergraduate Research or international.

Host: ISE

10. Robotics and Autonomous Systems

This interdisciplinary program covers subjects related to mechatronics, robotics, and UAVs (drones). Students develop the skills required to understand, design, and implement smart systems and robots to solve engineering problems. Topics include the fundamentals of autonyms systems, including sensing, reasoning, and acting, in addition to robotics-specific topics, such as power sources, machine vision, actuation (e.g. linear actuators and electric motors), manipulation, locomotion (walking, rolling, climbing, etc.), environmental navigation, and human-robot interaction (including speech recognition and gestures). Applications are wide-ranging, and include industrial robots, as well as those used in the military, construction, agriculture, and in medical fields.

Host: CIE

11. Waste Management

There are several contemporary issues faced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, requiring an immediate attention and solution. One such challenging issue is waste management. With a constant rapid growth in both local population and number of industries, the problem of adequate municipal wastewater, municipal solid waste, and industrial hazardous waste management and air pollution, is becoming more challenging. This concentration addresses solving the concerned waste management issues.

The core content of respective courses focuses on addressing the respective environmental issues along with engineering design for pollution control. The course on wastewater treatment offers an extensive insight into several operations and processes that can be used not only to treat wastewater, but also aim at possible water re-use applications. The other core courses also aim to protect the environment and reduce pollution.

Host: CEE