The Department of Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management (MSEM) was established by the university as a separate entity effective 01 July 2001. The formation of MSEM unified faculty and curricula in the continuum from materials, through manufacturing processes and systems, to management, consistent with educational needs of contemporary enterprises. The unification created an academic home for students in the undergraduate program in Manufacturing Systems Engineering and the graduate programs in Automation Engineering, Engineering Management, and Materials Engineering, as well as a coherent organizational base for programs development.

Although the Department as a separate entity is new, its genesis is readily traceable to the Department of Mechanics and Materials, one of the three original academic departments formed with the early 1960s founding of what was then the school of Engineering. Faculty interest, combined with the schools nontraditional organizational structure, enabled curricular development in the domains of engineering management and industrial/manufacturing engineering during the early 1970s. Emanating in part from instructional responsibilities in engineering graphics and manufacturing methods, curricular developments in CAD, robotics, and related domains commenced in the early 1980s.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, as the general Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Master of Science in engineering programs inched toward more traditional discipline – affiliated degree programs, the academic department structures did likewise. Separate undergraduate degree programs were finally implemented effective Fall 2000. The original Department of Mechanics and Materials progressed through several transitions until its 2001 division into MSEM and the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics. The complete separation of all graduate programs continues to slowly proceed.

The completion of historical documentation pertaining to MSEM was initiated in the 1994 – 1995 academic year. As time permits, the information is organized and prepared for posting. Activated segments on the list below indicate the posting of information relevant to at least one of the academic years in the segment. Additions and corrections are always welcome.