How can you learn the advanced mathematical methods for industrial engineering?

1 Review the basics

Before you dive into the advanced mathematical methods for industrial engineering, you need to have a solid foundation in the basic concepts and skills. These include calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, probability, and statistics. You can refresh your knowledge by taking online courses, reading textbooks, or watching videos that cover these topics. Some examples of online courses are MIT OpenCourseWare, Coursera, and Khan Academy. Some examples of textbooks are Advanced Engineering Mathematics by Erwin Kreyszig, Probability and Statistics for Engineers and Scientists by Ronald E. Walpole, and Linear Algebra and Its Applications by David C. Lay.

2 Choose your topics

There are many advanced mathematical methods that can be useful for industrial engineering, but you don't have to learn them all at once. You can choose the topics that are most relevant to your interests, goals, and projects. For example, if you want to focus on operations research, you might want to learn linear programming, integer programming, network analysis, dynamic programming, and nonlinear programming. If you want to focus on quality control, you might want to learn control charts, design of experiments, reliability analysis, and statistical process control. If you want to focus on simulation, you might want to learn Monte Carlo methods, discrete-event simulation, and system dynamics.

3 Find your sources

Once you have chosen your topics, you need to find reliable and comprehensive sources that can teach you the advanced mathematical methods for industrial engineering. You can use a combination of online courses, textbooks, videos, podcasts, blogs, and journals to learn from different perspectives and formats. Some examples of online courses are edX, Udemy, and NPTEL. Some examples of textbooks are Operations Research: An Introduction by Hamdy A. Taha, Quality Control by Dale H. Besterfield, and Simulation Modeling and Analysis by Averill M. Law. Some examples of videos are YouTube, MIT OpenCourseWare, and NPTEL. Some examples of podcasts are Industrial Engineering Podcast, The Math Dude, and Math Mutation. Some examples of blogs are Math ∩ Programming, Industrial Engineering Concepts, and The Operations Room. Some examples of journals are European Journal of Operational Research, International Journal of Production Research, and Journal of Simulation.

4 Practice your skills

Learning the advanced mathematical methods for industrial engineering is not enough. You also need to practice your skills and apply them to real-world scenarios. You can do this by solving problems, doing exercises, taking quizzes, doing projects, and participating in competitions. You can find problems, exercises, and quizzes in your sources or in other websites, such as Brilliant, Wolfram Alpha, and MathWorks. You can do projects by finding a problem that interests you or that you encounter in your work or studies, and using the mathematical methods to analyze and solve it. You can participate in competitions by joining online platforms, such as Kaggle, Hackerrank, and MathWorks, that host challenges and contests related to industrial engineering and mathematics.

5 Seek feedback and support

Learning the advanced mathematical methods for industrial engineering can be challenging and rewarding, but you don't have to do it alone. You can seek feedback and support from your peers, mentors, instructors, and experts. You can join online communities, such as Reddit, Quora, Stack Exchange, and LinkedIn, where you can ask questions, share ideas, and learn from others. You can also find mentors, instructors, and experts who can guide you, coach you, and help you improve your skills. You can use platforms, such as MentorCruise, Clarity, and Superpeer, to connect with them and get personalized advice and feedback.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?