Configuration of the Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering at Spanish Universities

The main objective of this work is to analyse the configuration of the bachelor's degree in industrial engineering (GIOI) at Spanish universities. The central focus is based on the review of the historical antecedents of this degree, since the 19th century, and the analysis of its current status at the Spanish universities after the European convergence process. The main goal of the GIOI is to train professionals capable of performing tasks of analysis, evaluation, design and management in engineering organization within four main approaches: operations management, economic analysis, management and organizational strategic management, and with technology training in the areas of automatic, construction, electronics, mechanics, chemistry, environmental and manufacturing process technologies. Fur thermore, the input profiles are stated and the output profiles of the GIOI are defined establishing general competencies or knowledge, transversal competencies or abilities and specific competencies or skills. The recommendations provided by ADINGOR (Association for the development of Industrial Engineering, Spain) have been reviewed with regard to the requirements for the verification of the GIOI programme by ANECA (The National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain). ADINGOR proposed a reference curriculum, at subject level, consisting of: basic courses, industrial technologies, information technologies, quantitative methods and production management, business management and economic engineering and industrial and technological environment. Besides showing the current map of this degree, the proposed study programmes are compared. At present, there are 23 schools 22 Spanish universities that offer, have been verified by ANECA or are proceeding to the verification of the GIOI. The GIOI has a major presence in the Spanish territory in those regions with a considerable industrial tradition. Almost the totality of the universities that offer the GIOI provide public access to the syllabus on the Internet, which allowed his consultation and analysis. We have analyzed the available syllabi of 15 university centres and we have compared the general structure of the curricula and the specific courses offered. In summary, the curricula consist of 60 ECTS of basic courses with the majority of credits assigned to mathematics, physics and chemistry; an average of 45.7 ECTS for industrial technologies, with the majority of credits given to mechanical and materials technology, energetic theory and mechanical of fluids and automatic and electronics; and an average of 69.7 ECTS related to specific learning of industrial organization, with the majority of credits given to quantitative methods, production management and strategic management. The balance of the courses are related to general economics, business administration, logistics, work management, financial management, information systems, marketing, quality and project management. For typologies of courses, the majority of credits go to PRO (production management, work management and logistic) + QM (quantitative methods), which match with the ADINGOR's proposal. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a reference structure of the GIO degree for academics, researchers and practitioners. Spanish universities could use the proposed reference curriculum as a starting point when deciding to implant the bachelor's degree in industrial engineering (GIOI).