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Introduction to the Industrial Distribution Major

Because global competition is commonplace in today's economy, manufacturers and distributors of industrial products require professionals with broad skills that can manage operations efficiently and cost-effectively. Purdue's Industrial Distribution major is designed to prepare students with the skills needed to serve the industrial distribution industry, one of the largest and fastest growing industrial segments in the U.S. and abroad.

The Industrial Distribution major progam provides students with a valuable blend of courses in industrial technology, distribution management, and business management.  Our program is designed to produce technical problem solvers with business and supply chain knowledge tailored specifically for the distribution industry. Our graduates work effectively in all aspects of distribution. It is accredited by the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT).

By joining the Industrial Distribution major program, you will have access to student oriented faculty who are experts in their respective fields. The major will prepare you for a wide variety of career paths for graduates including supply chain management, technical sales, warehouse and branch management, logistics, customer service, and industrial purchasing. The curriculum also allows students to specialize in other areas using their electives. As our faculty are closely tied to industry, this opens up opportunities for our students in the form of co-ops, internship opportunities, as well as other networking opportunities at trade association conventions.

Industrial distribution is one of the largest and fastest growing industrial segments in the nation and abroad, and there is a growing need for entry-level college graduates with capabilities to move into management. There is a high demand for technical sales representatives in distribution across a broad array of industries providing high earning potential. Increased sophistication in technology and management systems is fueling the workforce demand for graduates with capabilities in both technology and business. Industrial competition increasingly based on logistics capabilities has created a growing demand for industrial distribution graduates. As a result, our ID program has an excellent placement rate, with salaries averaging in the mid 40K's for graduating students.

Our staff are also here to enable you to succeed - Craig is our academic counselor, and will provide you with the guidance and advice to complete your degree. Betty Cottrell, who works in our main office is the central resource for placement, co-op programs and interns.

For more information, please complete the information at the bottom of this page.

Industrial Distribution Major Plan of Study

In order to complete the ID major, you need to have 124 credit hours. The distribution of course requirements in specific areas is shown below:

Distribution of course requirements in specific areas
English, Communication and Humanities	17%
Mathematics and Physical Sciences	15%
Management and Productivity	17%
Technical Courses	31%
Electives (Technical and other)	20%

Typically, the plan of study is as follows:

SEMESTER 1	CR	GR	SEM	SEMESTER 2	CR	GR	SEM
IT 104 Industrial Organization    Prereq: None	3	___	___	IT 214 Intro to Lean Manufacturing #    Prereq: None	3	___	___
CNIT 136 Intro to Computer Tech #    Prereq: None	3	___	___	CGT 110 Technical Graphics Comm #    Prereq: None	3	___	___
ENGL 106 English Composition .  Prereq: None	4	___	___	COM 114 Fund of Speech Communications    Prereq: None	3	___	___
MA 159 Pre-Calculus    Prereq: None     OR	5	___	___	MET 143 Materials & Processes I #    Prereq: None	3	___	___
MA 153 Algebra & Trig I MA 154 Algebra &Trig II	3 3	___ ___	___ ___	PSY 120 Elementary Psychology    Prereq: None	3	___	___
CREDIT HOURS	15	___		CREDIT HOURS	15	___
SEMESTER 3	CR	GR	SEM	SEMESTER 4	CR	GR	SEM
IT 230 Industrial  Supply Chain Mgmt    Prereq: None	3	___	___	OLS 252 Human Behavior in Orgs.     Prereq:  None	3	___	___
AT 263 Fluid Power Systems (F) #    Prereq: MA 153	3	___	___	AGEC 217 or ECON 210 Principles of Econ    Prereq: None	3	___	___
ECET 214 Electricity Fundamentals #    Prereq: MA 159 or equivalent	3	___	___	PHYS 218  General Physics #    Prereq: MA 159 or equivalent	4	___	___
MET 144 Materials & Processes II #    Prereq:  None	3	___	___	MET 245 Manufacturing Systems #     Prereq:  MET 143 or 144	3	___	___
SCIENCE SELECTIVE	3	___	___	FREE ELECTIVE	3	___	___
CREDIT HOURS	15	___		CREDIT HOURS	16	___
SEMESTER 5	CR	GR	SEM	SEMESTER 6	CR	GR	SEM
IT 342 Statistical Quality Control    Prereq: MA 159 or equivalent	3	___	___	IT 345 Auto ID & Data Capture #    Prereq: Junior or Consent of Instructor	3	___	___
IT 351 Adv Industrial Safety & Health Mgmt    Prereq: None	3	___	___	IT 330 Tech Sales & Sales Mgmt in Distrib.    Prereq:  IT 230	3	___	___
MFET 300 App of Automat in Mfg (F) #     Prereq: ECET 214 and MET 143 & 144	3	___	___	IT 332 Warehouse Management (S) #    Prereq: IT 230	3	___	___
MGMT 323 Intro to Market Analysis    Prereq: None	3	___	___	STAT 301 Elem Statistical Methods     Prereq: MA 159	3	___	___
MGMT 200T Accounting Principles    Prereq: None	3	___	___	TECHNICAL ELECTIVE	3	___	___
Free Elective	3	___	___
CREDIT HOURS	18	___		CREDIT HOURS	15	___
SEMESTER 7	CR	GR	SEM	SEMESTER 8	CR	GR	SEM
IT 381 Total Productive Maint (F)    Prereq: IT 114/214 and PHYS 218 and                IT 342 or STAT 301	3	___	___	IT 435 Strategic Distribution Mgmt (S)   Prereq: IT 432 and IT 434	3	___	___
IT 432 Financial Trans. in Distribution (F)    Prereq: MGMT 200T or consent of                instructor	3	___	___	COM ELECTIVE (300 level or higher)	3	___	___
IT 434 Trans & Logistics Mgmt (F) #    Prereq: IT 230 or consent of instructor	3	___	___	SCIENCE SELECTIVE	3	___	___
IT 446 Six Sigma Quality #     Prereq: STAT 301	3	___	___	FREE ELECTIVE	3	___	___
ENGL 420 Business Writing    Prereq: First-Year Composition	3	___	___	FREE ELECTIVE	3	___	___
CREDIT HOURS	15	___		CREDIT HOURS	15	___

 

# Lab Required

Technical Elective

Any College of Technology course except OLS.   Any Engineering course.

CODE: (F) = Fall only   (S) = Spring only         

Companies who employ our graduates

Manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, logistics, and consulting firms employ industrial distribution graduates

• Rockwell Automation
• Milacron Manufacturing Technologies
• Grainger
• Avnet
• Applied Industrial Technologies
• Shelter Distribution
• Allison Transmissions
• WinWholesale
• Celadon
• Trane
• Ferguson Enterprises
• Airgas
• Fastenal

 

Statewide Locations

Purdue’s College of Technology resides in 10 Indiana communities in additional to the West Lafayette campus. All of the programs are offered at the West Lafayette campus, while programs available at other locations are dependent on area workforce needs. The IT department is currently available at eight College of Technology locations:

• Anderson
• Columbus
• Greensburg
• Kokomo
• Lafayette
• New Albany
• Richmond
• South Bend
• Vincennes