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For Parents

Wherever your child wants to study (whatever university or major), we know you have questions to ask. Hopefully, we can help answer some of them as they relate to Industrial Technology degree programs. Below are answers to questions that parents often ask of our faculty and staff.

What is "IT"?

The first question we are often asked is “what is ‘IT’”? Well, it’s not information technology - although your child will be well prepared in information technology classes through any one of our department’s degree offerings.  IT stands for Industrial Technology - Industrial Technology degrees are broad-based technology degrees that are accredited by NAIT, the National Association for Industrial Technology. The two NAIT accredited degrees that we offer, Industrial Technology and Industrial Distribution, will prepare your child for a career across a wide range of industrial and service fields. This can be a real advantage to graduates when it’s hard to predict the economy and job availability in the next 4 or 5 years time.

We have three degrees in our department.  The Industrial Technology or IT degree prepares students to work in manufacturing oriented fields such as industrial and manufacturing engineering, operations and product management, and quality assurance. The Industrial Distribution or ID degree, addresses the needs of manufacturers and distributors of industrial products, and enables them to manage operations effectively in a global environment. Students are often placed in positions within operations management, sales management, key account management, sales engineering, purchasing, logistics and warehouse management and supply chain/distribution operations management. We encourage students to prepare fully for work in a global environment by studying abroad for a semester in one of a number of countries. The Industrial Technology Department also offers a degree program in Technology Education or TE degree, where students can earn a degree to prepare them to teach technology in a high school environment.

What Kind of Jobs and Salaries can my Student Expect upon Graduation?

Whatever your child would like to study in our department, we have excellent salary and placement records. The average starting salary of our graduates is in the mid $40K range. Our graduates work in a number of disciplines from Operations Specialists, Industrial Engineers, QA Managers, Facilities Planners, Distribution Managers to name a few. Companies that hire our students include Accenture, Avnet, Boeing, Caterpillar, Delphi, Eli Lilly, Fastenal, General Mills, General Motors, Rockwell Automation, Subaru-Isuzu to name a few. On our placement page, more information can be found about our placement record, as well as a listing of the top employers of our graduates.

What Kind of Faculty Teach in IT?

To prepare our graduates for a highly productive career in a competitive global environment requires our department to have a wide range of options and courses available to them. We have extremely talented faculty, experts in their fields that have been acknowledged by their fields as leaders. Our faculty have also been published in academic journals, trade magazines, and textbooks, and often provide training to industry. Your child will have access to the faculty from the first day they enroll into the program and begin taking our courses.

How do I Know Your Teachers are Excellent?

Each semester, our faculty are evaluated by students enrolled in the class - and each year our faculty receive teaching awards. We currently have two University Faculty Scholars, many of our faculty have undergraduate teaching awards, and our faculty have been awarded College level teaching awards. All our faculty have PhD’s, as well as work experience in their fields, enabling them to provide the highest level of academic excellence with real-world experience. We encourage you to visit our department and meet the faculty and staff.

Who will my child go to for academic help?

The first staff member that your child will interact with in the IT department is the Academic Advisor, Mr. Craig Mallet, who will advise your child on his /her progress throughout the degree. Your child will work directly with Craig throughout their career in our department. He will register them for classes, and provide guidance on pre-requisite classes and other information. Each degree program has a plan of study - a listing of required and elective courses that need to be completed. A pdf of each of the respective plans can be found at (IT / ID / Tech Ed). Betty Cottrell is our Job Coordinator and she also plays a pivotal role in the department. Her job is to work with companies to make sure that our job placement rates remains at the very highest in this competitive environment. When the time comes for your student to start interviewing, Betty will help get them scheduled.

How Can I Stay in Touch with the Purdue IT Department Activities While my Child is Enrolled?

We know that you will play a vital role in supporting your child in their academic endeavors as they progress through Purdue and will want to stay informed about the Department's happenings. We periodically publish a newsletter just for parents. If you're interested in getting a copy, please sign in at the bottom of the page. There will also be activities for you to participate in during Parent's Weekends, and at the end of your student's time here at Purdue, we will invite you back to a celebration for your graduate.

Where Can I get Information on Financial Aid?

College is costly - the department has a number of scholarships to help ease some of the financial burdens. We have several scholarships that are available to qualified individuals. We also advise you to find out more about financial aid programs on the main university website.

What Kind of Classes Will my Student Take?

Another question we get asked is "so how big are the classes" - well, that depends on the type of class. Within the IT department, classes are relatively small because many of them having hands-on laboratory activities taught by excellent teaching assistants and faculty. You can see a list of all IT classes here. Average class size in the department across all undergraduate courses is 31. The largest class section is 79, although this has lab sections of between 8-10 students. Many faculty have deployed the latest technology within the classroom, either utilizing WebCT, or e-instruction tools. Technology in the classroom is changing rapidly, and our department is meeting the challenge through a number of initiatives. Some faculty use Adobe Connect or WebCT to supplement traditional teaching methods. The department continually invests in new software related to our degree programs, either through corporate donations or outright purchase. Our three main core laboratories are regarded as state-of-the-art and provide your child with hands-on learning to supplement traditional lectures and books. Our faculty also incorporate industrial case-studies and examples of their experiences as well.

Will my Student Have Opportunities for Working with Companies While they Pursue a Degree?

We have several internship or co-op opportunities - several of our students take advantage of these programs during the summer. The Cooperative Education Program (a voluntary program) is a five-year plan of education in which the student alternates periods of attendance at the University with periods of employment in industry. The employment is an essential element in the educational process and is related to the student’s field of study. The purpose of the program is to provide industry with well-educated, motivated people to operate and manage their facilities. This program is available for credit. More information is available through Betty Cottrell or by downloading this pdf.

How Will my Student Develop a Social Network in IT?

College is challenging, with many opportunities for your child - both socially and academically. The department has several student groups that provide a social forum. We invite guest speakers from industry to present to the group, which provides students industrial networking opportunities. Many times, companies look for extra-curricular activities on the resume. However, balancing these competing demands isn’t easy, and sometimes your child might find themselves a bit overwhelmed where they might not do so well academically. We are here to help them - but your child needs to communicate effectively to make sure that they get the help that they need. Their first stop should be the faculty member (instructor of record) of that class - all of our faculty are approachable, have posted office hours, and are accessible via email and phone. Many are also using instant messengers as well. Students may also discuss options with Craig Maleltt, our academic advisor, and be aware of all the academic deadlines. We have set up a student page with a calendar for these deadlines.

What if my Student has Problems with a Class?

Tutoring services in the college are available for students having difficulty in a class, and these services are offered for free for short term needs, and a nominal fee for extended periods. And if your child is enrolled at Purdue and is unhappy with their current degree option, our department accepts CODO's - or change of degree objectives. Many of our students have changed their degree choices during their career at Purdue - and we make sure that their transition into the department is successful. Grading at Purdue is on the four point scale - and there is no plus/minus grading.

Why Choose the IT Department?

So why choose the IT department? We realize you are probably daunted by the number of degree options and universities at the moment. But more importantly, planning for a career path four or five years before you need it is challenging, but here are some things for you to consider. Because our graduates can work in many different industries, our placement record tends to be less prone to economic shifts than others; we consistently place over 90% of our graduates. The IT department has an excellent track record of success on many different measures ; salaries average in the mid 40K's, faculty are highly approachable, classes and labs are state-of-the-art, internship and co-op experiences are readily available , a comprehensive study abroad program is available, we continually strive to improve our programs by benchmarking other degree programs in the nation as part of our strategic planning process, our programs are consistently top-ranked, and Purdue is an excellent university; a truly great place for your students to pursue an education.

So what’s next? Come visit us, either in person, or electronically through video-conferencing (all you need is a web cam and an internet connection - we'll do the rest). Complete this form for more information.