The emphasis in industrial management and technology provides students with a combination of hands-on technical skills and a sound management base. This emphasis requires eight courses, in which students are taught current technology concepts. Students are also required to take courses in the areas of industrial management. Students who graduate from NIU with this emphasis have the skills to enter management or manufacturing fields, and are highly sought after by companies both as interns during their studies or for employment after graduation. Students are taught basic and advanced fabrication principles and process for plastics, metals, and other materials. Students learn the basics of processes, systems, and automation through implementation of programmable logic controllers. Our graduates learn basic and advanced concepts in the use of SolidWorks and its application in the area of 2-D drafting and 3-D modeling, including advanced solid modeling using SolidWorks. Students in this area learn to apply the CAD and drafting principles to the area of tool and die and machine design.