The wholesale value of residential furniture sold in the US exceeds
$35 billion annually with North Carolina manufacturers producing 15
percent of the total. Furniture manufacturing directly employs 50,000
North Carolinians and has an annual payroll of $1.5 billion.
The International
Home Furnishings Market, with showroom space exceeding 11 million square
feet, is located in High Point, North Carolina. Collectively, this is the
largest concentration of furniture manufacturing and merchandising in
the world, making the economic condition of the State and the furniture
industry closely related.
To serve this important industry, the Southern Furniture Manufactures
Association (now American Home Furnishings Alliance - AHFA) in 1948, working with North Carolina State
University, founded an industry/university supported education
program in the College of Engineering. The Furniture Manufacturing
and Management curriculum began graduating engineers and managers
for careers in the industry in 1952. Today, in response to increased
levels of manufacturing and information technology, this curriculum
has evolved into a Bachelor of Science Degree
in Industrial and Systems Engineering with a Furniture Manufacturing Option.
A minor in Furniture Manufacturing is also available to undergraduates
pursuing related degrees. 
-
-
Students in the Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering,
Furniture Manufacturing Option, gain specialized knowledge of
furniture manufacturing by taking a set of four cohesive courses that provide a
concentrated study of the products, processes, and materials used in the manufacture
of furniture. Faculty and other personnel
associated with the Center contribute to this curriculum. Graduates typically become
manufacturing managers and engineers for furniture companies throughout the US and
the world.
To promote furniture education, industrial sponsors have established
several scholarships recognizing both scholastic
achievement and financial need for students enrolled in the BSIE, Furniture Manufacturing Option.
-
- A minor
in furniture manufacturing has been established by the
Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at NCSU. This program allows students from
academic disciplines such as Industrial Design and Wood Technology to gain familiarity
with furniture manufacturing.
BSIE, Furniture Manufacturing Option