Engineering
Industrial Engineers
Design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production coordination.
Median salary (BLS)
$102,440
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$74k – $160k
Job outlook
+11% (faster than average)
AI exposure
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports one wage for this occupational group, which covers 4 related roles — so read the median as an approximate group figure, and the range as the truer picture for this specific title. BLS source.
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $99,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Industrial Engineers
Education
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Industrial Engineers Intern
Internship
$37,185
~4 mos to advance
Junior Industrial Engineers
Entry / Junior
$74,370
~2 yrs to advance
Industrial Engineers
Established
$102,440
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Industrial Engineers
Senior
$131,150
Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.
Key skills
A typical day
- •Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control.
- •Plan and establish sequence of operations to fabricate and assemble parts or products and to promote efficient utilization.
- •Analyze statistical data and product specifications to determine standards and establish quality and reliability objectives of finished product.
- •Confer with clients, vendors, staff, and management personnel regarding purchases, product and production specifications, manufacturing capabilities, or project status.
- •Communicate with management and user personnel to develop production and design standards.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Engineering
Explore all- Massachusetts Institute of Technology4% admit · $124,000 grad pay
- Stanford University4% admit · $122,000 grad pay
- University of California, Berkeley11% admit · $97,000 grad pay
- Georgia Institute of Technology16% admit · $99,000 grad pay
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign45% admit · $80,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.