BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 98 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Strong payoff
+$274,361 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.
4.8 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+108%Estimated return after 10 years
$97,790Observed earnings · year 4
$86,974Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $68,590 per year below this threshold.
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$347,895
$18,000Current college-wide context+$275,895
$20,000Annual price+$267,895
$40,000Annual price+$187,895
$60,000Annual price+$107,895
$80,000Annual price+$27,895
$100,000Annual price−$52,105
Outcomes at a glance
$97,790Typical earnings four years after completion
$95,603Average earnings five years after completion
$24,989Typical federal student debt
92thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
107Degrees awarded in 2024–25
96College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 14 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Industrial Engineering
How much do Industrial Engineering bachelor's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $97,790 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $24,989. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Industrial Engineering?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $91,614 to $102,439 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Industrial Engineering?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 4 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $99,370
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $97,790
- Federal debt
- $24,989
- Programs in the comparison
- 98
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $117,338
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 19
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $99,764
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 2
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$91,614National median$97,79075th percentile$102,439
96 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
Northwestern University
$138,720 four years after completionEvanston, IL · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus
$18,027 among completer borrowersSeattle, WA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classGeorgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
346 reported awards in 2024–25Atlanta, GA · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$121,498Observed year-4 earnings$101,653
Northwestern University$29,167 price · $138,720 earningsGeorgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$12,116 price · $128,003 earningsLehigh University$36,931 price · $121,498 earningsUniversity of Michigan-Ann Arbor$13,138 price · $117,930 earningsVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$24,953 price · $116,641 earningsCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$16,665 price · $112,797 earningsUniversity of Southern California$32,740 price · $112,150 earningsUniversity of Connecticut$25,097 price · $111,672 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus$10,875 price · $111,672 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Avery Point$13,807 price · $111,672 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Stamford$16,798 price · $111,672 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Hartford Campus$16,403 price · $111,672 earningsNortheastern University$30,915 price · $111,430 earningsUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison$17,354 price · $110,711 earningsUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$14,091 price · $109,575 earningsThe University of Tennessee-Knoxville$18,976 price · $107,093 earningsPurdue University-Main Campus$14,600 price · $107,031 earningsOhio State University-Main Campus$17,339 price · $106,932 earningsRochester Institute of Technology$34,906 price · $105,313 earningsPennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College$24,558 price · $104,758 earningsPennsylvania State University-Main Campus$32,875 price · $104,758 earningsUniversity of Louisville$17,988 price · $104,538 earningsUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$14,355 price · $103,143 earningsSUNY Maritime College$22,367 price · $102,563 earningsArizona State University Campus Immersion$14,967 price · $102,439 earningsOakland University$9,120 price · $102,222 earningsWayne State University$12,766 price · $101,990 earningsOregon State University$19,604 price · $101,653 earningsOregon State University-Cascades Campus$18,048 price · $101,653 earningsWorcester Polytechnic Institute$43,071 price · $101,554 earnings
$10,875Annual college-wide average net price$34,906
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Northwestern University$138,7202Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$128,0033Lehigh University$121,4984University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$117,9305Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$116,6416California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$112,7977University of Southern California$112,1508University of Connecticut$111,6729University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus$111,67210University of Connecticut-Avery Point$111,672Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →14%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Architectural and Engineering Managers$171,270 median wage220,260 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 14,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$120,810–$262,760 typical wage rangeIndustrial Production Managers$126,060 median wage246,250 jobs nationwide+2.6% projected growth through 2035 · 17,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$78,000–$205,520 typical wage rangeEngineering Teachers, Postsecondary$109,270 median wage40,270 jobs nationwide+7.8% projected growth through 2035 · 3,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$61,550–$210,370 typical wage rangeIndustrial Engineers$102,440 median wage365,740 jobs nationwide+12.4% projected growth through 2035 · 23,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,370–$159,860 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.