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MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a master's degree in Industrial Engineering worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 19 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$117,338 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$117,338Median year-4 earnings
$17,975Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$117,338Typical earnings four years after completion
$112,094Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
83thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
19College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Industrial Engineering

How much do Industrial Engineering master's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $117,338 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.

Does the college matter for Industrial Engineering?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $112,213 to $130,693 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.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

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
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$97,790
Federal debt
$24,989
Programs in the comparison
98
96 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$117,338
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
19
19 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$99,764
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

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$112,213National median$117,33875th percentile$130,693
19 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$130,69375th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
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

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

$168,188 four years after completionSeattle, WA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Texas A&M University-College Station

148 reported awards in 2024–25College Station, TX · 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.

$164,427Observed year-4 earnings$84,345
$8,889Annual college-wide average net price$24,953
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

19 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 19 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of Washington-Seattle Campus$168,1882Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$164,4273The University of Tennessee-Knoxville$150,9034Iowa State University$139,5905Clemson University$136,0586University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$130,6937Texas A&M University-College Station$125,4148Lehigh University$120,0339University of Central Florida$118,19110Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$117,338

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

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

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.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Master's Degree

Mechanical Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$115,231
Federal debt
Not available
84 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Civil Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$96,805
Federal debt
Not available
82 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$134,287
Federal debt
Not available
62 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Biomedical/Medical Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$109,394
Federal debt
Not available
40 reporting programs →

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.