Industrial & Management Engineering

Types of Degrees Industrial & Management Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many industrial and management engineering graduations there were in 2019-2020 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	1,465
Associate Degree	36
Basic Certificate	20

What Industrial & Management Engineering Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, industrial management majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Industrial Management Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Industrial Management Majors

A major in industrial management prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Industrial Management Majors

A major in industrial management will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Industrial & Management Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with industrial management:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Industrial Engineering Technicians	0.6%	$55,460

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Industrial & Management Engineering?

This major attracts more men than women. About 83% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of industrial management majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	3
Black or African American	2
Hispanic or Latino	1
White	24
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	6

How Much Do Industrial & Management Engineering Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Industrial Management majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $58,860 to $148,970 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Industrial & Management Engineering

Some careers associated with industrial management require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to industrial management have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.2%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	8.3%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	5.9%
Some College Courses	17.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	14.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	42.9%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.8%
Master’s Degree	6.6%

Online Industrial & Management Engineering Programs

In 2019-2020, 187 schools offered a industrial management program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	7	4
Bachelor’s Degree	36	12
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	139	47
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	14	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Industrial & Management Engineering Worth It?

The median salary for a industrial management grad is $113,370 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 184% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,469,400 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Industrial & Management Engineering

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to industrial management.

Major	Number of Grads
Packaging Science	429
Other Engineering-Related Fields	167
Engineering Design	90

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.