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Industrial & Management Engineering

Types of Degrees Industrial & Management Engineering Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Industrial & Management Engineering may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	27
Bachelor’s Degree	1,436
Master’s Degree	6,189
Doctor’s Degree	114

What Industrial & Management Engineering Majors Need to Know

Programs in Industrial & Management Engineering develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Industrial & Management Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Industrial & Management Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Industrial & Management Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Industrial & Management Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Industrial & Management Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Industrial & Management Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Industrial & Management Engineering graduates include:

• Plant Manager
• Industrial Production Manager
• Engineer
• Quality Engineer
• Production Control Manager
• Plant Superintendent
• Maintenance Superintendent
• Maintenance Manager
• Plant Operations Coordinator
• Quality Assurance Automation Engineer (QA Automation Engineer)
• Reliability Engineer
• Process Engineer
• Production Manager
• Methods Engineer
• Power Plant Operations Manager

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Industrial & Management Engineering graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	46.5%
Some college courses	11.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	11.2%
Master’s degree	10.7%
Postsecondary certificate	7.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	6.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.4%
Doctoral degree	1.5%
Less than a high school diploma	0.9%
First professional degree	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
Post-doctoral training	0.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Industrial & Management Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 69.2% of Industrial & Management Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,389	30.8%
Men	5,377	69.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Industrial & Management Engineering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,577	33.2%
Asian	402	5.2%
Hispanic or Latino	569	7.3%
Black or African American	388	5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	22	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.1%
Two or More Races	128	1.6%
Race Unknown	303	3.9%
International Students	3,373	43.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Industrial & Management Engineering Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Industrial & Management Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$86,644
4 years	$91,137
5 years	$104,461

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $104,461 — roughly 21% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Industrial & Management Engineering Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Industrial & Management Engineering. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	1
Bachelor’s	15	8
Master’s	56	39
Doctoral (Research)	6	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Industrial & Management Engineering Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Industrial & Management Engineering graduates earn a median of $91,137 four years after completion — roughly 140% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Engineering-Related Fields	8,633
Packaging Science	391
Engineering Design	267
Engineering-Related Fields, Other	209

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.