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General Industrial Engineering

Types of Degrees General Industrial Engineering Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Industrial Engineering may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	16
Bachelor’s Degree	4,848
Master’s Degree	3,266
Doctor’s Degree	384

What General Industrial Engineering Majors Need to Know

Studies in General Industrial Engineering build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Industrial Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Industrial Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Design — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a General Industrial Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Industrial Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Industrial Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks	Computer aided design CAD software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Industrial Engineering graduates include:

• Plant Manager
• Heat Engineering Teacher
• Design Teacher
• Industrial Engineering Professor
• Highway Engineering Teacher
• Drawing Instructor
• Petroleum Engineering Professor
• Environmental Engineering Professor
• Civil Engineering Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Sanitary Engineering Teacher
• Automotive Engineering Teacher
• Electrical Engineering Professor
• Electrical Engineering Lecturer
• Marine Engineering Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	36.0%
Doctoral degree	17.4%
Master’s degree	10.0%
Some college courses	7.9%
Post-master’s certificate	5.6%
Postsecondary certificate	5.3%
Post-doctoral training	5.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.5%
First professional degree	0.6%
Less than a high school diploma	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Industrial Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 68.7% of General Industrial Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,669	31.3%
Men	5,864	68.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,153	37.0%
Asian	734	8.6%
Hispanic or Latino	930	10.9%
Black or African American	313	3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	10	0.1%
Two or More Races	218	2.6%
Race Unknown	166	1.9%
International Students	3,009	35.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Industrial Engineering Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Industrial Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$77,049
4 years	$88,006
5 years	$100,420

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $100,420 — roughly 30% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Industrial Engineering Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for General Industrial 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	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	4
Master’s	17	22
Doctoral (Research)	1	5

^{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 General Industrial Engineering Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, General Industrial Engineering graduates earn a median of $88,006 four years after completion — roughly 132% 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	CIP Code
Industrial Engineering	14.35
Manufacturing Engineering	14.3601
Systems Engineering	14.2701
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General	14.0201
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Other	14.0299
Agricultural Engineering	14.0301
Architectural Engineering	14.0401
Astronautical Engineering	14.0202
Biochemical Engineering	14.4301

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.