The List of All U.S Colleges With an Industrial Engineering Major

With so many different branches of engineering to choose from, students are sometimes overwhelmed when browsing a college’s catalog for engineering programs. In middle and high school, you may not have realized that there were so many specializations within the field, and now you’re trying to figure out which engineering major is right for you.

Industrial engineering has developed more recently, and there aren’t as many colleges that offer it as other older types of engineering. That said, if you’re thinking about becoming engineer, this is a promising career!

Why Study Industrial Engineering in College?

Industrial engineering is a branch of engineering that focuses on efficiency and integration. Industrial engineers apply the logical problem-solving skills that engineers possess to issues that affect multiple, interconnected systems. Instead of developing new technologies, you’ll be streamlining how technology, services, and people work together.

Many industrial engineers work for manufacturing companies across industries, where different systems have to operate smoothly to make sure that the company thrives. More companies are realizing how valuable industrial engineers are to their process, so there is increasing demand for them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, industrial engineering jobs are increasing faster than the national average job outlook of any career path, and that trend is expected to continue through 2026.

Although manufacturers often hire industrial engineers, any organization that requires maximum efficiency often employs industrial engineers to solve their problems. For example, Disney often hires industrial engineers to design more compact waiting lines for their rides, better restocking systems for food carts, and more.

As opposed to other types of engineering, industrial engineering appeals most to the student who enjoys:

• Synthesizing data from a variety of sources
• Solving problems that deal with processes rather than products
• Flexibility on the types of tasks they might work on.

Industrial engineering majors take the same science (especially physics) and math core classes alongside other engineering majors, which means that you’ll want to give yourself a strong quantitative foundation through your high school classes. There’s also a strong emphasis on completing internships, to help you identify an industry you might want to work in and give you real work experience.

Because of its inherently flexible nature, industrial engineering gives you the most opportunities to expand into other areas as your career progresses. If you want to study engineering but don’t want to be pigeonholed into one industry, then industrial engineering is the major for you.

How Can You Increase Your Chances of Acceptance?

If you want to study industrial engineering, you’ll want to make sure that you do everything you can to increase your chances of getting into the college of your choice. There are two primary ways that you do this: optimizing your profile and creating a strong college list.

When it comes to optimizing your profile, you’ll want to do what you can in high school to show that you’re ready not only for college, but also for the major of your choice. As a future industrial engineering major, aim to do well in your math and science classes and challenge yourself in these subjects through advance offerings like AP or dual enrollment.

In creating your college list, you’ll want to pay attention to more than just if a college offers your preferred major. Consider factors like the learning environment—would you prefer a school in a small town or a big city? Would you rather study at a small liberal arts college or attend a large research university? Narrow down the options in the list below based on your personal preferences.

Chances are you’ll still have a good number of schools to choose from. Next, you’ll want to think about what you chances are of getting into the schools on your list are. To get a rough idea, look at the school’s “freshman profile.” The freshman profile highlights the average GPA and test score of the previous year’s admitted freshman, and the closer you are to these averages, the better your chances are!

You may also want to consider working with a company like CollegeVine. We pair high school students like you with a student from a top school to give you personalized advice. If you’re in 9th or 10th grade, we’ll focus on ways you can optimize your profile through your classes and extracurricular involvement. If you’re in 11th or 12th grade, we guide you through each application component and give you your exact chance of getting into any school.

Which Colleges Have an Industrial Engineering Major?

We researched hundreds of colleges to compile the ultimate list of every school that offers industrial engineering as a major:

Appalachian State University

Auburn University

Austin Peay State University | APSU

Bradley University

California State University, East Bay | CSU East Bay

Central Michigan University | CMU

Central Washington University | CWU

Clemson University

Colorado Christian University | CCU

Colorado State University–Pueblo | CSU Pueblo

Columbia University

Dunwoody College of Technology

East Carolina University | ECU

Fitchburg State University

Florida A&M University | FAMU

Francis Marion University

Gannon University

Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia Tech

Georgia Southern University

Iowa State University

Jackson College

Jackson State University | JSU

Jacksonville State University | JSU

James Madison University | JMU

Kettering University

Lamar University

Lawrence Technological University | LTU

Liberty University

Louisiana Tech University | La. Tech

Mercer University

Metropolitan State University of Denver | MSU Denver

Milwaukee School of Engineering | MSOE

Minot State University | MSU

Mississippi State University | MSU

Missouri Southern State University

Montana State University | MSU

Morgan State University

New Jersey Institute of Technology | NJIT

New York University | NYU

North Carolina A&T State University | N.C. A&T

North Carolina State University | NC State

North Seattle College | NSC

Northern Arizona University | NAU

Northwest University

Nova Southeastern University | NSU

Oklahoma Panhandle State University | OPSU

Oregon State University | OSU

Pace University

Pennsylvania State University | PSU

Pensacola State College

Purdue University

Purdue University Fort Wayne | PFW

Quinnipiac University

Ranken Technical College

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | RPI

Rochester Institute of Technology | RIT

San Jose State University | SJSU

Savannah College of Art and Design | SCAD

Seminole State College of Florida

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | SRU

Snow College

South Carolina State University | SCSU

Southeast Missouri State University | SEMO

Southern Illinois University Carbondale | SIU

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | SIUE

St. Ambrose University

St. Mary’s University, Texas

State University of New York Maritime College | SUNY Maritime

Stevens Institute of Technology

Sul Ross State University | SRSU

Temple University

Texas A&M University–Commerce

Texas A&M University–Kingsville

Texas Southern University | TSU

Texas State University

The Ohio State University | OSU

The State University of New York at Buffalo | SUNY Buffalo

University of Arizona

University of Arkansas

University of Bridgeport

University of California, Berkeley | UC Berkeley

University of Central Florida | UCF

University of Dayton

University of Florida

University of Houston

University of Illinois at Chicago | UIC

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | UIUC

University of Louisville

University of Massachusetts Amherst | UMass Amherst

University of Miami

University of Michigan–Dearborn | UM-D

University of Minnesota Duluth | UMD

University of Missouri | Mizzou

University of Pittsburgh | Pitt

University of Rio Grande

University of San Diego | USD

University of South Florida | USF

University of Southern Indiana | USI

University of Southern Mississippi | Southern Miss

University of Tennessee

University of Texas at Arlington | UT Arlington

University of Texas at El Paso | UTEP

University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee | UWM

University of Wisconsin–Platteville | UW–Platteville

Wayne State College

West Virginia University | WVU

West Virginia University at Parkersburg

Western Illinois University | WIU

Western Kentucky University | WKU

Western Nevada College

Western New England University | WNE

Wichita State University | WSU

William Penn University

Worcester Polytechnic Institute | WPI

Wright State University

Youngstown State University

How We Help Students Improve Their Chances

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!

If you’re interested in other engineering majors, check out some of our other posts below:

The List of All U.S Colleges With an Engineering Major

The List of All U.S. Colleges With a Computer Engineering Major

The List of All U.S Colleges With an Electrical Engineering Major