Industrial Engineer Career Guide

What Does an Industrial Engineer Do?

Industrial engineers devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service. They focus on efficiency, balancing factors such as time, number of workers needed, and available technology to accomplish goals safely and within budget.

Industrial engineers evaluate manufacturing, delivery, customer experience, or other systems and identify ways to improve productivity and quality. They collect data through observations of work activities, time studies, and staff surveys, then analyze that data to identify trends and areas for improvement. They work across various industries including manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation.

Industrial engineers work in a variety of settings, from offices where they analyze data to factory floors where they observe workers assembling parts. They may need to travel between work settings, such as from their office to a hospital or railyard.

Education & Requirements

• Typical Education: Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering or related field such as mechanical or electrical engineering
• Certifications: Professional Engineer (PE) license is optional but valuable for advancement. Requires passing the FE exam, gaining work experience, and passing the PE exam
• Key Skills: Communication, computer skills (CAD software), creativity, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, mathematics (calculus, trigonometry), problem-solving
• Experience: No prior work experience required for entry-level positions. Internships or co-op programs during college are highly valuable

Salary Information

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2024 data):

• Median Annual Salary: $101,140
• Entry-Level (10th percentile): $70,000
• Experienced (90th percentile): $157,140
• Top-Paying Industries: Professional, scientific, and technical services ($106,420), Computer and electronic product manufacturing ($103,850), Transportation equipment manufacturing ($101,750)
• Hourly Rate: $48.63 median hourly wage

Job Outlook & Growth

Employment of industrial engineers is projected to grow 11 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth will result in approximately 38,500 new jobs, bringing total employment to 389,600 by 2034.

About 25,200 openings for industrial engineers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings will result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or retire.

Industrial engineers focus on reducing internal costs, making their work valuable in manufacturing and other industries, such as consulting and engineering services and research and development firms. As more companies look to lower costs, demand is expected to increase for industrial engineers to optimize production processes, manage supply chains and logistics, and provide expertise on automation.

How to Break Into This Field

1. Education: Earn a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering or related engineering field (mechanical, electrical, manufacturing). Take high school classes in calculus, physics, chemistry, and computer science. Consider 5-year programs that offer both bachelor's and master's degrees.
2. Entry-Level Roles: Junior industrial engineer, manufacturing engineer, process improvement engineer, quality engineer, or industrial engineering technician positions
3. Build Skills: Master CAD software, learn statistical analysis tools, develop time and motion study capabilities, practice data analysis, and gain proficiency in production systems planning
4. Network: Join the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), attend manufacturing and engineering conferences, connect with alumni from your university's engineering program
5. Apply Strategically: Target industries like transportation equipment manufacturing (15% of jobs), professional/scientific services (14%), computer/electronic manufacturing (12%). Seek internships or co-op programs during college to gain practical experience.

Career Path & Advancement

Industrial engineers can advance to senior engineer positions and eventually to management roles, such as architectural and engineering managers (median salary $167,740). Specializations include human factors engineering (optimizing human-technology interactions), manufacturing engineering (designing manufacturing systems), and validation engineering (ensuring quality and safety compliance).

The individual contributor (IC) track allows engineers to become technical experts and principal engineers without managing people. The management track involves supervising teams of engineers and technicians, coordinating projects, and making strategic decisions. Obtaining a Professional Engineer (PE) license opens opportunities to sign off on projects and provide services directly to the public.

Pros & Cons

Related Careers

If you're interested in Industrial Engineer, you might also consider:

• Management Analysts - Recommend ways to improve efficiency (median salary $101,190)
• Industrial Production Managers - Oversee manufacturing operations (median salary $121,440)
• Logisticians - Analyze and coordinate supply chains (median salary $80,880)
• Mechanical Engineers - Design and develop mechanical devices
• Health and Safety Engineers - Promote workplace safety (median salary $109,660)