Admissions

ISE Department at Wayne State UniversityChoosing industrial engineering as your major can pay you back faster than most others. According to data from Payscale, industrial engineering ranks as the second-most lucrative profession in the U.S. in terms of early- and mid-career salaries.

Additionally, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected employment of industrial engineers to rise 12% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the national average in all occupations. As of May 2023, the median salary per year was $99,380. Operations Research (OR), a key ISE sub-discipline, tops the list for the highest paying job for undergraduates in the US according to this May 2023 report from the HEA Group (a higher education research and consulting agency).

While other traditional engineering majors tend to focus on specific applications of skill sets, an industrial engineering education from Wayne State offers the flexibility to build a career in the industry of one's choice. Industrial engineers often begin their careers with varying job titles, including production engineer, quality engineer, management engineer, productivity manager, process engineer and others. A number of global industry leaders many located right down the street from the university consistently look to hire Wayne State ISE graduates, particularly in manufacturing, supply chain management, health care and other related engineering fields.