Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering

Bachelor of Science
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Design smarter systems—optimizing how people, products, and information move with an ABET-accredited degree in industrial engineering.

At a Glance

STEM-Designated Degree

Qualifies international students for extended U.S. work authorization through Optional Practical Training (OPT)

ABET-Accredited Degree

The Industrial Engineering (BS) program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Industrial Engineering Programs.

Proven Career Success

Average Starting Salary: $80,032*

Notable Employers: RTX, Amazon, Dell Technologies, Cummins, General Dynamics Electric Boat**

*WPI Class of 2025 First Destination Survey **WPI First Destination Survey (2021–25)

Application Deadlines

Early Decision/Early Action I: Nov. 1 

Early Decision/Early Action II: Jan. 5 

Regular Decision: Feb. 1 

Explore This Degree

Options

Customize Your Path

Your WPI degree is yours to shape. Complement your major with a minor, or choose electives that interest you. Take your education even further by continuing into one of WPI’s graduate programs to deepen your expertise.

Potential Minors

Business | Data Science | Statistics | Psychological Science

 

View All Minors

Undecided? No problem. Apply now and explore before committing to a specific path. 

13:1

Student-to-Faculty Ratio 

270+

Student Clubs and Organizations

92%

Of First-Year Students Return for Their Sophomore Year (2026)

WPI Difference

Why Future Industrial Engineers Choose WPI

Our project-based degree in industrial engineering prepares you for the operations, supply chain, and systems challenges of tomorrow.  

Through distinctive seven-week terms and intensive project work, you’ll:

Design

and optimize systems spanning supply chains, manufacturing, and customer flow

Apply

lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and process design to problems

Combine

business and technology to drive value across global organizations

BUILD

a professional portfolio of completed projects at one of our 50+ project centers worldwide

CUSTOMIZE

your expertise by choosing a mix of electives to match your interests

Collaborate

with teams across disciplines to develop solutions for today’s complex challenges

Resources & Tech You’ll Tap Into

Center for Industrial Mathematics and Statistics

Partner with companies on optimization, modeling, and statistics projects through a center that has run hundreds of student-industry collaborations.
Learn more about CIMS
Student wearing an eye-tracking headset in a research lab

User Experience and Decision Making Eye-Tracking Laboratory

Study how people interact with systems and interfaces using eye-tracking instrumentation to inform human factors and process design.
Learn more about the UXDM Laboratory
Students in safety glasses working on electronics and wiring diagrams at a makerspace workbench

Innovation Studio, Makerspace, and The i3 Lab

Prototype and launch technology ventures with product-development support and investor connections through The Business School’s innovation spaces.
Learn more about The Business School’s innovation spaces

Research Opportunities 

  • Health systems modeling and operations design
  • Supply chain planning, logistics, and inventory optimization
  • Operations research and mathematical modeling for industry
  • Advanced and sustainable manufacturing
  • Human factors, user experience, and decision-making
  • Data analytics and predictive modeling for operations

Project-Based Learning Experiences

Apply industrial engineering theory and practice from day one. Build a professional portfolio with work that matters.

At WPI, learn in an immersive environment where classroom concepts transform into hands-on projects, thanks to our intensive, seven-week terms. Complete increasingly advanced projects for industry partners and community organizations, both local and global. Present your solutions directly to organizations that will implement what you create.  

Below, explore projects completed by industrial engineering students at WPI.

Student pointing to a printed handout while discussing it with classmates
Global

📍Panama City, Panama

Impact-Sponsorship Strategy for Math Education in Panama — Students developed a fundraising strategy to help a Panamanian foundation secure long-term sponsors for its playful approach to math education.

Global

📍Melbourne, Australia

Partner-Data Systems for an Australian Conservation Trust — Students built an integrated database and interactive network map to help a conservation trust track its impact across 39 partner organizations.

Local

📍Worcester, Mass.

Process Improvement at a Worcester Coffee Roastery — Students streamlined operations at a local coffee roastery through digitalization-driven process improvement.

Local

📍Leicester, Mass.

Inventory Automation for a Disc Golf Retailer — Students automated inventory management for a premier New England disc golf course and pro shop.

Industry

📍Worcester, Mass.

Optimizing a Manufacturing Process at Saint-Gobain — Students optimized a finishing process at Saint-Gobain Abrasives by finding and fixing production bottlenecks.

Industry

📍Worcester, Mass.

Operations Analysis for a Mobile Health Program — Students evaluated the operations and cost-effectiveness of UMass Memorial Health’s mobile integrated health program.

Skills & Salary

Skills You’ll Gain

With a degree in industrial engineering from The Business School at WPI, you’ll learn to design smarter systems, eliminate waste, and optimize how organizations move people, products, and information.

Explore opportunities to build skills such as:

Operations Research & Optimization

 

Solve complex resource and scheduling problems using linear programming and optimization models to help organizations make smarter, data-driven decisions about limited time and money.

Build systems simulations to test how factories, hospitals, and supply chains behave before committing to costly real-world changes.

Supply Chain & Logistics

 

Design and analyze supply chains using inventory models and logistics planning so products reach customers faster, cheaper, and with fewer disruptions.

Apply engineering economics to evaluate project trade-offs, forecast demand, and recommend investments that maximize value across global production and distribution networks.

Process Improvement & Quality Engineering

 

Apply lean and Six Sigma methods to map workflows, remove waste, and redesign manufacturing and service processes for measurably better speed and quality.

Use statistical analysis and data analytics to monitor quality, reduce defects, and prove that your improvements actually work through hands-on, project-based work.

Technical Leadership & Communication

 

Lead cross-functional teams on industry projects, balancing engineering constraints, budgets, and human factors to deliver solutions clients will put into practice.

Present data-driven recommendations clearly to managers, engineers, and nontechnical stakeholders, turning complex analysis into decisions people understand and trust.

→ Explore the full industrial engineering BS curriculum in the academic catalog.

Student Voice

“Industrial engineering has taught me to analyze a process, find its inefficiencies and improve it, and this method can be applied to any industry. Through hands on projects and my courses, I feel confident to step into any field of work and succeed.” 

Elle Kearns ‘30, 
BS in Industrial Engineering 

#15

Best Career Placement

The Princeton Review (2026)
#47

Best Colleges for Engineering in America

Niche (2027)
#57

Undergraduate Engineering Program (Doctorate)

U.S News & World Report (2027)
Career

Industrial Engineering Career & Salary Outlook

Career Path 

Industry Sector 

Entry Level (0–5 years) 

Mid-Level (5–10 years) 

Senior Level (10+ years) 
Industrial Engineering Manufacturing Industrial Engineer
$70K		 Senior Industrial Engineer
$101K		 Director of Industrial Engineering
$157K
Operations & Process Engineering Manufacturing Process Engineer
$72K		 Senior Process Engineer
$100K		 Director of Operations
$155K
Supply Chain & Logistics Logistics Supply Chain Analyst
$70K		 Supply Chain Manager
$105K		 Director of Supply Chain
$160K
Quality & Manufacturing Engineering Manufacturing Quality Engineer
$70K		 Senior Manufacturing Engineer
$100K		 Plant Manager
$150K
Data & Operations Analytics Consulting Operations Analyst
$72K		 Senior Analyst
$105K		 Director of Analytics
$155K

Salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Tuition & Costs
Preview

Financing Your Future

College is a great investment in your future—and we’re here to help you plan for it. Explore WPI’s cost of attendance and learn how our Office of Financial Aid can guide you through options for funding your education. 

Financial Aid FAQs Cost of Attendance

Start Building Your Future Today

WPI’s simple formula helps students thrive: “Go to class. Do the work. Ask for help.” With our degree in industrial engineering, you’ll gain the skills, experience, and connections to design smarter systems and optimize how the world’s organizations work.

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