Best Industrial Engineering Programs in California (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in California
This page ranks the 5 Industrial Engineering programs in California by median earnings of Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads the list at $112,797, followed by University of Southern California at $112,150 and California State Polytechnic University-Pomona at $95,835.
Across the listed schools, median earnings range from $112,797 to $61,020, with a median of $95,835. For 1 of the 5 programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 80% of the list, with 4 public and 1 private nonprofit program. California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ranks 15th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
California State University-East Bay posts the lowest average net price at $9,320, while California State University-East Bay has the highest admission rate, admitting 97% of applicants.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $112,797 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo reports $112,797 in median earnings for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 72 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 2 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $112,150 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| A private nonprofit university in Los Angeles, University of Southern California admits 10% of applicants and posts median earnings of $112,150 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $95,835 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona carries an average net price of $11,531 and ranks 15th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 4 | California State University-East Bay · Hayward, CA | $93,793 | $9,320 | $6,360 | 97.4% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $16,544 in federal loans at California State University-East Bay, which ranks 4th on this list with median earnings of $93,793 four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | San Jose State University · San Jose, CA | $61,020 | $13,760 | $9,730 | 84.6% |
| San Jose State University shows an admission rate of 85% and an average net price of $9,730 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in California appear. The figures cover federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 1 of the 5 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo at $112,797 to the lowest listed figure of $61,020 spans $51,777, with a gap of just $647 between California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and University of Southern California.
Job market context in California
Industrial Engineering graduates in California enter occupations such as Industrial Engineers. The median annual wage across those occupations is $124,600, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $98,380. State projections for 2024 to 2034 count about 6,300 openings a year, or about 2,325 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 6.3% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing; the market figures describe the occupations, and the two are not the same measure.
Related rankings
- Industrial Engineering Programs in the United States
- Best Colleges in California
- Best Industrial Engineering Programs in New York
- Industrial Engineering Programs in Illinois
- Industrial Engineering Programs in Michigan
- Industrial Engineering Programs in Texas
- Best Engineering Colleges in California
- Engineering Colleges in California for Social Mobility