Best Industrial Engineering Programs in the Northeast (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the Northeast
Regional list from Industrial Engineering Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 15 Industrial Engineering programs in the Northeast by median earnings of Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. Lehigh University ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $121,498 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed schools, the figure ranges from $121,498 to $86,118, with a median of $101,547.
Public institutions account for 10 of the 15 programs, and private nonprofits for 5. New Jersey Institute of Technology posts the lowest average net price on the page, at $16,504.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick ranks 30th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lehigh University · Bethlehem, PA | $121,498 | $36,931 | $16,917 | 25.9% |
| Lehigh University reports median earnings of $121,498 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 39 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 2 | University of Connecticut · Storrs, CT | $111,672 | $25,097 | $15,193 | 52.4% |
| University of Connecticut, a public university in Storrs, ranks 2nd on this list and shows an average net price of $25,097. | |||||
| 3 | Northeastern University · Boston, MA | $111,430 | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
| Northeastern University admits 5% of applicants and its Industrial Engineering graduates earn a median of $111,430 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | Rochester Institute of Technology · Rochester, NY | $105,313 | $34,906 | $24,680 | 66.9% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $26,778 in federal loans at Rochester Institute of Technology, which ranks 363rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 5 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · University Park, PA | $104,758 | $32,875 | $19,845 | 60.6% |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus posts median earnings of $104,758 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $19,845 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 6 | SUNY Maritime College · Throggs Neck, NY | $102,563 | $22,367 | $11,726 | 72.4% |
| SUNY Maritime College ranks 6th on this list and reports an average net price of $22,367. | |||||
| 7 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute · Worcester, MA | $101,554 | $43,071 | $24,018 | 60.2% |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute shows an admission rate of 60% and median earnings of $101,554 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | New Jersey Institute of Technology · Newark, NJ | $101,547 | $16,504 | $10,138 | 65.1% |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology reports median earnings of $101,547 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing, with a school-wide median federal debt of $21,000 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 9 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus · Pittsburgh, PA | $98,654 | $30,434 | $14,709 | 58.1% |
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus ranks 485th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and posts median earnings of $98,654 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Troy, NY | $98,509 | $36,228 | $24,078 | 63.5% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute reports an average net price of $24,078 for families earning under $30,000, alongside median earnings of $98,509 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst · Amherst, MA | $97,791 | $22,383 | $10,164 | 59.7% |
| University of Massachusetts-Amherst admits 60% of applicants and shows an average net price of $22,383. | |||||
| 12 | Binghamton University · Vestal, NY | $95,354 | $21,620 | $12,171 | 38.6% |
| Binghamton University reports median earnings of $95,354 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 66 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 13 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick · New Brunswick, NJ | $94,382 | $24,406 | $16,343 | 58.2% |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick admits 58% of applicants and reports median earnings of $94,382 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 41 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 14 | University of Rhode Island · Kingston, RI | $90,399 | $21,440 | $14,368 | 72.2% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at University of Rhode Island left with a median of $22,250 in federal loans, and the school's Industrial Engineering program reports median earnings of $90,399 four years after completing. | |||||
| 15 | University at Buffalo · Buffalo, NY | $86,118 | $20,995 | $14,668 | 74.2% |
| University at Buffalo ranks 15th on this list and posts an average net price of $20,995, alongside median earnings of $86,118 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
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 the Northeast appear. The figure is the median for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled four years after completing. It does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. Lehigh University leads with $121,498, a gap of $9,826 over second-ranked University of Connecticut at $111,672.
Job market context in the Northeast
Industrial Engineering graduates in the Northeast enter a labor market that includes occupations such as Industrial Engineers. The median annual wage across those occupations is $103,578, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $87,278. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 4.6% higher, with 8,540 projected openings a year, or about 998 openings a year for every hundred graduates, which means more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the median earnings of graduates four years after completing, a different measure from the occupational wage figures reported here.
Related rankings
- Industrial Engineering Programs in the United States
- Best Colleges in the Northeast
- Best Industrial Engineering Programs in the Midwest
- Best Industrial Engineering Programs in the South
- Best Industrial Engineering Programs in the West
- Best Engineering Colleges in the Northeast
- Engineering Colleges in the Northeast for Social Mobility