Top Industrial Technology/Technician Programs in the Midwest
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Technology Colleges in the Midwest
Regional list from Top Industrial Technology/Technician Programs by Earnings
This page ranks the 19 Industrial Technology/Technician programs in the Midwest by median earnings of Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. Ferris State University leads the list with median earnings of $91,993 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $91,993 to $40,017, with a median of $82,332. The gap between the top two programs is $78.
Public institutions account for 17 of the 19 programs, or 89%. Ferris State University posts the lowest average net price on the page at $8,624.
Purdue University-Main Campus ranks 87th 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 | Ferris State University · Big Rapids, MI | $91,993 | $8,624 | $2,556 | 91.4% |
| Ferris State University ranks 1st on this list, reporting $91,993 in median earnings for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | Indiana State University · Terre Haute, IN | $91,915 | $10,873 | $6,455 | 80.8% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at Indiana State University left with a median of $24,000 in federal loans, while the Industrial Technology/Technician program's earnings cohort numbered 10 graduates. | |||||
| 3 | Ohio Northern University · Ada, OH | $89,697 | $24,478 | $18,525 | 74.4% |
| A private nonprofit university in Ada, Ohio Northern University posts an average net price of $24,478 and an admission rate of 74%. | |||||
| 4 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $88,474 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
| Purdue University-Main Campus holds the strongest Azimuth composite rank on the page, 87th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, alongside median earnings of $88,474 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | University of Northern Iowa · Cedar Falls, IA | $87,580 | $15,901 | $10,863 | 92.7% |
| With an admission rate of 93%, University of Northern Iowa reports median earnings of $87,580 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale · Carbondale, IL | $87,442 | $13,297 | $9,415 | 86.9% |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale ranks 6th on this list and shows an average net price of $9,415 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 7 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville · Platteville, WI | $83,958 | $16,032 | $9,009 | 89.4% |
| The median federal debt across all of University of Wisconsin-Platteville's borrowers who completed is $21,977, and its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates earned a median of $83,958 four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | Minnesota State University-Mankato · Mankato, MN | $83,115 | $19,139 | $12,339 | 88.4% |
| Minnesota State University-Mankato reports an earnings cohort of 11 graduates and a median of $83,115 for its Industrial Technology/Technician program four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | Western Michigan University · Kalamazoo, MI | $82,740 | $15,273 | $5,263 | 84.6% |
| Western Michigan University ranks 9th on this list, with an average net price of $15,273 and median earnings of $82,740 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | University of Dayton · Dayton, OH | $82,332 | $29,533 | $21,736 | 65.5% |
| A private nonprofit institution in Dayton, University of Dayton posts an average net price of $21,736 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 11 | Shawnee State University · Portsmouth, OH | $81,446 | $14,381 | $12,310 | Not reported |
| Shawnee State University reports median earnings of $81,446 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing and a school-wide median federal debt of $23,000. | |||||
| 12 | Southeast Missouri State University · Cape Girardeau, MO | $80,820 | $15,882 | $12,704 | 73.5% |
| Southeast Missouri State University admits 74% of applicants and reports median earnings of $80,820 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | Bemidji State University · Bemidji, MN | $76,882 | $15,261 | $10,073 | 56.0% |
| Bemidji State University ranks 13th on this list, with median earnings of $76,882 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 14 | Illinois State University · Normal, IL | $76,121 | $19,398 | $11,568 | 88.2% |
| Illinois State University reports an average net price of $11,568 for families earning under $30,000 and sits 137th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 15 | Saint Cloud State University · Saint Cloud, MN | $73,695 | $13,529 | $8,909 | 94.8% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $21,058 in federal loans at Saint Cloud State University, where Industrial Technology/Technician graduates earned a median of $73,695 four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | Wayne State College · Wayne, NE | $68,431 | $15,360 | $12,844 | Not reported |
| Wayne State College posts a median of $68,431 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing, drawn from a cohort of 40. | |||||
| 17 | Missouri Western State University · Saint Joseph, MO | $59,124 | $13,251 | $11,243 | Not reported |
| With an average net price of $13,251, Missouri Western State University reports median earnings of $59,124 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | Missouri Southern State University · Joplin, MO | $57,318 | $12,007 | $9,759 | 97.0% |
| Missouri Southern State University admits 97% of applicants and reports median earnings of $57,318 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | Northwest Missouri State University · Maryville, MO | $40,017 | $16,244 | $13,176 | 86.1% |
| Northwest Missouri State University ranks 754th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $40,017 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the Midwest appear. The figures are medians for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 3 of the 19 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 spread from Ferris State University to the lowest-ranked program is $51,976, and the gap between Ferris State University and Indiana State University is just $78.
Job market context in the Midwest
Graduates of Industrial Technology/Technician programs in the Midwest enter occupations such as Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians, and Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians. The median annual wage across those occupations is $56,412, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $49,489. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 17,170 openings a year, or about 1,844 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Employment in those occupations is projected to be about 1.9% higher over that period. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the median earnings of graduates four years after completing, which is a different measure from the occupational wage figures shown here.
Related rankings
- Top Industrial Technology/Technician Programs by Earnings
- Best Colleges in the Midwest
- Industrial Technology/Technician Programs in the Northeast
- Top Industrial Technology/Technician Programs in the South
- Best Industrial Technology/Technician Programs in the West
- Best Engineering Technology Colleges in the Midwest
- Best Engineering Technology Colleges for Social Mobility in the Midwest