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Senior industrial engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior industrial engineer. Senior industrial engineers usually study industrial engineering, business, or industrial technology. 78% of senior industrial engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,786 real senior industrial engineer resumes to see exactly what senior industrial engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior industrial engineers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

There are also many online senior industrial engineer courses to help get the education required to be a senior industrial engineer.

There are certain senior industrial engineer certifications that you should consider. These senior industrial engineer certifications include Six Sigma Green Belt and Six Sigma Black Belt.

What education do you need to become a senior industrial engineer?

What degree do you need to be a senior industrial engineer?

The most common degree for senior industrial engineers is bachelor's degree, with 78% of senior industrial engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 78%
  • Master's, 14%
  • Associate, 7%
  • Diploma, 0%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a senior industrial engineer?

You should major in industrial engineering to become a senior industrial engineer. 53% of senior industrial engineers major in industrial engineering. Other common majors for a senior industrial engineer include business and industrial technology.

Most common colleges for senior industrial engineers

Senior industrial engineers often get their degrees at Purdue University, Ohio State University, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for senior industrial engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Senior industrial engineer common collegePercentages
Purdue University15.92%
Ohio State University7.21%
Pennsylvania State University7.21%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro6.91%
Georgia Institute of Technology5.71%

Best majors for senior industrial engineers

Best colleges for senior industrial engineers

The best colleges for senior industrial engineers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A senior industrial engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for senior industrial engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become senior industrial engineers.

1. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

6. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

In-state tuition

$15,374

Enrollment

19,564

7. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

10. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$52,930

Enrollment

5,030

20 best online courses for senior industrial engineers

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3. Operations Management A-Z: Business Processes and Systems

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Operations Management: Supply Chain & Business Processes in Industry for Manufacturing and Services Organizations...

4. Lean Manufacturing A-Z: Lean Operations Management

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4.6
(3,222)

Lean Business Operations Management, Lean Process and Systems Improvement in Production and Industry. MBA style course...

5. Engineering Project Management

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6. Process/Chemical Engineering - BOOTCAMP 2021

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4.2
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7. Complete Field Instrumentation Engineering Course

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Flow, Level, Temperature and Pressure Instrument - Selection, Sizing, Calculation and Detail Engineering...

8. Operations Management: Facilities Planning and Management

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9. Process Mining with Celonis

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10. Product Development & Systems Engineering

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11. Reliability and Maintenance Engineering - FMEA

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12. Electrical Power Engineering Principles

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13. Process Improvement

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14. Advanced React For Enterprise: React for senior engineers

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16. Reverse Engineering and Malware Analysis Fundamentals

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17. Technical Product Management: learn on 4 real industry cases

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Boost your technicality (as a PM) or tech product skills (as an engineer) to grow in your current role...

18. Internal Combustion Engine Basics (Mechanical Engineering)

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19. Diesel Engine Fundamentals (Mechanical Engineering)

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20. Aspen Plus - Basic Process Modeling

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Learn how to model Basic Industrial and Chemical Processes!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for senior industrial engineers

The most affordable schools for senior industrial engineers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, california state university - long beach, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for senior industrial engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for senior industrial engineers.

1. United States Merchant Marine Academy

Kings Point, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$1,080

Cost of attendance

6,646

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior industrial engineers

The hardest universities for senior industrial engineers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for senior industrial engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for senior industrial engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

9. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,380

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior industrial engineers

The easiest schools for senior industrial engineers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior industrial engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for senior industrial engineers.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

9. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

10. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

Average senior industrial engineer salary by education level

According to our data, senior industrial engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $100,164 annually. Senior industrial engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $90,591.
Senior industrial engineer education levelSenior industrial engineer salary
Master's Degree$100,164
Bachelor's Degree$90,591
Some College/ Associate Degree$77,943

Senior industrial engineer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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