Industrial Engineering at Arizona State University Campus Immersion

Arizona State's industrial engineering program delivers exactly what parents want to see: strong starting salaries with manageable debt. Graduates begin at nearly $78,000—comfortably above the national median—while carrying just $19,375 in debt. That's a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.25, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off their loans in three months of gross income. Compare this to the national average debt of nearly $25,000, and ASU's value proposition becomes even clearer.

The program ranks in the 75th percentile nationally for earnings and 60th among Arizona's limited industrial engineering options. While that state ranking might seem middling at first glance, context matters: ASU actually outpaces the University of Arizona by over $5,000 in starting salary, despite Arizona having only two programs to choose from. Earnings growth to $86,500 by year four suggests solid career trajectory, though the 11% bump is modest for engineering fields.

The combination of accessible admission (90% acceptance rate), reasonable debt load, and above-average earnings makes this program particularly attractive for Arizona residents seeking a practical engineering path. Your student gets the ASU name recognition and career network without the debt burden that typically comes with engineering degrees. This is as close to a straightforward win as you'll find in higher education financing.