Industrial Engineering at Kent State University at Kent

Kent State's Industrial Engineering program trails the pack significantly, with first-year earnings of $56,274 landing in just the 5th percentile nationally and 25th percentile among Ohio's nine programs. That's nearly $14,000 below Ohio's median and over $18,000 behind the national median—a substantial gap that even the program's relatively moderate debt load of $29,000 can't offset. Ohio State's industrial engineering grads, for context, earn $80,876 their first year out.

The program does show solid 23% earnings growth over four years, reaching $69,147, and the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.52 is manageable. But starting this far behind means playing catch-up throughout your career. Even after four years, graduates still earn less than the typical first-year salary at most competing programs.

For families weighing this against other Ohio options, the math is straightforward: you're paying similar debt for significantly lower earnings. Unless location in Kent is essential or other industrial engineering programs aren't accessible, this investment faces an uphill battle to match the returns available at Ohio State or even the regional Ohio University campuses, which all report higher starting salaries.