Industrial Engineering at North Dakota State University-Main Campus

North Dakota State's Industrial Engineering program starts graduates at nearly $69,000—a respectable salary that keeps debt manageable at just 38% of first-year earnings. However, this trails the national median for industrial engineering by about $6,000, placing graduates in the 22nd percentile nationally. For a field known for strong starting salaries, that gap matters.

The state picture offers little help in gauging value, as NDSU is the only school offering industrial engineering in North Dakota. The modest 9% earnings growth to $75,000 by year four suggests graduates are finding stable footing but not experiencing the rapid salary acceleration common in some engineering disciplines. The $26,000 debt load is slightly above the national median for this program, though still manageable given the earning potential.

For North Dakota families, particularly those seeking in-state tuition, this program provides a straightforward path to a middle-class engineering career. But if your student has strong credentials and options at higher-ranked engineering schools elsewhere, those programs typically deliver $75,000+ starting salaries that could justify even higher out-of-state costs. The 96% admission rate and modest SAT scores suggest NDSU serves accessibility over selectivity—a reasonable choice for students who want engineering without cutthroat competition, but one that appears to come with below-average salary outcomes in a generally lucrative field.