Industrial Engineering at Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus

At first glance, $70,199 starting salary for an industrial engineering degree seems solid—it's well above what most bachelor's holders earn. But here's the complication: this program ranks in just the 25th percentile nationally for industrial engineering, where the typical graduate starts at $74,709. The sample size here is tiny (under 30 graduates), which means a few outliers could be skewing these numbers in either direction. That said, Ohio University-Chillicothe matches the Ohio state median exactly and sits at the 60th percentile among Ohio industrial engineering programs, suggesting it's performing reasonably well within the state context, even if it trails the national field.

The debt picture is actually encouraging—$27,000 falls in the 24th percentile nationally, meaning most industrial engineering students graduate with more debt than this. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.38, graduates should be able to manage their loans without undue strain. Earnings do grow to $74,580 by year four, though that 6% bump is modest compared to what some engineering fields deliver.

The real question is whether your child is committed to staying in Ohio. If so, this program delivers competitive state-level results at a manageable price. If they're eyeing national opportunities, they might find themselves at a disadvantage against graduates from stronger programs. Just remember: with such a small cohort, one year's data could look completely different from the next.