Industrial & Systems Engineering
What you'll do in college
ISE is about making complex systems—factories, hospitals, supply chains, airports—run more efficiently. Coursework covers probability, statistics, optimization, simulation, manufacturing, human factors, and operations research. It's less about building physical things and more about designing better processes.
Many programs include co-ops at logistics companies, hospitals, or manufacturing plants where students apply what they've learned to a real bottleneck.
What you'll do after college
Grads work in supply chain management, consulting (think McKinsey, BCG, Deloitte), tech operations, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and aviation. A typical day might involve analyzing data to find inefficiencies, modeling alternatives, and convincing managers to change how they operate.
Pay is solid and the major is one of the most flexible engineering paths because the methods apply to almost any industry. Many grads end up in management or business roles within a few years.
Famous graduates
- Tim Cook — CEO of Apple; B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University
- Lee Iacocca — Legendary automotive executive; B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University
- Mike Duke — Former CEO of Walmart; B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
By SAT median
Earnings vs. selectivity rank
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | 5yr Earn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial & Systems Engineering | 145 | 5,632 | 66% / 34% | 11% | $110,322 |
| Industrial Engineering | 103 | 3,847 | 66% / 34% | 12% | $100,002 |
| Industrial and Systems Engineering | 8 | 631 | 68% / 32% | 9% | $106,244 |
| Systems Engineering | 23 | 504 | 68% / 32% | 4% | $122,208 |
| Operations Research | 6 | 209 | 60% / 40% | 9% | $210,883 |
| Industrial and Operations Engineering | 1 | 141 | 59% / 41% | 11% | $121,696 |
| Operations Research and Financial Engineering | 1 | 72 | 61% / 39% | 11% | $174,312 |
| Management Science and Engineering | 1 | 62 | 56% / 44% | 11% | $175,333 |
| Operations Research and Industrial Engineering | 1 | 56 | 41% / 59% | 21% | $164,933 |
| Industrial Engineering and Operations Research | 1 | 52 | 60% / 40% | 27% | $148,673 |
| Aerospace Systems Engineering | 1 | 23 | 78% / 22% | 0% | |
| Industrial and Management Engineering | 1 | 19 | 58% / 42% | 11% | $109,004 |
| Systems Science and Engineering | 1 | 13 | 77% / 23% | 15% | |
| Engineering Management | 1 | 3 | 100% / 0% | 0% |