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Industrial Production Technologies Degree

48 schools compared · Average earnings $60,267/yr

Students study manufacturing processes, production planning, industrial automation, and quality management systems used in modern factories and production facilities. Graduates typically pursue careers as production technicians, manufacturing supervisors, process improvement specialists, and industrial maintenance managers. Hands-on manufacturing skills are in strong demand as American industry invests in advanced production technologies.

What Industrial Production Technologies Graduates Do

This degree prepares you to build, maintain, and improve the systems that make modern manufacturing happen. You could spend your days as a welder, physically fusing metal components for everything from bridges to pipelines. Or, as an electrical engineering technician, you’ll work with engineers to build and test prototypes for new electronic devices. In the rapidly expanding semiconductor industry, you’ll operate complex machinery within sterile cleanrooms to fabricate the microchips powering our world.

Careers often begin with mastering specific equipment and hands-on processes. With experience, you can advance to supervising a production team, managing quality control, or becoming a senior technician responsible for complex diagnostics. While growth in some traditional roles is steady, demand in areas like semiconductor processing is surging. A key advantage of this field is its resilience to automation; the core work requires physical skill and on-site problem-solving. This means AI has a limited impact on most day-to-day jobs, offering a level of security many desk jobs cannot.

Schools Offering

Avg Grad Earnings

$60,267/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

61/100

AI Automation Risk

Moderate

31% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Industrial Production Technologies graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 69,900 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other	$77,390 $60K$98K	5,700	+1.5%	24%
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians	$77,180 $61K$95K	8,400	+0.6%	41%
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians	$64,790 $53K$79K	6,300	+1.7%	39%
Semiconductor processing technicians	$51,180 $45K$75K	3,900	+10.9%	23%
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	$51,000 $46K$62K	45,600	+2.2%	9%

Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other

$77,390

$60K $98K

5,700 openings/yr +1.5% growth 24% AI risk

Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

$77,180

$61K $95K

8,400 openings/yr +0.6% growth 41% AI risk

Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

$64,790

$53K $79K

6,300 openings/yr +1.7% growth 39% AI risk

Semiconductor processing technicians

$51,180

$45K $75K

3,900 openings/yr +10.9% growth 23% AI risk

Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

$51,000

$46K $62K

45,600 openings/yr +2.2% growth 9% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Industrial Production Technologies

Top 20 of 48 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Weber State University Ogden, UT	72 72–73	$75,281/yr	35.3x
2	Lamar University Beaumont, TX	71 70–71	$84,746/yr	21.8x
3	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN	70 69–70	$68,582/yr	21.2x
4	Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI	69 68–69	$78,820/yr	15.7x
5	University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA	69 69–69	$69,122/yr	20.7x
6	University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville, WI	69 69–69	$67,742/yr	23.6x
7	Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS	69 69–69	$64,703/yr	24.7x
8	Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT	68 67–68	$74,889/yr	15.7x
9	Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY	68 68–68	$67,641/yr	18.4x
10	Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN	68 67–68	$64,528/yr	20.1x
11	East Carolina University Greenville, NC	68 68–68	$63,324/yr	25.3x
12	Shawnee State University Portsmouth, OH	68 67–68	$57,682/yr	22.1x
13	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH	66 65–66	$66,591/yr	14.4x
14	Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI	66 65–66	$63,665/yr	13.9x
15	Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN	65 65–65	$69,616/yr	16.2x
16	Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO	65 64–65	$56,951/yr	18.4x
17	Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX	65 65–66	$55,036/yr	22.6x
18	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS	64 63–64	$57,923/yr	17.3x
19	Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA	64 63–64	$56,336/yr	16.6x
20	Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID	63 62–63	$85,411/yr	44.9x
21	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL	63 63–63	$73,283/yr	12.5x
22	Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY	63 63–64	$60,675/yr	14.9x
23	Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL	63 62–63	$58,817/yr	13.3x
24	SUNY Buffalo State University Buffalo, NY	63 62–63	$48,355/yr	20.9x
25	Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA	61 60–61	$60,468/yr	10.3x
26	Northwestern State University of Louisiana Natchitoches, LA	61 61–62	$45,639/yr	20.2x
27	Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN	60 59–60	$78,215/yr	18.6x
28	Texas A & M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX	60 59–60	$50,039/yr	15.8x
29	Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, LA	60 60–61	$47,453/yr	19.1x
30	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA	59 58–59	$78,938/yr	16.8x
31	University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS	59 59–59	$75,493/yr	18.6x
32	Illinois State University Normal, IL	59 59–60	$51,839/yr	11.4x
33	California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	59 60–60	$45,287/yr	22.4x
34	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA	59 61–60	$42,807/yr	24.5x
35	University of Southern Maine Portland, ME	58 57–58	$58,538/yr	12.6x
36	Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA	58 57–58	$52,209/yr	12.4x
37	University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA	58 58–58	$45,756/yr	15.4x
38	Vincennes University Vincennes, IN	57 58–58	$44,323/yr	20.9x
39	University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Pine Bluff, AR	56 56–56	$61,946/yr	16.2x
40	Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY	56 55–56	$59,177/yr	16.3x
41	Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX	54 54–55	$68,154/yr	12.0x
42	Wayne State College Wayne, NE	54 54–55	$54,600/yr	16.1x
43	North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC	52 52–52	$44,378/yr	17.1x
44	Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX	50 50–51	$49,623/yr	12.4x
45	Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO	50 50–51	$46,647/yr	11.8x
46	University of Dayton Dayton, OH	47 46–47	$70,559/yr	2.7x
47	Jackson State University Jackson, MS	43 49–44	$36,378/yr	13.6x
48	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA	39 45–40	$34,618/yr	14.0x

Highest Earning Industrial Production Technologies Programs

Schools where Industrial Production Technologies graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
Brigham Young University-Idaho	$85,411/yr	63
Lamar University	$84,746/yr	71
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	$78,938/yr	59
Ferris State University	$78,820/yr	69
Indiana State University	$78,215/yr	60
University of Southern Mississippi	$75,493/yr	59
Weber State University	$75,281/yr	72
Central Connecticut State University	$74,889/yr	68
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale	$73,283/yr	63
University of Dayton	$70,559/yr	47

Best ROI for Industrial Production Technologies

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Industrial Production Technologies.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
Brigham Young University-Idaho	44.9x	$85,411/yr	63
Weber State University	35.3x	$75,281/yr	72
East Carolina University	25.3x	$63,324/yr	68
Pittsburg State University	24.7x	$64,703/yr	69
California State University-Fresno	24.5x	$42,807/yr	59
University of Wisconsin-Platteville	23.6x	$67,742/yr	69
Tarleton State University	22.6x	$55,036/yr	65
California State University-Los Angeles	22.4x	$45,287/yr	59
Shawnee State University	22.1x	$57,682/yr	68
Lamar University	21.8x	$84,746/yr	71

Want to compare two Industrial Production Technologies programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

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Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Industrial Production Technologies offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Industrial Production Technologies graduates earn?

Across 48 schools, Industrial Production Technologies graduates earn an average of $60,267 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $34,618 to $85,411 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Industrial Production Technologies?

Industrial Production Technologies is rated "Moderate" for AI automation risk, with an average of 31% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Industrial Production Technologies program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), Weber State University ranks #1 for Industrial Production Technologies with a score of 72/100 and graduate earnings of $75,281/yr.

What's the outlook for a Industrial Production Technologies degree?

On average, Industrial Production Technologies graduates earn 18.0x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →