Industrial Engineeringat California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Graduates earn $75,110/yr in their first year — about 2.0% above the national Industrial Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $811K; scenarios range from $707K to $833K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Cal Poly Pomona
This Cal Poly Pomona program's strong standing reflects its practical, project-based curriculum, which directly prepares you for the demands of the modern industrial landscape. Its Southern California location is a significant asset, placing you within reach of diverse employers in aerospace, logistics, manufacturing, and even entertainment production, all eager for efficiency improvements. You'll enter a field focused on optimizing complex systems, a skill set highly valued across various industries. While the discipline faces a high degree of AI risk, this also presents an opportunity: the program's emphasis on applied learning positions you to master the AI tools that will augment, not replace, human ingenuity in process optimization. To truly excel, immerse yourself in internships and real-world projects that integrate data analytics and emerging AI applications, building a portfolio that demonstrates your forward-thinking capabilities.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Cal Poly Pomona's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Industrial Engineering
How Cal Poly Pomona stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Cal Poly Pomona
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Cal Poly Pomona, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Industrial Engineering offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Industrial Engineering trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Industrial Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Industrial Engineering at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona?
This program scores 74/100 — placing it among the stronger programs for Industrial Engineering nationally. The score reflects above-average earnings, manageable AI risk, and solid financial return.
Will AI replace Industrial Engineering careers?
With 43% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $706,914 in decade earnings vs $832,734 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.
What makes California State Polytechnic University-Pomona's Industrial Engineering program stand out?
Ranked #10 of 93 programs nationally, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona lands in the top 25%. The ranking reflects a combination of graduate earnings, return on investment, and job market alignment.