Pennsylvania·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3026

Best Industrial Engineering Technologist programs in Pennsylvania, ranked by enrollment

Apply engineering theory and principles to problems of industrial layout or manufacturing production, usually under the direction of engineering staff.

23 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 281 people a year. The job pays a median of $65,260 in Pennsylvania across about 1,790 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledQuality TechnicianNanofabrication SpecialistManufacturing Technology AnalystIndustrial Engineering TechnicianR and D Engineer (Research and Development Engineer)Research Lab Associate (Research Laboratory Associate)Process Engineering Technician (Process Engineering Tech)Quality Control Engineering Technician (QC Engineering Technician)
Graduates / yr
281
in Pennsylvania
Median pay · Pennsylvania
$65,260
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,790
people employed
Schools
23
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
60%
across those schools
Median net price
$25,662
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

7 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Pennsylvania page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1123
43.8%
9$68,912$25,236
2116
41.3%
8$57,188$22,000
330
10.7%
5$57,188$22,000
46
2.1%
2$59,718$25,375
54
1.4%
1$57,188$22,000
61
0.4%
1$63,479$25,000
71
0.4%
1$68,912$25,236

Top 23 schools in Pennsylvania

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 23 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Erie Institute of Technology Inc
Erie, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
65Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician67%$19,740
2Robert Morris University
Moon Township, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
33Engineering/Industrial Management66%$24,17590%
3Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Millersville, PA Public · 3 feeder programs
31Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other$52,20958%86%
4Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
30Engineering/Industrial Management78%$36,00479%
5Pennsylvania College of Technology
Williamsport, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
24Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician$60,46853%
6Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
16Engineering/Industrial Management94%$23,80312%
7Gannon University
Erie, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Engineering/Industrial Management66%$21,40974%
8Pennsylvania Western University
California, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
13Engineering/Industrial Management52%94%
9Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Engineering/Industrial Management88%$26,91226%
10Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Harrisburg, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician34%$14,14087%
11Luzerne County Community College
Nanticoke, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
5Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other23%
12Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other69%$26,03481%
13University of Scranton
Scranton, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Engineering/Industrial Management80%$25,83481%
14Community College of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
4Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians24%
15South Hills School of Business & Technology
State College, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Industrial Technology/Technician73%$25,66297%
16Temple University
Philadelphia, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
4Engineering/Industrial Management75%80%
17Lehigh Carbon Community College
Schnecksville, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
3Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician30%
18Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology
Pleasant Gap, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
2Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician95%96%
19Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Engineering/Industrial Management63%$27,08291%
20Butler County Community College
Butler, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
1Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other37%
21Community College of Beaver County
Monaca, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
1Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other$75,94912%
22Johnson College
Scranton, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician55%$20,80798%
23University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
1Industrial Safety Technology/Technician85%58%

All 23 schools in Pennsylvania

Every school in Pennsylvania with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Pennsylvania that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Erie Institute of Technology IncEriePrivate for-profit651
Robert Morris UniversityMoon TownshipPrivate not-for-profit331
Millersville University of PennsylvaniaMillersvillePublic313
Drexel UniversityPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit301
Pennsylvania College of TechnologyWilliamsportPublic241
Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburghPrivate not-for-profit162
Gannon UniversityEriePrivate not-for-profit151
Pennsylvania Western UniversityCaliforniaPublic132
Lehigh UniversityBethlehemPrivate not-for-profit91
Harrisburg University of Science and TechnologyHarrisburgPrivate not-for-profit71
Luzerne County Community CollegeNanticokePublic51
Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit51
University of ScrantonScrantonPrivate not-for-profit51
Community College of PhiladelphiaPhiladelphiaPublic41
South Hills School of Business & TechnologyState CollegePrivate for-profit41

What industrial engineering technologists and technicians earn in Pennsylvania

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Pennsylvania
$65,260
Mean annual
$68,800
Jobs in state
1,790
What the range looks like
10th pct$46,440Median$65,26090th pct$98,230
Versus the national median
-1.3%

U.S. median $66,120. Pennsylvania pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.61×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Pennsylvania

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$75,450median
550 jobs
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
$67,760median
160 jobs
Pittsburgh, PA
$67,050median
340 jobs
Lancaster, PA
$63,840median
90 jobs
York-Hanover, PA
$69,270median
60 jobs
Reading, PA
$61,970median
70 jobs
Williamsport, PA
$68,160median
40 jobs
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
$55,010median
60 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+1.7%
Little or no change
Openings per year
6,300
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
1,300
74,600 → 75,900
Typical entry education
Associate's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians page.

How to become a Industrial Engineering Technologist

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Associate's degree

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive ListeningWritingMonitoringSpeaking

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Pennsylvania

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 8 majors mapped to Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 15.0001Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians
  • 15.0612Industrial Technology/Technician
  • 15.0613Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 15.0699Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other
  • 15.0703Industrial Safety Technology/Technician
  • 15.0705Process Safety Technology/Technician(no graduates reported)
  • 15.1501Engineering/Industrial Management
  • 15.1503Packaging Science

Common questions

Answers for people weighing industrial engineering technologists and technicians programs in Pennsylvania.

What degree do you need to become an Industrial Engineering Technologist?+

Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Engineering/Industrial Management, which awarded 123 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 43.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Industrial Engineering Technologist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Engineering-Related Fields, Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 281 people a year in Pennsylvania.

How much do industrial engineering technologists and technicians earn in Pennsylvania?+

The median is $65,260 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 1.3% below the U.S. median of $66,120. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for industrial engineering technologists and technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +1.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 6,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Pennsylvania?+

23 institutions in Pennsylvania reported graduates from at least one of the 7 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do industrial engineering technologists and technicians work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Quality Technician, Nanofabrication Specialist, Manufacturing Technology Analyst, Industrial Engineering Technician, R and D Engineer (Research and Development Engineer), Research Lab Associate (Research Laboratory Associate) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-3026.

Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians in other statesIndianaLouisianaTexasAlabamaCaliforniaIllinoisMissouriNew York

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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