Industrial Engineering - Industrial Engineer Career

• Nature of Industrial Engineer Work
• Industrial Engineer Career Job Outlook
• Industrial Engineer Salaries

Nature of Industrial Engineer Work

Industrial engineers determine the most effective ways to use the basic factors of production people, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service. They are primarily concerned with increasing productivity through the management of people, methods of business organization, and technology. To maximize efficiency, industrial engineers carefully study the product requirements and design manufacturing and information systems to meet those requirements with the help of mathematical methods and models. They develop management control systems to aid in financial planning and cost analysis, and design production planning and control systems to coordinate activities and ensure product quality. They also design or improve systems for the physical distribution of goods and services and determine the most efficient plant locations. Industrial engineers develop wage and salary administration systems and job evaluation programs. Many industrial engineers move into management positions because the work is closely related to the work of managers.

Industrial Engineer Career Job Outlook

Industrial engineers are expected to have employment growth of 20 percent over the projections decade, faster than the average for all occupations. As firms look for new ways to reduce costs and raise productivity, they increasingly will turn to industrial engineers to develop more efficient processes and reduce costs, delays, and waste. This should lead to job growth for these engineers, even in manufacturing industries with slowly growing or declining employment overall. Because their work is similar to that done in management occupations, many industrial engineers leave the occupation to become managers. Many openings will be created by the need to replace industrial engineers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force.

Industrial Engineer Salaries

Earnings for engineers vary significantly by specialty, industry, and education. Variation in median earnings and in the earnings distributions for engineers in various specialties is especially significant. Table 2 shows wage-and-salary earnings distributions in May 2006 for engineers in specialties covered in this statement.

Table 2: Earnings distribution by engineering specialty, May 2006 Specialty Lowest 10% Lowest 25% Median Highest 25% Highest 10% Aerospace engineers 59,610 71,360 87,610 106,450 124,550 Agricultural engineers 42,390 53,040 66,030 80,370 96,270 Biomedical engineers 44,930 56,420 73,930 93,420 116,330 Chemical engineers 50,060 62,410 78,860 98,100 118,670 Civil engineers 44,810 54,520 68,600 86,260 104,420 Computer hardware engineers 53,910 69,500 88,470 111,030 135,260 Electrical engineers 49,120 60,640 75,930 94,050 115,240 Electronics engineers, except computer 52,050 64,440 81,050 99,630 119,900 Environmental engineers 43,180 54,150 69,940 88,480 106,230 Health and safety engineers 41,050 51,630 66,290 83,240 100,160 Industrial engineers 44,790 55,060 68,620 84,850 100,980 Marine engineers and naval architects 45,200 56,280 72,990 90,790 113,320 Materials engineers 46,120 57,850 73,990 92,210 112,140 Mechanical engineers 45,170 55,420 69,850 87,550 104,900 Mining and geological engineers 42,040 54,390 72,160 94,110 128,410 Nuclear engineers 65,220 77,920 90,220 105,710 124,510 Petroleum engineers 57,960 75,880 98,380 123,130 Over 145,600

Table 3: Average starting salary by engineering specialty and degree , 2007

Curriculum	Bachelor's	Master's	Ph.D.
Aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical	$53,408	$62,459	$73,814
Agricultural	49,764
Architectural	48,664
Bioengineering and biomedical	51,356	59,240
Chemical	59,361	68,561	73,667
Civil	48,509	48,280	62,275
Computer	56,201	60,000	92,500
Electrical/electronics and communications	55,292	66,309	75,982
Environmental/environmental health	47,960
Industrial/manufacturing	55,067	64,759	77,364
Materials	56,233
Mechanical	54,128	62,798	72,763
Mining and mineral	54,381
Nuclear	56,587	59,167
Petroleum	60,718	57,000
Footnotes: (NOTE) Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers