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Industrial Engineering at Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, IL · Public · Bachelor's Degree
73 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
72
Optimistic
73
Base Case
67
Pessimistic
Earnings $72,112/yr (-2% vs median)
AI Risk High (43% exposed)
Job Market Large (60,900 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Industrial Engineering graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $924K $759K $557K
Earnings Multiple 18.2x 14.9x 11.0x
Viable Career Paths 4 of 4 4 of 4 4 of 4
DegreeWorth Score 72 73 67

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition
$50,800
Median Debt at Graduation
$23,750
4.0 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$88,954
23% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Industrial Engineering graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 60,900 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Architectural and engineering managers $167,740 14,500 +3.8% 41%
Industrial production managers $121,440 17,100 +1.9% 34%
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106,120 4,100 +8.1% 50%
Industrial engineers $101,140 25,200 +11.0% 48%

Compare & Explore

Industrial Engineering at Other Schools

SUNY Maritime College ($91,470) Northwestern University ($89,811) Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus ($87,826) University of Southern California ($87,807) California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($87,226) University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ($86,476) Kettering University ($85,105) North Carolina A & T State University ($83,427)

Other Majors at Northern Illinois University

Computer Science ($77,257) Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($75,557) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($74,442) Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions ($70,654) Mechanical Engineering ($68,069) Accounting and Related Services ($63,743) Engineering Technology, General ($62,117) Finance and Financial Management Services ($54,802)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Industrial Engineering at Northern Illinois University?
This program scores 73/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 72 (optimistic) to 67 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Industrial Engineering career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Industrial Engineering graduates retain 4 of 4 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $556,644 (pessimistic) to $923,596 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Industrial Engineering graduates?
The career paths mapped to Industrial Engineering have roughly 60,900 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is Industrial Engineering at Northern Illinois University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 14.9x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 11.0x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.