Industrial Production Technology

Types of Degrees Industrial Production Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many industrial production technology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	383
Graduate Certificate	46
Doctor’s Degree	11

What Industrial Production Technology Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, industrial production tech majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Industrial Production Tech Majors

Industrial Production Tech majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Industrial Production Tech Majors

When studying industrial production tech, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities for Industrial Production Tech Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a industrial production tech student include the following:

• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

What Can You Do With a Industrial Production Technology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with industrial production tech:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Electrical Engineering Technicians	2.0%	$64,330
Electronics Engineering Technicians	2.0%	$64,330
Industrial Engineering Technicians	0.6%	$55,460
Industrial Engineering Technologists	5.2%	$63,200
Manufacturing Engineering Technologists	5.2%	$63,200
Nanotechnology Engineering Technicians	5.2%	$63,200
Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists	5.2%	$63,200

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Industrial Production Technology?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 64% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of industrial production tech majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	8
Black or African American	22
Hispanic or Latino	60
White	106
International Students	178
Other Races/Ethnicities	9

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Industrial Production Tech. About 46.5% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• Saudi Arabia
• India
• China
• Spain
• Nigeria

How Much Do Industrial Production Technology Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a master’s degree in industrial production tech have a median salary of $47,827 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $44,382 (25th percentile) and $53,858 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a industrial production tech degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Industrial Production Tech majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $44,360 to $65,050 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Industrial Production Technology

Some careers associated with industrial production tech require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for industrial production tech careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	6.0%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	23.6%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	13.7%
Some College Courses	9.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	19.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	18.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.1%
Master’s Degree	2.8%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.8%
Doctoral Degree	2.7%
Post-Doctoral Training	2.7%

Online Industrial Production Technology Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 586 schools offered some type of industrial production technology program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	239	6
Certificate (2-4 Years)	11	0
Associate’s Degree	432	13
Bachelor’s Degree	8	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	29	4
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	4	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Is a Degree in Industrial Production Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a industrial production tech grad is $58,860 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 48% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $379,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Industrial Production Technology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to industrial production tech.

Major	Number of Grads
Engineering-Related Fields	4,838
Quality Control Technology	736
Engineering Technology (Other)	288
Construction Engineering Technology	264
General Engineering Technology	255
Computer Engineering Technology	179
Drafting & Design Engineering Technology	145
Mechanical Engineering Technology	104
Nanotechnology	98
Energy Systems Technologies	95
Environmental Control Technology	89
Electromechanical Engineering Technology	43
Architectural Engineering Technology	39
Electronics Engineering Technology	39
Engineering-Related Technologies	15
Nuclear Engineering Technology	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By ICAPlants under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.