2026 Best Industrial & Management Engineering Schools in Illinois
Industrial & Management Engineering degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 6 schools to find the best for industrial & management engineering students.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Industrial & Management Engineering in Illinois
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the industrial & management engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Industrial & Management Engineering
Leading the list is Northwestern University, our #1 school for industrial & management engineering. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit university. About 95% of students finish within six years. Northwestern University awarded about 40 industrial & management engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their industrial & management engineering degree from Northwestern University earn around $144,879 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $16,616 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in industrial & management engineering from Northwestern University
A rank of #2 makes University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign one of the top schools for industrial & management engineering. Set in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 85%. About 55 industrial & management engineering degrees were awarded at University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign in the most recent year. Students who receive their industrial & management engineering degree from University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn around $57,461 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $20,778.
More information about a degree in industrial & management engineering from University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign
Students looking for a strong industrial & management engineering program will find one at Illinois Institute Of Technology, which ranked #3. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Chicago. The six-year graduation rate is 75%. There were roughly 57 industrial & management engineering students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Institute Of Technology in the most recent data year. Students who receive their industrial & management engineering degree from Illinois Institute Of Technology earn around $72,164 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $26,774 to complete this degree.
Read more about the industrial & management engineering program at Illinois Institute Of Technology
Northern Illinois University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in industrial & management engineering, ranking #4. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, Northern Illinois University is a large public university. The six-year graduation rate is 49%. About 11 industrial & management engineering degrees were awarded at Northern Illinois University in the most recent year. Graduates of the industrial & management engineering program make about $81,686 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $25,209 to complete this degree.
Read more about the industrial & management engineering program at Northern Illinois University
More Industrial & Management Engineering Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 6 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
