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Best Industrial Design Schools Near Decatur, AL (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Decatur, Alabama is home to about 57,974 residents. In the Decatur, AL metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $165,480 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Industrial Design Schools to Decatur
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Decatur, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Decatur city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Decatur.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Decatur is part of the Decatur, AL metro area (BLS area code 19460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Alabama statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Commercial and Industrial Designers
$63,640
AL statewide
$72,982
Industrial Engineers
$106,230
Decatur, AL
$121,823
Graphic Designers
$46,170
Decatur, AL
$52,947
Mechanical Drafters
$53,600
AL statewide
$61,468
Interior Designers
$61,050
AL statewide
$70,011
Architectural and Engineering Managers
$165,480
Decatur, AL
$189,771
Set and Exhibit Designers
N/A
AL statewide
–
Mechanical Engineers
$115,750
Decatur, AL
$132,741
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Decatur at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
87.2 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Decatur-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs
What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Decatur?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Decatur are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($165,480), Mechanical Engineers ($115,750), Industrial Engineers ($106,230). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Alabama statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Athens instead of Decatur?
Athens, AL is 14.7 miles from Decatur and has its own set of local industrial design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
