Best Industrial Design Schools Near Anderson, IN (2026)

Anderson, Indiana has 1 accredited school offering industrial design programs. Anderson has a population of about 54,930. Median household income is $47,221 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 16.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $159,640 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Industrial Design Schools to Anderson

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Anderson, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Anderson 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:

  • 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 Anderson. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Purdue University-Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN 68.6 miles from Anderson
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,424
Avg net price $14,600/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 198

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Indiana schools on the Indiana industrial design page.


Industrial Design Wages Near Anderson

Anderson is part of the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metro area (BLS area code 26900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Indiana statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Commercial and Industrial Designers $88,040 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN $91,996
Industrial Engineers $100,730 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN $105,256
Graphic Designers $60,520 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN $63,239
Mechanical Drafters $69,240 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN $72,351
Interior Designers $66,150 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN $69,122
Architectural and Engineering Managers $159,640 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN $166,813
Set and Exhibit Designers $72,960 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN $76,238
Mechanical Engineers $98,680 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN $103,114

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.


Anderson at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 54,930 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $47,221 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 16.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 95.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Anderson-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited industrial design schools are near Anderson, IN?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering industrial design programs near Anderson. The closest is Purdue University-Main Campus in West Lafayette, IN (68.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Purdue University-Main Campus (68.6 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Anderson?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Anderson are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($159,640), Industrial Engineers ($100,730), Mechanical Engineers ($98,680). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Indiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Noblesville instead of Anderson?

Noblesville, IN is 16.9 miles from Anderson 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.

Is Anderson an affordable place to study industrial design?

Anderson’s median household income of $47,221 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Anderson while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Indiana public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

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.


Learn More About Industrial Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Anderson

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Anderson:

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.