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Best Industrial Design Schools Near Columbus, IN (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Columbus, Indiana has 1 accredited school offering industrial design programs. Columbus has a population of about 51,970. In the Columbus, IN metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $180,830 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Industrial Design Schools to Columbus
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Columbus, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Columbus 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 Columbus.
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.
Columbus is part of the Columbus, IN metro area (BLS area code 18020). 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
IN statewide
$94,667
Industrial Engineers
$97,480
Columbus, IN
$104,817
Graphic Designers
$55,480
IN statewide
$59,656
Mechanical Drafters
$61,730
Columbus, IN
$66,376
Interior Designers
$62,580
IN statewide
$67,290
Architectural and Engineering Managers
$180,830
Columbus, IN
$194,441
Set and Exhibit Designers
$72,200
IN statewide
$77,634
Mechanical Engineers
$127,700
Columbus, IN
$137,312
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.
Columbus at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
93.0 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Columbus-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs
How many accredited industrial design schools are near Columbus, IN?
Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering industrial design programs near Columbus. The closest is Purdue University-Main Campus in West Lafayette, IN (99.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Purdue University-Main Campus (99.5 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Columbus?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Columbus are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($180,830), Mechanical Engineers ($127,700), Industrial Engineers ($97,480). 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 Seymour instead of Columbus?
Seymour, IN is 18.0 miles from Columbus 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.
