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Best Industrial Design Schools Near Springfield, MO (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Springfield, Missouri is home to about 169,432 residents. Median household income is $45,984 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 30.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Springfield, MO metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $141,710 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Industrial Design Schools to Springfield
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Springfield, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Springfield 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 Springfield.
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.
Springfield is part of the Springfield, MO metro area (BLS area code 44180). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Commercial and Industrial Designers
$75,440
MO statewide
$85,147
Industrial Engineers
$84,320
Springfield, MO
$95,169
Graphic Designers
$47,790
Springfield, MO
$53,939
Mechanical Drafters
$64,330
Springfield, MO
$72,607
Interior Designers
$52,090
Springfield, MO
$58,792
Architectural and Engineering Managers
$141,710
Springfield, MO
$159,944
Set and Exhibit Designers
$51,610
MO statewide
$58,251
Mechanical Engineers
$80,020
Springfield, MO
$90,316
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.
Springfield at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
169,432
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$45,984
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
30.3%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
88.6 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Springfield-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs
What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Springfield?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Springfield are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($141,710), Industrial Engineers ($84,320), Mechanical Engineers ($80,020). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Nixa instead of Springfield?
Nixa, MO is 10.3 miles from Springfield 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 Springfield an affordable place to study industrial design?
Springfield’s median household income of $45,984 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Springfield while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Missouri 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.
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.
