Chapel Hill, North Carolina has 2 accredited schools offering industrial design programs. Chapel Hill has a population of about 59,889. Median household income is $85,825 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 77.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $172,480 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Industrial Design Schools to Chapel Hill
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Chapel Hill, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Chapel Hill 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 Chapel Hill.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,758
Avg net price
$17,303/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 152
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,836
Avg net price
$16,836/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 108
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina industrial design page.
Industrial Design Wages Near Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area (BLS area code 20500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Commercial and Industrial Designers |
$88,190 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
$90,359 |
| Industrial Engineers |
$102,890 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
$105,420 |
| Graphic Designers |
$63,580 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
$65,143 |
| Mechanical Drafters |
$63,680 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
$65,246 |
| Interior Designers |
$61,670 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
$63,186 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers |
$172,480 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
$176,721 |
| Set and Exhibit Designers |
$49,410 |
NC statewide |
$50,625 |
| Mechanical Engineers |
$101,650 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
$104,150 |
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.
Chapel Hill at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
59,889 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$85,825 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
77.2% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
97.6 (below U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Chapel Hill-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs
- Carrboro, NC – 2.7 mi away (21,265 pop)
- Durham, NC – 8.4 mi away (400,379 pop)
- Morrisville, NC – 13.0 mi away (24,732 pop)
- Cary, NC – 16.0 mi away (162,320 pop)
- Apex, NC – 17.0 mi away (47,349 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited industrial design schools are near Chapel Hill, NC?
Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering industrial design programs near Chapel Hill. The closest is North Carolina State University at Raleigh in Raleigh, NC (22.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Liberty University (98.7 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Chapel Hill?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Chapel Hill are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($172,480), Industrial Engineers ($102,890), Mechanical Engineers ($101,650). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Carrboro instead of Chapel Hill?
Carrboro, NC is 2.7 miles from Chapel Hill 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 Chapel Hill an affordable place to study industrial design?
Chapel Hill’s median household income of $85,825 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chapel Hill while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 Chapel Hill
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Chapel Hill:
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- Accounting programs in Chapel Hill, NC
- Healthcare Administration programs in Chapel Hill, NC
- Social Work programs in Chapel Hill, NC
- Counseling programs in Chapel Hill, NC
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.
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