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Best Industrial Design Schools Near Summerville, SC (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Summerville, South Carolina is home to about 51,262 residents. Median household income is $78,621 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $174,040 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Industrial Design Schools to Summerville
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Summerville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Summerville 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 Summerville.
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.
Summerville is part of the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area (BLS area code 16700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Commercial and Industrial Designers
$58,690
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
$58,109
Industrial Engineers
$110,830
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
$109,733
Graphic Designers
$61,450
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
$60,842
Mechanical Drafters
$77,670
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
$76,901
Interior Designers
$72,400
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
$71,683
Architectural and Engineering Managers
$174,040
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
$172,317
Set and Exhibit Designers
N/A
SC statewide
–
Mechanical Engineers
$110,820
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
$109,723
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.
Summerville at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
51,262
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$78,621
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
31.7%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
101.0 (above U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Summerville-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs
What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Summerville?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Summerville are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($174,040), Industrial Engineers ($110,830), Mechanical Engineers ($110,820). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in North Charleston instead of Summerville?
North Charleston, SC is 9.1 miles from Summerville 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 Summerville an affordable place to study industrial design?
Summerville’s median household income of $78,621 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Summerville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South 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.
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.
