Best Industrial Design Schools Near Knoxville, TN (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Knoxville, Tennessee is home to about 193,721 residents. Median household income is $50,994 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 33.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Knoxville, TN metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $162,950 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Industrial Design Schools to Knoxville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Knoxville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Knoxville city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

No school data available.

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

Industrial Design Wages Near Knoxville

Knoxville is part of the Knoxville, TN metro area (BLS area code 28940). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Commercial and Industrial Designers $70,200 Knoxville, TN $75,810
Industrial Engineers $95,750 Knoxville, TN $103,402
Graphic Designers $56,720 Knoxville, TN $61,253
Mechanical Drafters $64,730 Knoxville, TN $69,903
Interior Designers $61,770 Knoxville, TN $66,706
Architectural and Engineering Managers $162,950 Knoxville, TN $175,972
Set and Exhibit Designers N/A TN statewide –
Mechanical Engineers $99,070 Knoxville, TN $106,987

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.

Knoxville at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 193,721 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $50,994 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 33.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Knoxville-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Knoxville are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($162,950), Mechanical Engineers ($99,070), Industrial Engineers ($95,750). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Farragut instead of Knoxville?

Farragut, TN is 14.6 miles from Knoxville 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 Knoxville an affordable place to study industrial design?

Knoxville’s median household income of $50,994 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Knoxville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee 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 Knoxville

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

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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