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Studies & Degrees in Industrial Administration

Industrial administration is the management of manufacturing companies and plants. It sits between business studies and engineering: students learn how a factory is organised, how production is planned and costed, and how people, machines and materials are combined to deliver goods on time and within budget. Universities use several names for the field, among them industrial management, industrial organisation, operations management and, in Spain, organización industrial.

A typical programme combines three blocks. The first is general management: accounting, finance, human resources and business law. The second is production: planning and scheduling, quality management, maintenance, logistics and the supply chain, and methods such as lean manufacturing, just in time and Six Sigma. The third covers the rules a plant has to follow, such as occupational risk prevention and environmental management. Statistics and data analysis run through all three.

Qualifications and levels

The subject can be studied at several levels, and the name on the certificate changes with the country.

  • Bachelor's degree: in the European Higher Education Area a bachelor's degree has 180 or 240 ECTS credits, and 60 credits correspond to one full year of study. In Spain a bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits. The usual routes are a degree in business administration (ADE) or an engineering degree such as the Grado en Ingeniería de Organización listed by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. In Mexico the equivalent first degrees are a licenciatura in administration or a degree in industrial engineering.
  • Master's degree: an official Spanish master's degree (máster universitario) has 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Spanish universities also award continuing-education qualifications of their own: the Máster de Formación Permanente (60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits), the Diploma de Especialización (30 to 59 credits) and the Diploma de Experto (fewer than 30 credits). These are university qualifications, but they are not official master's degrees, so it is worth checking which kind a programme leads to.
  • Vocational training (FP): in Spain, the administration and management family includes the higher-level qualification Técnico Superior en Administración y Finanzas, which covers the administrative and financial side of a company.
  • Short courses: single courses in subjects such as lean manufacturing or quality standards are aimed at people who already work in industry.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists three active schools for industrial administration: two in Spain and one in Mexico. Teaching at all three is mainly in Spanish.

SEAS, Estudios Superiores Abiertos, in Zaragoza, teaches online and describes its offer as courses, university specialisation diplomas, university expert programmes and master's programmes for professionals in industry and business. Its Máster de Formación Permanente en Organización Industrial lasts 1,500 hours and carries 60 ECTS credits. The programme has thirteen blocks, including a final project, and centres on the design, management and organisation of production and logistics systems. The qualification is a university-own title (título propio) issued by the Universidad San Jorge.

The Escuela Internacional de Gerencia (EIG), a business school with campuses in Granada, Seville and Málaga, approaches the field from the business side. Its website lists official bachelor's degrees such as ADE and the higher vocational cycle in Administración y Finanzas at its three campuses.

In Mexico, the Universidad de Guadalajara teaches the two halves of the subject in different university centres. The Centro Universitario de Ciencias Económico Administrativas (CUCEA) offers the Licenciatura en Administración, whose graduates are prepared to manage private, public and social organisations. The Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías (CUCEI) runs the Ingeniería Industrial programme.

Before enrolling, ask each school what recognition its qualification has in the country where the student plans to work, and whether the programme includes placements in companies.

Careers

Graduates work in production planning, quality, logistics, purchasing, maintenance management and plant management. SEAS, for example, names production director as a typical role, with responsibility for planning, processes, methods and times, and stock control.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes industrial production managers as the people who oversee the operations of manufacturing and related plants. According to its Occupational Outlook Handbook, employers typically require or prefer a bachelor's degree, the common majors are business and engineering, and some employers prefer an MBA or a graduate degree in industrial management. The job is rarely a first post: these managers usually need years of experience in supervisory positions. In the United States the occupation accounted for about 252,100 jobs in 2025, and employment is projected to grow 3 percent from 2025 to 2035. These figures refer to the United States only.

Frequently asked questions

Is industrial administration a business degree or an engineering degree?

It can be either. Some universities teach it within business administration and others within industrial or organisational engineering. Engineering routes include more mathematics and technology; business routes include more finance and management.

How long does it take to study industrial administration?

A Spanish bachelor's degree has 240 ECTS credits, and 60 credits correspond to one full year of study. An official master's degree adds 60, 90 or 120 credits. A continuing-education master's such as the one at SEAS carries 60 ECTS credits.

Can I study industrial administration online?

Yes. SEAS, in Zaragoza, teaches its Máster de Formación Permanente en Organización Industrial online, and it also offers short courses such as lean manufacturing.

What jobs can I get with this subject?

Typical roles are in production, quality, logistics and plant management. Senior posts such as industrial production manager usually require several years of experience as well as a degree.