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Studies & Degrees in Production Engineering

Production engineering deals with how goods are made: the processes, machines, people, materials and information that turn a design into a finished product at the right quality and cost. It overlaps with manufacturing, mechanical and industrial engineering. A production engineer plans manufacturing processes, develops tools and equipment, and integrates facilities and systems so that products are made with the best use of resources.

The name hides two traditions. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and South Asia the subject is close to mechanical engineering and the factory floor: machining, materials, automation and quality. In Brazil, Engenharia de Produção is a broad degree that the Escola Politécnica of the Universidade de São Paulo defines as the design, implementation and improvement of integrated systems of people, equipment, materials, energy and information to produce goods and services economically. That is what English-speaking countries call industrial engineering.

In both traditions students start with mathematics, physics and general engineering. They then study production processes and materials, operations and production planning, quality management, logistics and supply chains, automation, costs and project management.

Qualifications and levels

  • Brazil. At the Escola Politécnica of the Universidade de São Paulo, students of Engenharia de Produção spend the first two years in a basic cycle shared with the school's other engineering courses. Specific subjects such as production economics, finance and costs, project management, product design, and mathematical modelling and optimisation follow, with internships from the fourth year.
  • Austria. TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) combines mechanical engineering with industrial management in its Mechanical Engineering - Management programmes: a bachelor's programme of 6 semesters and 180 ECTS credits and a master's programme of 4 semesters and 120 ECTS credits, both taught in German.
  • Ireland. The University of Limerick offers a Bachelor of Engineering in Design and Manufacture. It lasts four years, includes a work placement and, according to the university, is accredited by Engineers Ireland. Subjects include design and production processes, computer-aided design, automation, materials, quality, and capacity planning and simulation.
  • Bangladesh. Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology in Dhaka offers a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Production Engineering. The university states that the degree was accredited in 2018 by the Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technical Education.
  • Greece. Democritus University of Thrace has a Department of Production and Management Engineering in its Engineering School. Its graduates can register in the Technical Chamber of Greece.
  • Spain. Official bachelor's degrees (grado) have 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees 60, 90 or 120. The nearest equivalent is the Grado en Ingeniería de Organización Industrial. At the Universitat Politècnica de València it takes four years and 240 credits, costs €17.34 per credit in 2026-27 and holds the EUR-ACE label.

Where to study it

This directory lists 17 active schools for production engineering. Five are in Brazil: the Universidade de São Paulo, the Universidade Federal de Goiás, the Universidade Estadual de Maringá, the Universidade Federal de Viçosa and the Universidade Federal do Ceará. The others are spread over Europe (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia and the United Kingdom), Bangladesh, Egypt, Ghana and India.

Teaching is normally in the national language: Portuguese in Brazil, German at TU Wien, English in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Because the same content appears under different names, it is worth searching for industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, engineering management and, in Spanish, ingeniería de organización industrial or ingeniería industrial as well.

Careers

Graduates work in manufacturing plants and, increasingly, in services. Typical roles are production and logistics management, process and quality engineering, production planning and control, supply chain management, product management and technical sales. The Universidade de São Paulo notes that its graduates also go into finance, consulting and start-ups.

Official statistics usually count production engineers with industrial engineers. In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of industrial engineers will grow 12 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. The usual entry requirement there is a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering or a related field, such as mechanical or electrical engineering. Whether a degree gives access to a regulated engineering profession depends on the country, so students who plan to work elsewhere should check how their degree is recognised.

Frequently asked questions

Is production engineering the same as industrial engineering?

They overlap widely. Production or manufacturing engineering puts more weight on manufacturing processes, machines and materials. Industrial engineering looks at whole systems of people, materials, information and costs. The Brazilian degree in Engenharia de Produção corresponds to industrial engineering.

How long does a degree in production engineering take?

It depends on the country. The bachelor's programme at TU Wien takes 6 semesters and the master's programme another 4. The Bachelor of Engineering at the University of Limerick and the Spanish grado in Ingeniería de Organización Industrial take four years.

Can production engineering be studied in Spain?

Not under that name. The closest official degree is the Grado en Ingeniería de Organización Industrial, which covers production systems, processes, services and information systems. At the Universitat Politècnica de València it has 240 credits over four years.

Where do production engineers work?

Mostly in industry, in operations, production, logistics and quality control. Their training in processes and costs is also used in consulting, services and public administration.