Careers › Engineering

How to become a Industrial Engineer

Makes systems and organisations work better - production lines, logistics, processes.

This needs more than the degree

An engineering degree alone doesn’t make you a Professional Engineer. You register with ECSA as a Candidate Engineer after graduating, then need several years of supervised experience and a professional review before you can register as a Pr Eng and sign off your own work.

What does a Industrial Engineer actually do?

More about this career

Less about building a single thing and more about making a whole system – a factory line, a hospital’s patient flow, a logistics network – run faster, cheaper and with fewer errors. It’s a strong route into operations, supply chain and management consulting, since the skill is problem-solving with data, not one specific machine.

Where this degree can take you

  • Operations Manager
  • Supply Chain Analyst
  • Management Consultant
  • Quality Engineer

This is our general description of the role and related jobs, not from an official source – it’s here to give you a fuller picture, not as a careers-counselling guarantee.

Not from an official source

Subjects that usually help

  • Mathematics
  • Physical Sciences

This is our general guidance about which school subjects suit this career. It is not an admission requirement and not from an official source – the real requirements are on the degrees below.

Not from an official source

Where to check this yourself

What the degrees we’ve captured actually ask for

  • Mathematics – asked for by 6 of 7 degrees
  • Physical Sciences – asked for by 6 of 7 degrees
  • Technical Mathematics – asked for by 2 of 7 degrees
  • Technical Sciences – asked for by 2 of 7 degrees

Counted from the requirements below (an “or” alternative counts for each subject named). Each degree links to the page it came from.

Degrees that lead here

7 degrees at 6 universities. More are added as we verify them.

Nelson Mandela University

Partly verifiedFrom an older document

BEngTech Industrial Engineering

Engineering, the Built Environment & Technology · 3 years

NMU Applicant Score (AS) 370 out of 600 (+7 bonus in some cases)

  • Mathematics: 60% OR Technical Mathematics: 60%
  • Physical Sciences: 50% OR Technical Sciences: 50%

From NMU’s own faculty "UG Guide" PDFs, most of which are dated/closing in 2024 - apparently covering the 2025 intake, not independently confirmed as current for 2027 (NMU appears to roll these forward with the same structure each year, but treat the figures as "last confirmed" rather than "2027-verified"). No 2027 closing date is stated.

Source: View the official page (eleceng.mandela.ac.za) (opens the official page)

Stellenbosch University

Selection programme

BEng Industrial Engineering

Engineering · 4 years

Stellenbosch aggregate 70 %

  • Mathematics: 70%
  • Physical Sciences: 60%
  • English: 50% if it is your Home Language, 60% if it is your First Additional Language

Every Stellenbosch programme is a selection programme. The figures shown are the published minimum requirements - the actual selection threshold is usually higher. The Engineering selection score is Maths% + Physical Sciences% + (6 x your average), out of 800. SU says 600 or more gave a good chance for some programmes and 620 or more for others - that is a historical guide, not a fixed cut-off. An extended (ECP) 5-year route exists. Afrikaans language combinations are also accepted. NBTs are not required for 2027 entry at SU, except for Law programmes, the School for Tomorrow, AHSD and online-school applicants.

Source: View the official page (files.su.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Tshwane University of Technology

Partly verified

BEngTech Industrial Engineering

Engineering & the Built Environment · 3 years

TUT APS 28 points

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more) OR Technical Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 5 (60% or more) OR Technical Sciences: level 5 (60% or more)

Closes 30 September 2026. From TUT’s 2027 First-Year Course Information and General Information PDFs. Applications opened 1 April 2026 (fee R240).

Source: View the official page (tut.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Partly verified

Diploma in Supply Chain Management

Management Sciences · 3 years

TUT APS 24 points

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics, Technical Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy – Any one of these three at level 3.

Recommended: commercial subjects. Closes 30 September 2026. From TUT’s 2027 First-Year Course Information and General Information PDFs. Applications opened 1 April 2026 (fee R240).

Source: View the official page (tut.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of Pretoria

BEng Industrial Engineering

Engineering, Built Environment & IT · 4 years

UP APS 35 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 6 (70% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 6 (70% or more)

Most UP closing dates are 30 June; Veterinary Science closes 31 May. Grade 12 applicants apply with their final Grade 11 results. A 5-year extended BEng route (previously ENGAGE) exists at APS 33 with English, Mathematics and Physical Sciences at 65%.

Source: View the official page (drupalwebprod-files.up.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of the Witwatersrand

From an older document

BSc (Eng) Industrial Engineering

Engineering & the Built Environment · 4 years

Wits APS 42 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 5 (60% or more)

Wits notes that level 5 across the board means you are likely to be wait-listed; level 6 is advised. This figure comes from the Wits schools-liaison Grade 12 guide, which is headed for 2026 entry. We have not yet found a 2027 course-finder page confirming it, so treat it as the most recent official figure rather than a confirmed 2027 one.

Source: View the official page (wits.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Vaal University of Technology

Partly verified

Diploma in Operations Management

Management Sciences

VUT APS 23 points

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 3 (40% or more)

From VUT’s 2027 Undergraduate Minimum Admission Requirements PDF. Academic applications close 30 September 2026 (residences 31 October 2026); fee R110.

Source: View the official page (vut.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Are your marks enough?

Put your subjects in once and we’ll check them against every degree above – scored each university’s own way.

What do I qualify for?