Engineering-Related Fields

Types of Degrees Engineering-Related Fields Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many engineering-related fields graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	3,542
Graduate Certificate	449
Doctor’s Degree	166

What Engineering-Related Fields Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to engineering-related fields and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Engineering-Related Fields Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Engineering-Related Fields Majors

A major in engineering-related fields prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Engineering-Related Fields Majors

Engineering-Related Fields majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Engineering-Related Fields Major?

People with a engineering-related fields degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Commercial and Industrial Designers	4.3%	$66,590
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720
Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists	9.7%	$87,040
Industrial Engineering Technicians	0.6%	$55,460
Industrial Engineers	9.7%	$87,040
Manufacturing Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Manufacturing Production Technicians	5.2%	$63,200
Professors	9.4%	$65,660

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Engineering-Related Fields?

Engineering-Related Fields runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #48 out of all the graduate majors we track. In 2019, about 3,542 graduates completed their master’s degree in this field. This major attracts more men than women. About 69% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of engineering-related fields majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	206
Black or African American	182
Hispanic or Latino	242
White	1,292
International Students	1,458
Other Races/Ethnicities	162

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Engineering-Related Fields, too. About 41.2% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• India
• China
• Saudi Arabia
• Taiwan
• Iran

How Much Do Engineering-Related Fields Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a master’s degree in engineering-related fields made a median starting salary of $81,400 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $70,175 (25th percentile) and $96,350 (75th percentile).

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to engineering-related fields.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $71,430 to $113,370 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to engineering-related fields. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Engineering-Related Fields

Some careers associated with engineering-related fields require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to engineering-related fields have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	7.1%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	6.5%
Some College Courses	12.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	13.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	42.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.3%
Master’s Degree	8.9%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.3%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.3%
Doctoral Degree	2.7%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.7%

Online Engineering-Related Fields Programs

In the 2018-2019 academic year, 199 schools offered some type of engineering-related fields program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	9	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	10	3
Bachelor’s Degree	37	17
Post-Baccalaureate	9	0
Master’s Degree	140	62
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	18	3
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	2	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Engineering-Related Fields Worth It?

The median salary for a engineering-related fields grad is $91,630 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 130% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,034,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Engineering-Related Fields

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to engineering-related fields.

Major	Number of Grads
Quality Control Technology	714
Industrial Production Technology	413
General Engineering Technology	341
Engineering Technology (Other)	320
Computer Engineering Technology	272
Environmental Control Technology	219
Construction Engineering Technology	188
Mechanical Engineering Technology	186
Drafting & Design Engineering Technology	178
Electronics Engineering Technology	143
Nanotechnology	77
Electromechanical Engineering Technology	33
Architectural Engineering Technology	21
Engineering-Related Technologies	15
Nuclear Engineering Technology	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.