Computer Engineering

Types of Degrees Computer Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many computer engineering graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	5,020
Doctor’s Degree	386
Graduate Certificate	151

What Computer Engineering Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to CE 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 CE Majors

CE majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 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 CE Majors

CE majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for CE Majors

As a CE major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• 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.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Computer Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with CE:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Computer Hardware Engineers	5.4%	$114,600
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720
Software Developers, Applications	30.7%	$103,620
Software Developers, Systems Software	11.1%	$110,000
Telecommunications Engineering Specialists	6.5%	$109,020

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering?

Computer Engineering runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #39 out of all the graduate majors we track. In 2021, about 5,020 graduates completed their master’s degree in this field. This major tends to be male dominated. About 71% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of CE majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	418
Black or African American	91
Hispanic or Latino	180
White	743
International Students	3,451
Other Races/Ethnicities	137

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in CE, too. About 68.7% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• India
• China
• Saudi Arabia
• South Korea
• Iran

How Much Do Computer Engineering Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in computer engineering made a median starting salary of $95,795 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $86,267 (25th percentile) and $113,380 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a CE degree.

Salaries According to BLS

CE majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $111,130 to $117,840 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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 Computer Engineering

Some degrees associated with CE may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for CE careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.6%
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)	4.0%
Some College Courses	0.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	4.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	59.6%
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.	2.7%
Master’s Degree	18.9%
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.	1.6%
Doctoral Degree	6.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.6%

Online Computer Engineering Programs

In 2020-2021, 404 schools offered a CE program of some type. 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)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	3	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	29	4
Bachelor’s Degree	42	12
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	194	28
Post-Master’s	7	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	75	3
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Computer Engineering Worth It?

The median salary for a CE grad is $113,680 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 185% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,475,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Computer Engineering

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to CE.

Major	Number of Grads
Electrical Engineering	11,021
Mechanical Engineering	9,007
Civil Engineering	6,042
Biomedical Engineering	4,252
General Engineering	3,548
Systems Engineering	3,068
Industrial Engineering	3,028
Chemical Engineering	2,662
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering	2,375
Other Engineering	1,820
Materials Engineering	1,810
Operations Research	1,191
Electrical and Computer Engineering.	928
Environmental Engineering	919
Robotics Engineering	560
Engineering Science	451
Nuclear Engineering	437
Manufacturing Engineering	423
Petroleum Engineering	401
Agricultural Engineering	332
Construction Engineering	288
Engineering Physics	286
Architectural Engineering	243
Geoscience Engineering	173
Polymer & Plastics Engineering	167
Engineering Mechanics	144
Mining Engineering	132
Ocean Engineering	112
Textile Engineering	96
Biological Engineering	80
Energy Systems Engineering	79
Marine Engineering	44
Metallurgical Engineering	40
Biochemical Engineering	21
Ceramic Engineering	20
Electromechanical Engineering	16
Surveying Engineering	11
Paper Science & Engineering	7
Forest Engineering	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.