General Engineering
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Types of Degrees General Engineering Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many general engineering graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Master’s Degree | 2,939 |
| Doctor’s Degree | 430 |
| Graduate Certificate | 80 |
What General Engineering Majors Need to Know
O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to engineering 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 Majors
Engineering majors often go into careers in which the following 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.
- Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Skills for Engineering Majors
A major in engineering 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.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Abilities for Engineering Majors
Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a engineering student include the following:
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
What Can You Do With a General Engineering Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with engineering:
| Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 5.5% | $140,760 |
| Energy Engineers | 6.4% | $96,980 |
| Engineering Professors | 14.7% | $101,720 |
Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in General Engineering?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of engineering majors is as follows:
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Asian | 244 |
| Black or African American | 153 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 128 |
| White | 1,055 |
| International Students | 1,220 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 139 |
Geographic Diversity
Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Engineering. About 41.5% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- China
- India
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Iran
How Much Do General Engineering Majors Make?
Master’s Degree Starting Salary
The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a master’s degree in engineering was $87,600 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $76,750 (25th percentile) and $93,850 (75th percentile).
One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to engineering.
Salaries According to BLS
Engineering majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $99,410 to $148,970 (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 General Engineering
Some careers associated with engineering 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 have obtained the following education levels.
| Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| 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) | 2.5% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 2.1% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 43.9% |
| 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. | 8.7% |
| Master’s Degree | 21.6% |
| 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. | 3.5% |
| 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. | 1.3% |
| Doctoral Degree | 13.0% |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 3.5% |
Online General Engineering Programs
In the 2018-2019 academic year, 687 schools offered some type of general engineering 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) | 25 | 1 |
| Certificate (1-2 years) | 26 | 0 |
| Certificate (2-4 Years) | 7 | 0 |
| Associate’s Degree | 389 | 10 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 13 | 4 |
| Post-Baccalaureate | 25 | 1 |
| Master’s Degree | 114 | 29 |
| Post-Master’s | 2 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 46 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 1 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in General Engineering Worth It?
The median salary for a engineering 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!
Top Ranking Lists for General Engineering
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Majors Related to General Engineering
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to engineering.
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
- Image Credit: By Rémi Kaupp under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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