Mechanical Engineering

Types of Degrees Mechanical Engineering Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	7,218
Doctor’s Degree	1,634
Graduate Certificate	155

What Mechanical Engineering Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to ME were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for ME Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in ME should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.

Skills for ME Majors

A major in ME 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.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.

Abilities for ME Majors

ME majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• 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).
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Mechanical Engineering Major?

People with a ME degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Aerospace Engineers	6.0%	$115,220
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Automotive Engineers	8.8%	$87,370
Cost Estimators	10.5%	$64,040
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720
Fuel Cell Engineers	8.8%	$87,370
Mechanical Engineers	8.8%	$87,370

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

Mechanical Engineering runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #29 out of all the graduate majors we track. In 2021, about 7,218 graduates completed their master’s degree in this field. This major attracts more men than women. About 82% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	539
Black or African American	151
Hispanic or Latino	477
White	2,814
International Students	2,930
Other Races/Ethnicities	307

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in ME. About 40.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• India
• China
• Saudi Arabia
• Kuwait
• South Korea

How Much Do Mechanical Engineering Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in ME was $81,943 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $78,466 (25th percentile) and $88,769 (75th percentile).

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

Salaries According to BLS

ME majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $92,800 to $117,100 (25th to 75th percentile). 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 Mechanical Engineering

Some careers associated with ME 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 ME have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.5%
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)	1.1%
Some College Courses	1.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	61.0%
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.	3.1%
Master’s Degree	18.8%
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.	1.5%
Doctoral Degree	8.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	2.0%

Online Mechanical Engineering Programs

In 2020-2021, 427 schools offered a ME 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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	39	0
Bachelor’s Degree	29	5
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	238	17
Post-Master’s	11	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	152	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Mechanical Engineering Worth It?

The median salary for a ME 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 Mechanical Engineering

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

Major	Number of Grads
Electrical Engineering	11,021
Civil Engineering	6,042
Computer Engineering	5,557
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
• Image Credit: By Michel Villeneuve under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.