Engineering

Types of Degrees Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many engineering graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	121,318
Master’s Degree	54,258
Doctor’s Degree	11,903
Associate Degree	5,710
Graduate Certificate	2,755
Basic Certificate	1,770
Undergraduate Certificate	1,006

What Engineering Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, engineering majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Engineering 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.
• 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.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Skills for Engineering Majors

When studying engineering, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities for Engineering Majors

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

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

What Can You Do With a Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with engineering:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Aerospace Engineers	6.0%	$115,220
Agricultural Engineers	7.4%	$77,110
Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Civil Engineers	10.6%	$86,640
Computer Hardware Engineers	5.4%	$114,600
Electrical Engineers	8.6%	$96,640
Environmental Engineers	8.4%	$87,620
Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists	9.7%	$87,040
Industrial Engineers	9.7%	$87,040
Manufacturing Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers	8.2%	$92,250
Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialists	3.7%	$102,700
Software Developers, Applications	30.7%	$103,620
Transportation Engineers	10.6%	$86,640

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering?

This major attracts more men than women. About 74% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	15,248
Black or African American	5,133
Hispanic or Latino	17,523
White	65,734
International Students	9,617
Other Races/Ethnicities	8,063

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Engineering, too. About 7.9% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Engineering

Some careers associated with engineering require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

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
Less than a High School Diploma	0.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	2.1%
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)	3.2%
Some College Courses	3.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	58.4%
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.	3.7%
Master’s Degree	16.0%
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.	0.6%
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.	0.7%
Doctoral Degree	5.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.3%

Online Engineering Programs

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)	190	6
Certificate (2-4 Years)	10	0
Associate’s Degree	1,406	38
Bachelor’s Degree	1,008	278
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	4,646	486
Post-Master’s	186	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2,780	40
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	12	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	6	0

Majors Related to Engineering

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

Major	Number of Grads
Biological & Biomedical Sciences	180,784
Engineering Technologies	86,188
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations	51,081
Mathematics & Statistics	49,970
Physical Sciences	47,709
Natural Resources & Conservation	32,106
Architecture & Related Services	19,716
Science Technologies / Technicians	6,771
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences	4,568

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 Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.