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Manufacturing Engineering

Types of Degrees Manufacturing Engineering Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Manufacturing Engineering may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	628
Associate’s Degree	1,128
Bachelor’s Degree	570
Master’s Degree	1,921

What Manufacturing Engineering Majors Need to Know

Studies in Manufacturing Engineering develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Manufacturing Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Manufacturing Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Manufacturing Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Manufacturing Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Manufacturing Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.9 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.9 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Manufacturing Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Infor Industrial Essentials	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
C++	Object or component oriented development software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Beginner’s all-purpose symbolic instruction code BASIC	Development environment software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Manufacturing Engineering graduates include:

• Additive Manufacturing Production Technician
• Lean Six Sigma Specialist
• Material Scheduler
• Methods Specialist Engineer
• Manufacturing Production Technician
• 3D Printing Tech (Three Dimensional Printing Technician)
• Time Study Technician
• Production Planner
• Operations Technician
• Field Service Engineer
• Business Process Analyst
• Quality Engineer
• Production Control Expert
• Plant Technician (Plant Tech)
• Scientist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Manufacturing Engineering graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Some college courses	24.1%
Bachelor’s degree	20.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	18.4%
Doctoral degree	13.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.8%
Less than a high school diploma	6.3%
Post-doctoral training	3.5%
Master’s degree	3.5%
Postsecondary certificate	2.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Manufacturing Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 87.1% of Manufacturing Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	580	12.9%
Men	3,918	87.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Manufacturing Engineering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,804	62.3%
Asian	152	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino	657	14.6%
Black or African American	398	8.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	37	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.1%
Two or More Races	174	3.9%
Race Unknown	194	4.3%
International Students	77	1.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Manufacturing Engineering Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Manufacturing Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$59,570
4 years	$66,536
5 years	$74,003

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $74,003 — roughly 24% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Manufacturing Engineering Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Manufacturing Engineering. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	4	12
Bachelor’s	3	5
Master’s	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Manufacturing Engineering Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Manufacturing Engineering graduates earn a median of $66,536 four years after completion — roughly 75% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians	15.06
Chemical Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0615
Composite Materials Technology/Technician	15.0617
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other	15.0699
Industrial Technology/Technician	15.0612
Metallurgical Technology/Technician	15.0611
Plastics and Polymer Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0607
Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology/Technician	15.0616
Welding Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0614
Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.0001
Engineering/Industrial Management	15.1501
Industrial Safety Technology/Technician	15.0703

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.