General Computer Engineering

Types of Degrees General Computer Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general computer 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	9,717
Master’s Degree	3,298
Doctor’s Degree	362
Basic Certificate	70
Associate Degree	32
Graduate Certificate	10

What General Computer Engineering Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to general computer engineering 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 General Computer Engineering Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these 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 General Computer Engineering Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to general computer engineering:

• 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 General Computer Engineering Majors

General Computer Engineering majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• 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 General Computer Engineering Major?

People with a general computer engineering degree often go into the following careers:

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 Bachelor’s Degree in General Computer Engineering?

This major attracts more men than women. About 85% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	2,059
Black or African American	514
Hispanic or Latino	1,333
White	4,006
International Students	1,142
Other Races/Ethnicities	663

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in General Computer Engineering, too. About 11.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to General Computer Engineering

Some degrees associated with general computer engineering may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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 general computer engineering have obtained the following education levels.

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 General Computer 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)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	14	1
Bachelor’s Degree	13	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	115	11
Post-Master’s	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	61	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to General Computer Engineering

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

Major	Number of Grads
Software Engineering	5,090
Other Computer Engineering	342
Computer Hardware Engineering	52

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.