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power plant engineering

What power plant engineering Majors Need to Know

Studies in power plant engineering build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that power plant engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing power plant engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a power plant engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to power plant engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, power plant engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by power plant engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
C++	Object or component oriented development software	✓
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for power plant engineering graduates include:

• Mechanical Drawing Teacher
• Aeronautical Engineering Teacher
• Research Professor
• Instructor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Metallography Teacher
• Radar Engineering Teacher
• Radio Engineering Teacher
• Professor
• Architectural Engineering Teacher
• Aeronautics Teacher
• Environmental Engineering Professor
• Television Engineering Teacher
• Ceramic Engineering Professor
• Manufacturing Engineering Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	30.7%
Bachelor’s degree	29.6%
Master’s degree	11.8%
Post-doctoral training	8.0%
Post-master’s certificate	7.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.8%
Postsecondary certificate	2.1%
Some college courses	1.6%
First professional degree	1.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.7%
Less than a high school diploma	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in power plant engineering?

Gender Distribution

Related Programs

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

Program	CIP Code
Energy Systems Engineering	14.48
Energy Systems Engineering, General	14.4801
Energy Systems Engineering, Other	14.4899
Architectural Engineering	14.0401
Biochemical Engineering	14.4301
Biological/Biosystems Engineering	14.4501
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering	14.0702
Construction Engineering	14.3301
Electrical and Computer Engineering	14.4701
Electromechanical Engineering	14.4101
Engineering Chemistry	14.4401
Engineering Mechanics	14.1101

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.