Engineering Mechanics

Types of Degrees Engineering Mechanics Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	116
Doctor’s Degree	64
Master’s Degree	63
Graduate Certificate	17
Associate Degree	12

What Engineering Mechanics Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to engineering mechanics and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Engineering Mechanics Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in engineering mechanics 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.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 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.

Skills for Engineering Mechanics Majors

A major in engineering mechanics 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Engineering Mechanics Majors

A major in engineering mechanics will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 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.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Engineering Mechanics Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with engineering mechanics:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Energy Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720
Manufacturing Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Validation Engineers	6.4%	$96,980

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Mechanics?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 116 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering mechanics in 2021, making it rank #283 in popularity. 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 engineering mechanics majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	13
Black or African American	2
Hispanic or Latino	7
White	67
International Students	21
Other Races/Ethnicities	6

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Engineering Mechanics. About 18.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• Iran
• South Korea
• Bangladesh

How Much Do Engineering Mechanics Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of engineering mechanics students with a bachelor’s degree is $64,144 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $62,897 (25th percentile) and $65,774 (75th percentile).

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to engineering mechanics.

Salaries According to BLS

Engineering Mechanics majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $99,410 to $148,970 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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 Engineering Mechanics

Some degrees associated with engineering mechanics may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for engineering mechanics careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
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)	1.6%
Some College Courses	0.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	57.4%
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.	5.6%
Master’s Degree	14.5%
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.	2.2%
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.	1.6%
Doctoral Degree	8.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	2.2%

Online Engineering Mechanics Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 28 schools offered some type of engineering mechanics program. 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	3	0
Bachelor’s Degree	3	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	18	0
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	13	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Engineering Mechanics Worth It?

The median salary for a engineering mechanics 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 Engineering Mechanics

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

Major	Number of Grads
Mechanical Engineering	46,178
Electrical Engineering	28,844
Civil Engineering	21,388
Computer Engineering	17,987
Chemical Engineering	12,917
Biomedical Engineering	12,811
General Engineering	11,796
Industrial Engineering	9,072
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering	8,001
Systems Engineering	3,904
Materials Engineering	3,415
Other Engineering	2,760
Environmental Engineering	2,759
Operations Research	1,698
Agricultural Engineering	1,472
Engineering Science	1,454
Electrical and Computer Engineering.	1,378
Petroleum Engineering	1,256
Robotics Engineering	1,243
Architectural Engineering	1,012
Engineering Physics	994
Manufacturing Engineering	947
Construction Engineering	878
Nuclear Engineering	864
Marine Engineering	445
Biological Engineering	410
Polymer & Plastics Engineering	360
Geoscience Engineering	325
Mining Engineering	314
Textile Engineering	310
Ocean Engineering	285
Metallurgical Engineering	179
Energy Systems Engineering	138
Biochemical Engineering	109
Ceramic Engineering	94
Surveying Engineering	73
Electromechanical Engineering	45
Forest Engineering	41
Paper Science & Engineering	27
Engineering Chemistry	13

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 Siemens Pressebild under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.