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applied engineering

Types of Degrees applied engineering Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing applied engineering may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	6
Bachelor’s Degree	217
Master’s Degree	309
Doctor’s Degree	13

What applied engineering Majors Need to Know

Coursework for applied engineering develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that applied engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Physics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Design — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a applied engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, applied engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by applied engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Linux	Operating system software	✓
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	✓
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for applied engineering graduates include:

• Engineer
• Research Engineer
• Project Engineer
• Consulting Engineer
• Design Engineer
• Process Development Engineer
• Applications Engineer
• Nanoelectronics Engineer
• Nanomaterials Research Scientist
• Nanosystems Engineer
• Nanotechnology Specialist
• Durability Engineer
• Nanofabrication Research Engineer
• Nanomaterials Synthesis Research Scientist
• Nanotechnology Materials Scientist

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	46.6%
Doctoral degree	17.2%
Master’s degree	11.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	6.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.8%
Some college courses	3.8%
Postsecondary certificate	3.6%
Post-doctoral training	2.4%
First professional degree	1.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.2%
Less than a high school diploma	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in applied engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 77.4% of applied engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	123	22.6%
Men	422	77.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of applied engineering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	316	58.0%
Asian	28	5.1%
Hispanic or Latino	37	6.8%
Black or African American	21	3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.2%
Two or More Races	13	2.4%
Race Unknown	10	1.8%
International Students	116	21.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do applied engineering Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of applied 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	$79,788
4 years	$83,175
5 years	$92,105

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $92,105 — roughly 15% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online applied engineering Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for applied 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
Master’s	1	1

^{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 applied engineering Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, applied engineering graduates earn a median of $83,175 four years after completion — roughly 119% 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
Engineering, General	14.01
Engineering, General	14.0101
Pre-Engineering	14.0102
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
Energy Systems Engineering, General	14.4801
Energy Systems Engineering, Other	14.4899

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.