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Pre-Engineering

Types of Degrees Pre-Engineering Majors Are Earning

Those studying Pre-Engineering can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	288
Associate’s Degree	2,158
Bachelor’s Degree	23
Master’s Degree	253

Who Is Earning a Degree in Pre-Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 80% of Pre-Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	544	20.0%
Men	2,178	80.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,135	41.7%
Asian	300	11.0%
Hispanic or Latino	800	29.4%
Black or African American	103	3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	39	1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	7	0.3%
Two or More Races	179	6.6%
Race Unknown	90	3.3%
International Students	69	2.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Pre-Engineering Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Pre-Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 Pre-Engineering Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Pre-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	7	8

^{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 Pre-Engineering Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Pre-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
Applied Engineering	14.0103
Engineering, General	14.0101

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.