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General Manufacturing Engineering

Types of Degrees General Manufacturing Engineering Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing General Manufacturing Engineering can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	5
Bachelor’s Degree	485
Master’s Degree	403
Doctor’s Degree	5

What General Manufacturing Engineering Majors Need to Know

Programs in General Manufacturing Engineering build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Manufacturing Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Manufacturing Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a General Manufacturing Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Manufacturing Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 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, General Manufacturing Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Manufacturing Engineering professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Manufacturing Engineering graduates include:

• Engineer
• Television Engineering Teacher
• Instructor
• Metallography Teacher
• Engineering Lecturer
• Technical Professor
• Mechanical Engineering Lecturer
• Refrigeration Engineering Teacher
• Circuits and Robotics Instructor
• Engineering Faculty Member
• Marine Engineering Professor
• Robotics Instructor
• Radio Engineering Teacher
• Electrical Engineering Professor
• Mechanical Engineering Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	38.1%
Doctoral degree	23.4%
Master’s degree	14.0%
Post-doctoral training	6.1%
Post-master’s certificate	5.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.1%
Some college courses	2.0%
Postsecondary certificate	1.6%
First professional degree	1.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.0%
Less than a high school diploma	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Manufacturing Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 78.2% of General Manufacturing Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	196	21.8%
Men	704	78.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	459	51.0%
Asian	55	6.1%
Hispanic or Latino	161	17.9%
Black or African American	22	2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.3%
Two or More Races	31	3.4%
Race Unknown	19	2.1%
International Students	150	16.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Manufacturing Engineering Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Manufacturing 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	$77,503
4 years	$79,954
5 years	$88,040

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $88,040 — roughly 14% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Manufacturing Engineering Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for General Manufacturing 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
Bachelor’s	1	2
Master’s	10	5

^{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 General Manufacturing Engineering Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Manufacturing Engineering graduates earn a median of $79,954 four years after completion — roughly 110% 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
Manufacturing Engineering	14.36
Construction Engineering	14.3301
Systems Engineering	14.2701
Architectural Engineering	14.0401
Biochemical Engineering	14.4301
Biological/Biosystems Engineering	14.4501
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering	14.0702
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.