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General Mechanical Engineering

Types of Degrees General Mechanical Engineering Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Mechanical Engineering have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10
Associate’s Degree	305
Bachelor’s Degree	33,346
Master’s Degree	7,465
Doctor’s Degree	1,812

What General Mechanical Engineering Majors Need to Know

Coursework for General Mechanical Engineering emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Mechanical Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Mechanical Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a General Mechanical Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General Mechanical Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 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 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Mechanical Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

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

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management	Project management software	—
Dassault Systemes CATIA	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
C++	Object or component oriented development software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Mechanical Engineering graduates include:

• Surveying Teacher
• Environmental Engineering Professor
• Engineering Teacher
• Drawing Instructor
• Radio Engineering Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Electrical Engineering Professor
• Metallurgy Teacher
• Engineering Instructor
• Hydraulics Teacher
• Marine Engineering Teacher
• Adjunct Professor
• Civil Engineering Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Engineering Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	31.3%
Doctoral degree	29.3%
Master’s degree	14.4%
Post-master’s certificate	9.7%
Post-doctoral training	8.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.8%
Postsecondary certificate	1.5%
First professional degree	0.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.5%
Some college courses	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Mechanical Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 82.4% of General Mechanical Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	7,569	17.6%
Men	35,370	82.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	22,967	53.5%
Asian	4,178	9.7%
Hispanic or Latino	5,848	13.6%
Black or African American	1,466	3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	89	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	33	0.1%
Two or More Races	1,724	4.0%
Race Unknown	899	2.1%
International Students	5,735	13.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Mechanical Engineering Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Mechanical 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	$72,983
4 years	$84,027
5 years	$94,559

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $94,559 — roughly 30% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Mechanical Engineering Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for General Mechanical 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	5	8
Master’s	22	34
Doctoral (Research)	2	9

^{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 Mechanical Engineering Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Mechanical Engineering graduates earn a median of $84,027 four years after completion — roughly 121% 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
Mechanical Engineering	14.19
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General	14.0201
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Other	14.0299
Astronautical Engineering	14.0202
Construction Engineering	14.3301
Electrical and Electronics Engineering	14.1001
Electromechanical Engineering	14.4101
Engineering Mechanics	14.1101
Manufacturing Engineering	14.3601
Materials Engineering	14.1801
Agricultural Engineering	14.0301

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.