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Systems Engineering Major

Systems Engineering

784 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
2,186 Master's Degrees Annually
#179 in Popularity

Types of Degrees Systems Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many systems engineering graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level Number of Grads
Master’s Degree 2,407
Graduate Certificate 768
Bachelor’s Degree 705
Doctor’s Degree 157
Basic Certificate 111

What Systems Engineering Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to systems engineering 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 Systems Engineering Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in systems engineering should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

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  • 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 Systems Engineering Majors

When studying systems engineering, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

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  • 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.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Systems Engineering Majors

Systems Engineering majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

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  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • 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.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • 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 Systems Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with systems engineering:

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
Mechatronics Engineers 6.4% $96,980
Solar Energy Systems Engineers 6.4% $96,980
Wind Energy Engineers 6.4% $96,980

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

705 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
34% Percent Women
42% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 784 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering in 2021, making it rank #179 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 66% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of systems engineering majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 90
Black or African American 37
Hispanic or Latino 143
White 350
International Students 46
Other Races/Ethnicities 39

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Systems Engineering, too. About 6.5% of those with this major are international students.

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

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to systems engineering have obtained the following education levels.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 0.5%
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) 1.9%
Some College Courses 2.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 3.7%
Bachelor’s Degree 62.1%
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. 5.9%
Master’s Degree 11.9%
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. 1.5%
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 6.3%
Post-Doctoral Training 1.5%

Online Systems Engineering Programs

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) 1 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 0 0
Bachelor’s Degree 41 16
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 84 22
Post-Master’s 9 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 32 3
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

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

Major Number of Grads
Mechanical Engineering 43,522
Electrical Engineering 27,809
Civil Engineering 20,728
Computer Engineering 18,973
Biomedical Engineering 14,006
General Engineering 12,241
Chemical Engineering 11,830
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 9,220
Industrial Engineering 8,722
Materials Engineering 3,397
Other Engineering 3,221
Environmental Engineering 3,012
Electrical and Computer Engineering. 1,988
Operations Research 1,907
Robotics Engineering 1,759
Engineering Science 1,338
Agricultural Engineering 1,328
Construction Engineering 1,284
Architectural Engineering 1,090
Engineering Physics 1,047
Manufacturing Engineering 942
Petroleum Engineering 941
Nuclear Engineering 885
Biological Engineering 411
Marine Engineering 390
Geoscience Engineering 315
Mining Engineering 300
Textile Engineering 292
Polymer & Plastics Engineering 290
Ocean Engineering 290
Engineering Mechanics 209
Metallurgical Engineering 195
Energy Systems Engineering 187
Biochemical Engineering 141
Surveying Engineering 123
Ceramic Engineering 60
Forest Engineering 57
Paper Science & Engineering 48
Electromechanical Engineering 47
Engineering Chemistry 27

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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