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Engineering Acoustics

Types of Degrees Engineering Acoustics Majors Are Earning

Those studying Engineering Acoustics can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	17

What Engineering Acoustics Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Physics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Engineering Acoustics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Engineering Acoustics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Controlling Machines and Processes	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Engineering Acoustics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Computer aided manufacturing CAM software	Computer aided manufacturing CAM software	—
Presentation software	Presentation software	—
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Enterprise resource planning ERP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Engineering Acoustics graduates include:

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Laser Specialist
• Photonics Technician (Photonics Tech)
• Certified Laser Technician (Certified Laser Tech)
• Healthcare Laser Technician (Healthcare Laser Tech)
• Strain Technician (Strain Tech)
• Medical Laser Technician (Medical Laser Tech)
• Ruling Technician (Ruling Tech)
• Surgical Laser Technician (Surgical Laser Tech)
• Optics Test Technician (Optics Test Tech)
• Optics Technician (Optics Tech)
• Photonics Engineering Technologist
• Optical Manufacturing Technician (Optical Manufacturing Tech)
• Thin Film Technician (Thin Film Tech)
• Fiber Splicer

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	47.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	25.4%
Bachelor’s degree	9.2%
Postsecondary certificate	6.9%
Some college courses	6.8%
Master’s degree	2.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Engineering Acoustics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 64.7% of Engineering Acoustics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	6	35.3%
Men	11	64.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	14	82.4%
Hispanic or Latino	3	17.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Engineering Acoustics Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Engineering Acoustics 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	$89,751
5 years	$58,787

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $58,787 — roughly -34% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Engineering Acoustics Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Engineering Acoustics. 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	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Military Applied Sciences	29.03
Combat Systems Engineering	29.0301
Directed Energy Systems	29.0302
Low-Observables and Stealth Technology	29.0304
Military Applied Sciences, Other	29.0399
Operational Oceanography	29.0306
Space Systems Operations	29.0305
Undersea Warfare	29.0307

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.