Everyone wants to get paid what they’re worth, right? Well, engineering graduates have the opportunity to do just that, and then some. Engineering graduates have the potential to earn $72,490-$108,020 per year and they also have a wide variety of specialty areas to choose from including:
-Aerospace, Agricultural, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer Hardware
-Electrical, Electronics, Environmental, Health and Safety, Industrial, Marine
-Materials, Mechanical, Mining and Geological, Mining Safety, Nuclear
-Petroleum
Earnings could be even more depending on specialty. For example, at a median annual wage of $108,020, petroleum engineers earn the highest salaries in the industry, followed by computer hardware engineers at $97,400, and nuclear engineers at $97,080 annually.
Salary is only one advantage to pursuing a career in engineering. The industry is stable and growing. Although job growth is expected in all specialty areas, except chemical engineering, job growth for biomedical engineering is projected at 72 percent for the 2008-2018 decade. For environmental engineering, employment growth is 31 percent, civil engineering is 24 percent, and petroleum engineering is around 18 percent.
Although stressful at times, particularly when a deadline must be met, overall, the work environment for engineers is pleasant and well suited for the tasks at hand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Most engineers work in office buildings, laboratories, or industrial plants. Others may spend time outdoors at construction sites and oil and gas exploration and production sites, where they monitor or direct operations or solve onsite problems. Some engineers travel extensively to plants or worksites here and abroad. Many engineers work a standard 40-hour week.
If you would like to earn an engineering degree, you should enroll in an engineering program at an accredited college, university, or technical school. Some of the top accrediting agencies are:
-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
-The Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
-Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
-Accrediting Commission for Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT)
-Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)
-Distance Education Training Council (DETC)
-Council on Occupational Education (COE)
The top regional accrediting agencies include:
-Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
-New England Association of Schools and Colleges
-North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
-Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
-Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
-Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Before enrolling in any engineering degree program, whether traditional or online, make sure the accrediting agency is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
If you’re curious about what it takes to earn an engineering degree, below is a partial list of required courses for most engineering programs.
-Analysis Tools for Engineers
-Applied Chemistry for Biomedical Engineering
-Biological Foundations
-Calculus
-Cell and Molecular Biology
-Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
-Electrical Circuits
-Engineering Design
-Engineering Mechanics
-General Chemistry
-General Physics
-Linear Algebra and Vector Analysis for Engineers
-Mechanics of Materials
-Methods of Differential Equations
-Physiological Processes
-Transport Phenomena
For more information about engineering careers, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics at Bls.gov. For information about top engineering programs in the U.S. and abroad, visit The Princeton Review at Princetonreview.com.
