The 10 Highest-Paying Engineering Degrees. 1 1. Petroleum Engineer. Engineers in the oil and gas sector routinely rank among the highest-paying engineering jobs. In 2019, petroleum engineers top ... 2 2. Electrical Engineer. 3 3. Aerospace Engineer. 4 4. Civil Engineer. 5 5. Biomedical Engineer. More items
Big data engineers can earn around $90,000 a year. However, if you work your way into a lead role, salaries of $158,000 or higher are certainly possible. 2. Petroleum Engineers As a petroleum engineer, you’d be responsible for developing methods for extracting and refining petroleum and natural gas, both of which are critical energy sources.
Aerospace Engineer: With $116,500 being the median salary in 2019, these people are paid handsomely. Quite literally rocket science, these engineers create, test, and maintain planes, spaceships, satellites, and military weaponry. Often roles are more manufacturing-related, but some require a security clearance.
The demand for petroleum engineers is expected to exceed the number of individuals trained to fill available positions increasing demand. Internationally and domestically this demand will advance the careers and the salaries of petroleum engineers.
In this article, you will find a breakdown of the twelve engineering degrees that show the highest earning potential. You can also find information about the best engineering schools in the nation and other resources that will help you find the best degree and school for you.
To find out your personal chances of acceptance at these top engineering schools, or any other schools you are interested in, use CollegeVine’s free chancing engine. By considering your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars, we’ll estimate your odds of acceptance at different schools and give you tips on improving your profile.
Aerospace engineers design aircrafts, spacecrafts, satellites, missiles, and systems for national defense. These engineers decide whether proposed projects are financially and technically feasible. This includes assessing whether projects meet engineering principles, can be finished by the desired completion date, fulfill customer desires, and abide by environmental regulations. Many aerospace engineers are employed by the federal government. Most aerospace engineers specialize in aeronautical (aircraft) or astronautical (spacecraft) studies.
Many marine engineers hold degrees in mechanical or electrical engineering.
Electrical engineers design and develop electrical equipment, including motors, navigation systems, communications systems, and power generation systems. Because they are involved with the electrical component of computers, they often work closely with computer hardware engineers. They are also often involved in repair projects for electrical systems.
Mining and geological engineering center around designing safe mines that extract minerals and metals for use in manufacturing. Mining engineers must consider means of extraction and transportation, as well as problems related to pollution and sustainability.
Computer hardware engineers work with computer systems and all of their components. including circuit boards, processors, memory divides, and routers. Hardware engineers must make sure that, as software evolves, the hardware components of a computer still function properly. Most computer hardware engineering happens in research laboratories where engineers build and test different computer models.
Petroleum engineers search for natural reservoirs of petroleum and then help recover it for subsequent use. If you are considering studying this type of engineering, then knowledge of chemistry, math and geology are essential. During the 10-year period from 2016 to 2026, this occupation is expected to have a growth rate of 15%. That’s more than twice the projected all-occupation growth rate. All of this makes Petroleum engineering the highest paid engineering field in the world!
As a petroleum engineer with a well-established career for example, you could be earning in the realm of $175,500 per year. Nuclear engineers are looking at a salary of around $127,500 midway through their careers and marine engineers at $123,200.
The field has an expected job growth rate of 12% between 2016 to 2026. It involves the engineering of ships, boats, oil rigs and any other marine vessel or structure, as well as oceanographic or ocean engineering.
What does it involve? Electrical power engineers are responsible for generating electricity and transferring it to the various distribution networks. They then must ensure its proper delivery to the millions of businesses and homes that require it. In most projects, a power engineer must coordinate with civil and mechanical engineers, environmental experts, legal representatives and financial liaisons.
Mechanical engineers are needed in most industries and can be involved in all aspects of a project from research and development to manufacturing, management, and production.
Civil engineers build all sorts of infrastructure and they can also do their bit for the environment too by designing and implementing environmentally-friendly projects. Depending on where you’ve studied, where you decide to work and what projects you take on, being a civil engineer can be a great career that combines giving back to the community with a decent paycheck.
It’s widely acknowledged that STEM (science, engineering, technology and math) graduates go on to have lucrative careers. There are all types of engineering sectors that are in high demand. So, if you’re a whizz at any of these subjects or are drawn to learning more about them, you could turn your passion into a pretty high flying profession.
Engineering managers are another one of the highest paying engineering degrees. They supervise teams of engineers within electrical, mechanical, civil, or industrial engineering fields. They administer, direct, and coordinate the research, design, financing, and development of products, hardware, equipment, and devices. They also oversee project design, manufacturing processes, productivity, and marketing analysis to lead projects for industrial, civil, and environmental products and services. Engineering managers also create the specifications, proposals, budgets, and policies between engineering teams, clients, and contractors while adhering to regulatory laws and predicting the impact of the product. Individuals must complete studies within a bachelor or master’s degree programme, gain work experience as an engineer, and obtain state licensing in order to qualify for employment as an engineering manager.
Chemical engineers research, design, and troubleshoot the equipment and production processes for large scale manufacturing. They apply the engineering principles of physics, chemistry, and biology to develop, identify, and evaluate the safest and most efficient means of producing food, drugs, chemicals, fuel, and other materials. Chemical engineers also research and determine the costs of manufacturing processes as well as the effects they have on the environment without compromising quality and safety. Chemical engineers must complete studies within a bachelor level chemical or biomolecular engineering programme and gain work experience before advancing to careers of a high paid salary.
Software engineers blend computer science, mathematics, and engineering to design, develop, test, and maintain software or computer systems. They focus on user needs and write computer programmes. Many work closely with teams of other computer science and engineering experts to secure, install, or develop advanced computer systems and software. Software engineers also resolve any operational, security, or function issues with software, computer systems, and internal computer networks. Software engineers generally must complete a minimum of a bachelor degree based in computer science, software, mathematics, or engineering as well as experience working with computer systems and applications. In addition, due to the constant changes within the industry, Software engineers must continue education throughout the course of their careers.
Some of the highest paying careers in the world are found in engineering . Engineering is widely considered as one of the most lucrative and in demand career choices, with multiple engineering disciplines and job types, as well as salaries that can exceed $100k per year once the engineer has some experience behind them ¹ .
The median salary for a computer hardware engineer is $117,220 ¹. This is a relatively new field of engineering and some sources say that there are not enough computer engineers to keep up with demand while other sources say that the job growth for computer engineers will be below the national average. As schools start producing more computer engineers, the job growth rate could potentially slow. There are a number of different types of computer engineer careers, which we have listed below. Emerging along with computer and software engineering is data engineering. Sometimes data science degree programs are combined along with engineering or computer science programs, as there is a lot of crossover with coursework.
The methodology used for gathering the list of careers in engineering was to utilize the US. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics data, combined with reports on salaries , unemployment, and career outlook from reputable sources , such as Universities, Forbes Magazine, US News & World Report, and reputable Engineering associations, such as the National Society of Professional Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. For the list of sources complete with their website, go here.
Chemical engineers can advance their careers from manufacturing plants to technical sales and company management.
There are over 40 different types of engineering careers in 5 different sub disciplines. Learn more about the top engineering career paths, compare the highest paid engineering jobs, view salary ranges for each engineering career, and figure out which is best for you.
From now to the year 2028, the job growth for a materials engineer position is expected to be limited, with a mid-career salary of approx. $93,360 ¹.
Internationally and domestically this demand will advance the careers and the salaries of petroleum engineers. There are a number of degrees available for those interested in pursuing petrole um engineering including training online.
At Colorado School of Mines, 12 of their 15 undergraduate degree offerings have engineering in the title. The engineering specializations are:
Engineers are tasked with solving technical problems created by commercial or societal needs.
Nuclear Engineer: Well compensated at a median wage of $113,000 per year, but the stakes are high. This field is not growing as much as other engineering specialties but creating, containing, and directing radioactive energy towards productive ends is their focus.
33,500 jobs in 2018, predicted for a 3% growth between 2018-28, creating 900 new jobs.
What is the difference between scientists and engineers? Scientists primarily research to further the extent of human knowledge in a particular field. Engineers take those insights and apply them to social problems. Both must have a strong understanding of scientific and mathematical fundamentals.
Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey offers nine Engineering degrees, including specific programs in Biomedical and Chemical engineering, explicitly differentiating them from Biology, Chemistry, or Chemical Biology programs. Additionally, Computer Engineering was a separate and distinct major from the rest of the computer science department.
One of the best engineering jobs around, agricultural engineers solve problems surrounding power supplies, machinery efficiency, facility design, pollution management, and more. This can make the work varied and engaging. Additionally, you can opt to take your career in the “green” direction, focusing on ways to protect the environment and enhance sustainability.
By and large, petroleum engineering is a growth field. Additionally, the roles can be incredibly lucrative, coming with annual salaries around the $138,000 mark as well as comprehensive benefits packages.
Yearly salaries for computer hardware engineers usually come in near $117,000. However, the top 10 percent earn in excess of $185,000, showcasing just how far you can go if you choose this specialty area.
Materials engineer positions can be very lucrative. The median salary in the field comes in at $93,360, which certainly qualifies the role as a high paying engineering job.
A position that may be a bit unexpected to some, big data engineers are responsible for creating systems that ensure companies can make sense of their data. Their roles focus on building solutions for making unstructured information comprehensible, ensuring the data can be used to generate powerful insights that can drive a business toward better decisions.
Usually part of the construction industry, environmental engineers combine their engineering skills with their ecological, environmental, or biological know-how to make sure environmental issues can be solved or addressed. Spending a substantial amount of time at actual job sites is common, so this can be an ideal position for green-minded outdoor enthusiasts.
One of the best engineering jobs for tech-oriented professionals, computer hardware engineers design, develop, test, and refine computer components and systems. This can include focusing on parts like processors, RAM, or hard drives, as well as determining how to put together available components to achieve the optimum results.