What Are The Different Types Of Engineering Degrees? 11 Tracks To Consider
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If you’ve ever been to San Francisco, you likely caught a glimpse of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge sprawling across the bay at some point—unless the bridge was shrouded in fog, which would be unsurprising, to say the least.
The Golden Gate Bridge, completed in 1937, remains one of the most impressive engineering feats the U.S. has seen. It claimed the title of the world’s longest suspension bridge until 1964 and was the tallest of any kind in the world until 1993. By 1994, the American Society of Civil Engineers had crowned it one of the country’s seven civil engineering wonders.
The Golden Gate and countless other landmarks worldwide are the works of dedicated engineers who continuously test the boundaries of human potential and innovation. If you’re reading this, it’s possible you’re interested in becoming an engineer yourself. But before you can join their ranks, you’ll need to earn a degree.
Keep reading to discover 11 types of engineering degrees.
What Is Engineering?
Engineering is a multidisciplinary field dedicated to the continuous improvement of the systems, structures and processes vital to our society. Without engineering, we wouldn’t have bridges, airplanes or other essential modes of transportation. We’d be left without digital communication or life-saving medical devices—and we certainly wouldn’t be using the internet.
As you may have gathered, engineering is a broad and far-reaching field. When you decide to go to school for engineering, you’ll need to decide which kind of engineering best suits your interests. Do you want to build roads and bridges? Or are you excited about creating biomedical devices or prosthetics? What about computer software and hardware?
Below we explore a selection of engineering majors.
11 Engineering Major Options
For this section, we sourced salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Payscale.
Aerospace Engineering
Degree Levels Available: Bachelor’s, master’s, Ph.D.
Popular Specializations: Aeronautical engineering (working with aircraft), astronautical engineering (working with spacecraft)
Common Career Paths: Aerospace engineer, mechanical engineer, drafter, inspector, compliance officer
Major Overview: Aerospace engineering majors learn how to design, test and operate aircraft, spacecraft and other related technologies. Aerospace engineers create and develop these systems and their criteria for quality and safety. Most aerospace engineering roles require a bachelor’s degree. Those interested in teaching at the university level or conducting advanced research should hold a master’s.
Aerospace engineers bring home a median salary of $126,880 annually.
Agricultural Engineering
Degree Levels Available: Bachelor’s, master’s, Ph.D.
Popular Specializations: Renewable energy and waste treatment, mechanical design, irrigation
Common Career Paths: Product safety engineer, soil scientist, manufacturing engineer, water management specialist engineer
Major Overview: Agricultural engineering majors study engineering surveying, equipment engineering, agricultural robotics and mechanical systems in agriculture. In the field, agricultural engineers develop solutions involving agricultural power supply, environmental considerations, machine efficiency and product processing and storage. A bachelor’s degree is typical for most agricultural engineers. The median annual wage for this profession is $83,260.
Biomedical Engineering
Degree Levels Available: Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, Ph.D.
Popular Specializations: Biochemical engineering, biomaterials engineering, rehabilitation engineering
Common Career Paths: Biomaterials developer, medical technology developer, rehabilitation engineer
Major Overview: Biomedical engineering applies principles of engineering to medicine and biology to create machines, devices and equipment for the medical field. Biomedical engineering students take classes in math and life sciences, alongside specialized courses such as biomechanics and bioengineering product design. Some biomedical engineering positions require a graduate degree. Biomedical engineers earn a median annual salary of $99,550.
Chemical Engineering
Degree Levels Available: Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, Ph.D.
Popular Specializations: Materials synthesis, food engineering, nanotechnology and molecular engineering, polymer science and engineering, environmental engineering and sustainability
Common Career Paths: Process design engineer, environmental waste management, chemical plant technical director
Major Overview: Among other subjects, students earning a chemical engineering degree learn the fundamentals of nanotechnology, surface science, polymers and systems and process design. Chemical engineers are responsible for developing products that involve complex chemical components, such as food products, gasoline and detergents.
Most chemical engineering positions require at least a bachelor’s degree. Chemical engineers earn a median annual salary of $106,260.
Civil Engineering
Degree Levels Available: Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, Ph.D.
Popular Specializations: Construction engineering and management, transportation engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering
Common Career Paths: Civil engineer, transportation engineer, geotechnical engineer
Major Overview: Civil engineers plan, design, develop and execute building and infrastructure projects. Civil engineering majors learn how to solve complex engineering problems and apply solutions in geotechnical, structural, transportation and civil engineering contexts. Civil engineers usually require a bachelor’s degree and earn a median income of $89,940 annually.
Computer Engineering
Degree Levels Available: Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, Ph.D.
Popular Specializations: Hardware systems, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and robotics, cyber-physical systems
Common Career Paths: Computer hardware engineer, circuit designer, hardware systems designer, technical writer, web developer
Major Overview: Computer engineering majors learn how to design, build and operate semiconductor hardware and software systems. Computer engineers research, design and develop various computer components, such as circuit boards, processors, memory devices and routers. They earn a median annual salary of $132,360. Most computer engineering positions require a bachelor’s degree.
Electrical Engineering
Degree Levels Available: Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, Ph.D.
Popular Specializations: Electrophysics, microelectronics, power systems
Common Career Paths: Electrical engineer, robotics engineer, solar photovoltaic technicians
Major Overview: Among other subjects, electrical engineering majors study electric systems, microelectronics, control systems and digital design. Electrical engineers design and develop electrical equipment and its components, including motors, communications networks and power systems. Most electrical engineers require a bachelor’s degree and earn a median annual salary of $104,610.
Environmental Engineering
Degree Levels Available: Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, Ph.D.
Popular Specializations: N/A
Common Career Paths: Environmental specialist, land surveyor, hydrologist, energy auditor
Major Overview: Environmental engineering majors learn how to design and develop sustainable, eco-friendly infrastructure solutions using principles of engineering, physics, chemistry and biology. Day to day, environmental engineers work on environmentally driven projects like waste treatment and pollution control.
A bachelor’s degree is the typical minimum education requirement for environmental engineers. Their median annual salary is $96,530.
General Engineering
Degree Levels Available: Associate, bachelor’s, master’s
Popular Specializations: Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering
Common Career Paths: Development engineer, system design engineer, process engineer
Major Overview: General engineering is the interdisciplinary study of engineering principles across varying specializations, including mechanical and electrical. Common courses for general engineering majors include engineering dynamics, mechanics of materials, computer science and general physics. Engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree and make an average salary of approximately $87,000 per year.
Industrial Engineering
Degree Levels Available: Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, Ph.D.
Popular Specializations: Manufacturing, data science, health and human systems engineering
Common Career Paths: Sales engineer, manufacturing process engineer, operations engineer
Major Overview: Industrial engineering majors study the design and implementation of systems that involve the interactions of people, equipment and materials in the workplace. Industrial engineers design and implement these systems to generate efficiencies in the workplace, such as in factories and enterprise settings. Industrial engineering typically requires a bachelor’s degree and garners a median annual salary of $96,350.
Mechanical Engineering
Degree Levels Available: Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, Ph.D.
Popular Specializations: Mechanical design, combustion and the environment, transportation systems, manufacturing
Common Career Paths: Product designer, automotive engineer, manufacturing engineer, quality engineer
Major Overview: Mechanical engineering students learn how to design, build, test and deploy mechanical devices—essentially, almost everything with moving parts. Mechanical engineers work in a broad variety of industries, designing and building products like turbines, escalators and auto parts. Mechanical engineers usually hold a bachelor’s degree and earn a median annual salary of $96,310.
Accreditation for Engineering Degree Programs
Accredited engineering degree programs are primarily accredited by ABET, a nonprofit, non-governmental agency that accredits degree programs and departments in engineering and engineering technology, computing, and applied and natural science.
Programmatic accreditation is a voluntary process; programs may apply for accreditation by demonstrating their adherence to ABET’s rigorous accreditation standards, outlined on the organization’s website. Earning a degree from an ABET-accredited program demonstrates your commitment to academic rigor and, in some cases, can open up higher-paying job opportunities.
In fields of engineering where Professional Engineering licensure applies, state licensing requirements often include ABET-accredited degrees. Employers commonly prefer engineering candidates who earned their degrees from ABET-accredited programs as well.
– Cecilia Seiter (Education Writer) and Brenna Swanston (Editor)