Engineering diplomas account for 12 of the 15 top paying majors in the job market. The average offer to chemical engineering graduates rose 6.4 % to $63,165. Not surprisingly, many offers to these grads came from petroleum and coal products manufacturers, which offered an average salary of $71,976 annually. Despite a less-than-robust economy, the overall average starting salary offer to new college graduates, regardless of major, increased by 7.1 percent over last year, according to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Civil engineering graduates also posted a 6.4 % increase, bringing their average offer to $51,632. Mechanical engineering grads received a 5.3 % increase, boosting their average starting salary to $57,009. The offer to electrical engineering grads rose a modest 2.9 %, bringing their offers to $56,910 annually.
An engineering degree, at least a bachelor’s degree is usually required for entry-level engineering jobs and eligibility for professional certifications may require a master’s degree. Once completing the Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Science of Engineering, many students will go on to pursue a two-year Master of Engineering or Master of Science in Engineering degree. At this point, many students will choose to focus on a specific form of engineering.
There are many different fields of engineering you may choose, to name a few: an aerospace engineer, biomedical, agricultural, architectural, electrical, chemical, civil, environmental, mechanical, software, telecommunications, manufacturing, materials, naval, nuclear or automotive.
Another reason to earn a degree in engineering is the ability to work in different environments or you may opt to travel. Most engineers work in office buildings, laboratories, or industrial plants. Others spend time outdoors at construction sites, and oil and gas explorations and production sites, where they monitor or direct operations or solve on-site problems. Some engineers travel extensively to plants or worksites here or abroad.
