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Manufacturing Engineering Major

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Manufacturing Engineering

1,339 Associates's Degrees Annually
708 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
#30 in Popularity (Associate's)
$58,860 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Manufacturing Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many manufacturing engineering technology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Basic Certificate 2,032
Associate Degree 1,339
Bachelor’s Degree 708
Undergraduate Certificate 640

What Manufacturing Engineering Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to manufacturing tech were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Manufacturing Tech Majors

Manufacturing Tech majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Manufacturing Tech Majors

manufacturing tech majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Manufacturing Tech Majors

As a manufacturing tech major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

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  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Manufacturing Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with manufacturing tech:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Industrial Engineering Technicians 0.6% $55,460

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Manufacturing Engineering?

1,339 Associate's Degrees Annually
11% Percent Women
26% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major attracts more men than women. About 89% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of manufacturing tech majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 48
Black or African American 126
Hispanic or Latino 136
White 936
International Students 12
Other Races/Ethnicities 81

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Manufacturing Tech, too. About 0.9% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Manufacturing Engineering Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Manufacturing Tech majors often go into careers with median salaries of $58,860. This median refers to all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Manufacturing Engineering Major  58,860
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Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some careers associated with manufacturing tech require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to manufacturing tech have obtained the following education levels.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 9.7%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 12.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 1.3%
Some College Courses 36.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 25.5%
Bachelor’s Degree 14.7%

Online Manufacturing Engineering Programs

In 2020-2021, 370 schools offered a manufacturing tech program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 128 2
Certificate (2-4 Years) 6 0
Associate’s Degree 225 3
Bachelor’s Degree 3 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 9 2
Post-Master’s 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Manufacturing Engineering Worth It?

The median salary for a manufacturing tech grad is $58,860 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 48% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $379,200 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to manufacturing tech.

Major Number of Grads
Industrial Technology 4,237
Other Industrial Production Technologies 1,713
Plastics & Polymer Engineering Technology 286
Welding Engineering Technology 274
Composite Materials Technology 91
Metallurgical Technology 87
Chemical Engineering Technology 57
Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology 2

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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