Welding Engineering

 

Types of Degrees Welding Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many welding engineering technology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	147
Undergraduate Certificate	83
Bachelor’s Degree	50
Associate Degree	48

What Welding Engineering Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to welding engineering 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 Welding Engineering Tech Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Skills for Welding Engineering Tech Majors

A major in welding engineering tech prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Welding Engineering Tech Majors

As you progress with your welding engineering tech degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 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.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a Welding Engineering Major?

People with a welding engineering tech degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Industrial Engineering Technologists	5.2%	$63,200
Manufacturing Engineering Technologists	5.2%	$63,200
Solderers and Brazers	5.6%	$41,380
Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters	5.6%	$41,380

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

This major attracts more men than women. About 88% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	5
White	35
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	6

How Much Do Welding Engineering Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $44,360 to $65,720 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to welding engineering tech. This range includes 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.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Welding Engineering

Some degrees associated with welding engineering tech may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for welding engineering tech careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	9.4%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	28.4%
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)	17.3%
Some College Courses	5.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	13.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	24.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.0%
Master’s Degree	1.0%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.0%

Online Welding Engineering Programs

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)	13	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	12	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
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 Welding Engineering Worth It?

The median salary for a welding engineering tech grad is $44,360 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 11% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $89,200 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Welding Engineering

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

Major	Number of Grads
Manufacturing Engineering Technology	4,587
Industrial Technology	4,134
Other Industrial Production Technologies	1,752
Plastics & Polymer Engineering Technology	290
Composite Materials Technology	106
Metallurgical Technology	45
Chemical Engineering Technology	43
Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology	3

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.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By ICAPlants under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.