This resource has been designed for students and current professionals who would like to possibly earn their master’s degree in engineering. This is a smart thing to do; the field of engineering generally is growing and offers excellent pay and benefits.
For instance, the field of civil engineering is poised to increase in job demand by 20% in the next seven years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That is faster than average compared to all other fields. This growth in this sector of engineering is being fueled by the need to update the aging infrastructure in the US, including our water systems, in a time of strong population growth.
You will find that this page contains valuable and detailed data about the very best online engineering master’s programs in various disciplines. Here you will discover important information about online and campus-based master’s in engineering programs. Also, we have uncovered helpful information about the plethora of engineering career options, median pay, job demand statistics, and how to pay for your education.
Many universities offer excellent online Master of Engineering programs in order to keep up with the demand and diversity seen in the engineering field today. The ability to attend school online provides a lot of great advantages to the student. For example, if you work – either full-time or part-time – you will be able to continue to do that while you attend school, so you will not have to choose one of the other. You can simply take your classes and complete your coursework around your schedule.
Some of the most important qualities you should have to have a successful career in engineering are:
- Decision making: You will need to balance many competing objectives, including financial and safety issues.
- Leadership: You will take full responsibility for the projects you engineer.
- Math: You must be skilled in advanced mathematics, including trigonometry and calculus.
- Organizational: Any engineering project has extensive documents and plans that must be carefully organized and managed.
- Problem solving: Planning any engineering project takes advanced problem solving and management skills.
- Writing: Engineers have to be able to communicate effectively in writing with many other professionals on these projects.
You also can request complimentary information about the master’s in engineering programs on this page. We appreciate you reading this page and stand by to help you.
Masters in Engineering Overview
A Master of Engineering is a professional graduate degree. There are many variations of it, and some are more highly desirable than others. However, there are engineering degree options for professionals who want to work with the government, those who are interested in nonprofits, and people who would prefer to focus their efforts on the private sector. Having such a wide range of options and areas of study can make a degree in engineering highly valuable.
More and more, getting a master’s degree in engineering is considered key for the most successful, long term career in many areas of engineering. A master’s degree giving you a much deeper technical understanding of your area of engineering.
An engineering degree can focus on electrical items, mechanical options, computers, software, and much more, including optical, nuclear, construction, agricultural, and mining disciplines. Many schools offer several different concentrations for their Master of Engineering degree plans, while others are more focused on only one or two different concentrations. Choosing the right school is important when making sure what you are offered for your degree is right based on your chosen career path. A Master of Engineering degree typically takes two years to complete, and requires a bachelor’s degree to be admitted into the program.
Online Master’s in Engineering + No GRE Options
Reasons to Earn a Masters in Engineering
Working in engineering of any kind can be a very rewarding career, and many areas of engineering are also highly profitable. Income and salary ranges vary based on the concentration of the degree, but many options for employment start near $100,000 per year and rise from that point.
The amount a graduate of an master’s program in engineering can expect to make will depend on their chosen concentration, their location, and other factors. Job growth for the engineering sector is strong and will continue to rise, as it is closely tied in with technology.
The reasons to earn a master’s in engineering center on salary and job demand. According to BLS, engineers in the following specialties have these median salaries as of 2012:
- Civil: $79,340
- Building/Architects: $73,090
- Environmental: $80,890
- Mechanical: $80,580
- Aerospace: $103,000
- Petroleum: $130,280
- Electrical: $89,600
- Nuclear: $104,000
- Biomedical: $86,900
Meanwhile, job demand for these various areas of engineering varies between 7-20%, depending on the field.
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Masters in Engineering Course Requirements
Some of the common classes you will need to complete an engineering degree, depending on your area of concentration, include:
- Operations research
- Sustainable development
- Mathematics and modeling
- Economics and engineering
- Finance
- Research methods and strategies
- Environmental processes
Educational Prerequisites
The majority of professionals who apply to a university to pursue their Master of Engineering degree already have a significant background in engineering. They may be pursuing additional education to move up in their career, or they may decide to focus on a slightly different area of engineering and want to move their concentration of academic work in that direction. In general, you should have taken courses in various types of engineering, along with overview courses, English, statistics, mathematics, and analysis.
Engineering Career Outlook
Job growth for engineers varies greatly based on the type of engineering they are involved with. Typically, those who are highly specialized may not see growth that is as strong, because there is simply less demand for the type of work they do. More broad-spectrum engineers are needed, especially in mechanical, electrical, and software fields. It is those three areas that are seeing – and will likely continue to see – the best job growth.
A Master of Engineering program prepares students for a career in their chosen engineering concentration, whatever that may be. Here are some typical careers that might be pursued by an engineering graduate:
- Mechanical Engineer – Mechanical engineers are common, as it is one of the most widely chosen disciplines when it comes to earning an engineering degree. They focus on the design and construction of mechanical systems, and may work with thermodynamics, fluids, instrumentation, hydraulics, material strength, and more. Their salary is normally in the $110,000 range.
- Electrical Engineer – An electrical engineer focuses on electricity, electronics, or electromagnetism. There are sub-disciplines within this area of study, such as telecommunications, computer engineering, and microelectronics. With a number of options for specific areas of study, and a wide variety of industries in which they can use their skills, electrical engineers have a versatile degree. Typically, they can expect a salary of around $88,000, but that depends on the specifics of their work.
- Software Engineer – Software engineers build new programs and create new ways of doing things on computers. With the growth and development of technology today, and its outlook for the future, working as a software engineer can be a very in-demand, lucrative kind of job. There are numerous companies where software engineers are needed, and many also work as freelancers. Salaries vary widely.
- Aerospace Engineer – An aerospace engineer is focused on spacecraft, aircraft, and related pursuits. It is an in-demand job that commands a salary of nearly $100,000. There are many ways an aerospace engineering degree can be utilized, but it is more specific than many of the other engineering degrees offered.
- Chemical Engineer – A chemical engineer may work in a lap, for a scientific organization, or for any number of companies that focus on pharmaceuticals, pesticides, or other types of chemical creations. These engineers typically do specialized types of work, and can expect salaries in the $95,000 range, depending on the type and size of company they work for.
- Oil and Gas Engineer – An oil and gas engineer may be responsible for the development of pipelines and the determination of where they should be located, as well as how they should best be utilized to provide the biggest benefit to everyone involved. Salaries for oil and gas engineers are generally around $128,000.
- Industrial Engineer – Industrial engineers find new ways to reduce waste in production processes. For example, they come up with more efficient ways to use machines, materials, energy and workers to make a product or service. They very often are deeply involved in production schedules, engineering specs, process flows, ensuring quality control, and designing control systems.
These are only a few of the numerous career options available to Master of Engineering graduates. Any job that requires engineering knowledge needs a person with specialized skills and the proper type of education, so those who hold Master of Engineering degrees are generally in demand, especially in areas where they may not typically be found, such as smaller communities.
Engineering Financial Aid
There are many ways to fund your Master of Engineering degree, including the methods below. A lot of universities offer a variety of programs the can be used to help graduates pay for an education.
- Boston University Graduate Fellowships
- University Cincinnati Scholarships
- National Gem Consortium Fellowships for Engineering Students
- University of Maryland Engineering Scholarships
