Engineering
What you can do with Mechanical Engineering
Design and test machines and mechanical systems, from engines to robotics.
- Careers
- 9
- Early career
- $80,000
- Mid-career
- $120,000
- Growing fast
- 6 of 9
How these numbers work: A major does not have its own salary. Early and mid-career pay is what people who hold this degree earn at the start of their careers and midway through them. Career pay comes from the 9 careers a Mechanical Engineering degree commonly leads to, and counts everyone in those jobs, including people who have been doing them for thirty years. The two answer different questions, which is why they do not match.
6 of 9 careers this degree leads to are projected to grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034. Of those, Industrial Engineer has the most openings, about 25,200 a year.
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9 careers this degree leads to
Petroleum Engineer
$144,910Design the methods that bring oil and gas out of the ground safely and efficiently, one of engineering's highest-paying fields.
- Middle half of workers
- $106,270 to $197,920
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 1,200
Work-life57Remote67- Reservoir Analysis
- Drilling Engineering
- Mathematics
- Critical Thinking
Aerospace Engineer
$134,960Design, build, and test aircraft, spacecraft, and the systems that keep them flying.
- Middle half of workers
- $106,110 to $169,690
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 4,500
Work-life55Remote67- Aerodynamics
- CAD Modeling
- Systems Engineering
- Mathematics
Nuclear Engineer
$133,970Apply nuclear science to power generation, medicine, and safety, managing the release and control of nuclear energy.
- Middle half of workers
- $108,690 to $163,630
- Growth
- Declining
- Openings a year
- 800
Work-life50Remote17- Reactor Physics
- Radiation Safety
- Science
- Mathematics
Materials Engineer
$112,860Develop and test the metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites that every other engineering field builds with.
- Middle half of workers
- $88,080 to $142,720
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 1,500
Work-life55Remote17- Materials Characterization
- Failure Analysis
- Science
- Mathematics
Biomedical Engineer
$109,370Combine engineering with biology to design medical devices, prosthetics, imaging systems, and the technology behind modern care.
- Middle half of workers
- $86,980 to $136,600
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 1,300
Work-life57Remote67- Medical Device Design
- Biomechanics
- CAD Modeling
- Critical Thinking
Mechanical Engineer
$104,110Design, develop, and test mechanical devices and systems.
- Middle half of workers
- $84,130 to $132,590
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 18,100
Work-life68Remote42Satisfaction76- CAD
- Thermodynamics
- Materials Science
- Problem Solving
Industrial Engineer
$102,440Make complex systems run better: optimize production, logistics, quality, and the human side of how work gets done.
- Middle half of workers
- $83,600 to $129,250
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 25,200
Work-life58Remote6- Process Optimization
- Lean Manufacturing
- Data Analysis
- Critical Thinking
Agricultural Engineer
$98,590Apply engineering technology and biological science to agricultural problems related to power, machinery, structures, and food processing.
- Middle half of workers
- $82,260 to $124,880
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 100
Work-life65Remote30Satisfaction74- Agricultural Systems Design
- Irrigation Engineering
- Environmental Compliance
- CAD
Industrial Designer
$83,910Design the physical products people use every day, balancing form, function, and manufacturability.
- Middle half of workers
- $66,450 to $109,050
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 2,500
Work-life38Remote63- Product Design
- CAD Modeling
- Prototyping
- User Research
Related majors
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Where these pay figures come from
Early and mid-career pay is the median annual wage of full-time workers who hold a bachelor's degree in that major, ages 22 to 27 and ages 35 to 45, from 2024 data. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (IPUMS). Published as Outcomes by Major by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.