by our College Data Analytics TeamEngineering Design was the 991st most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 115 degrees in this year alone. This represents a 21.7% increase in engineering design degrees awarded over the prior year's total of 90.
Our 2023 Best Engineering Design Schools ranking analyzes 2 of these schools to determine the best overall colleges for engineering design students. Explore this or one of our many other custom engineering design rankings further below.
Engineering Design majors are found most commonly in careers in which understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents is important. Required skills include 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 and talking to others to convey information effectively.
New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. In addition to these basic engineering design program qualifications, to serve in some engineering design careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.
Engineering Design degree levels vary. Engineering Design programs offered by schools range from a to a , which is the highest engineering design degree you can get. Depending on the engineering design degree you choose, obtaining your diploma can take anwhere from 1 to 4+ years.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to engineering design, with approximately 44.7% of workers getting one. People currently working in careers related to engineering design tend obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 51.5% |
| Master’s Degree | 17.0% |
| Doctoral Degree | 11.2% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 5.6% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 4.8% |
About 92.8% of workers in careers related to engineering design obtain at least bachelor's degrees. View the chart below to get an idea of what degree level most of those in engineering design careers have.
This of course varies depending on which engineering design career you choose.
Want a job when you graduate with your engineering design degree? Engineering Design careers are expected to grow 7.1% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to engineering design.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 190,000 | 5.5% |
| Engineers | 141,000 | 6.4% |
| Engineering Professors | 54,600 | 14.7% |
As you might expect, salaries for engineering design graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for engineering design graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers engineering design grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $148,970 |
| Engineering Professors | $113,680 |
| Engineers | $99,410 |
With over 13 different engineering design degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased engineering design school rankings to help you with this.
Engineering Design is one of 3 different types of Engineering-Related Fields programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Industrial & Management Engineering | 6,063 |
| Packaging Science | 420 |
| Other Engineering-Related Fields | 138 |
