Career Outlook
More than 1.2 million engineers work in the United
States today, making engineering the nation's second-largest
profession. According to a survey by the National Association
of Colleges and Employers, engineering majors have the
highest starting salaries of the graduating class of
2005.
Salaries for chemical engineering graduates, who earn
$53,639, are up 2.1% from last year. Civil engineering
graduates posted a stronger increase of 4.1%, raising
their average offer to $43,774. Computer engineering
graduates saw a 1.8 percent increase to their average
salary offer, raising it to $52,242, and electrical
engineering grads received a 1.3 percent increase, bumping
their average offer to $51,773. The average salary offer
to mechanical engineering graduates rose by 3.3 percent,
pushing the average offer to $50,175. In general, starting
pay for engineering majors averages at $49,672.
An engineering degree also opens doors to other careers.
Many engineering graduates have moved into other professions
such as medicine, law, and business where their engineering
background has been a valuable asset.
Women & Engineering
Today, women comprise 19 percent of first-year engineering
students. Women are attracted to engineering in growing
numbers for the same reasons the field draws men: It
promises challenging, interesting work and high pay.
In recent years, universities and industries have increased
their efforts to welcome women into engineering.
For more information on women in engineering, contact
the Society
of Women Engineers.
For historical information on women in engineering,
see:
Minorities & Engineering
Ever since a 1970s study by the National Science Foundation
showed that minorities (with the exception of Asian
Americans) were vastly underrepresented in engineering,
the profession has made efforts to recruit minorities.
Various programs now exist to acquaint minority students
and their families and teachers with the field as well
as to mentor and support minority engineering students.
Though the rates of enrollment have shot up, actual
numbers of minority engineers are still low.
For more information on programs for minority engineering
students, contact:
For historical information on minorities in engineering,
see:
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