Mechanical engineers help develop, build, and improve machines. In this major, you learn how machines work and about the energy needed to make them run. Mechanical Engineers are the people responsible for imagining and building machine tools, manufacturing equipment, vehicles and more. You will learn what makes planes fly and the physics that is involved in roller coasters. This major will allow you to discover the secrets behind mechanical devices.
Every school will have different requirements, but some courses you can expect to come across include: circuits and electronics, chemistry, statistics, dynamics, differential equations, thermodynamics, materials science, principle of design, principles of engineering, and fluid mechanics and aerodynamics.
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Mechanical Engineering Degrees Trends
#21Most Popular Major
44.8kDegrees Awarded
239Schools Offering Degrees
Mechanical Engineering was the 21st most popular major in the 2021-2022 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 44,794 degrees in this year alone.
This year's Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking compares 321 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of me programs later in this article.
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What Are The Requirements For a Degree in Mechanical Engineering
If you are creative and like to design and build unique pieces of machinery this will be a great major for you. You must be willing to think outside the box while being precise and having attention to detail. This will help when you start to make new discoveries as you address complex problems. You will rely heavily on your math skills and apply these advanced topics of mathematics to help analyze and design your work.
Students will spend a good deal of time working on group projects, studying in the library or writing up lab reports and research papers. Most schools will require you work a co-op, so it may take you five years as undergraduate student to graduate instead of typical four years. This so you can learn the mechanical skills necessary to join the workforce and tackle real world problems.
ADBLOCK #171
Getting Accepted Into a Mechanical Engineering Program
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 mechanical engineering program qualifications, to serve in some me careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.
Types of Mechanical Engineering Degrees
There are many different me degree levels. Mechanical Engineering programs offered by schools range from a to a , which is the highest me degree you can get. How long it takes to complete some common me degree levels is shown below.
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 me, with approximately 56.7% of workers getting one. People currently working in careers related to me tend obtained the following education levels.
Level of Education
Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree
61.0%
Master’s Degree
18.8%
Doctoral Degree
8.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)
3.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
3.1%
ADBLOCK #172
Most workers in me have at least a bachelor's degree. The chart below shows what degree level those who work in mechanical engineering have obtained.
This of course varies depending on which me career you choose.
ME Careers
AverageNumber of Jobs
$73kAverage Starting Salary
9% GrowthJob Outlook 2016-26
This major will allow you to work in broad variety of fields. You could work with many diverse employers from NASA to large power plants to the biomedical field to environmental control to transportation. You could design tiny measuring instruments, large aircraft carriers or power plants.
It will be easier for you to obtain a job if you have experience with new software and recent technology.
Solid Growth Projected for ME Careers
Want a job when you graduate with your me degree? Mechanical Engineering careers are expected to grow 8.6% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to mechanical engineering.
Occupation Name
Projected Jobs
Expected Growth
Mechanical Engineers
314,100
8.8%
Cost Estimators
240,800
10.5%
Architectural and Engineering Managers
190,000
5.5%
Aerospace Engineers
73,800
6.0%
Engineering Professors
54,600
14.7%
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How Much Money Do People With a ME Degree Make?
Recently graduated mechanical engineering students earned an average of $73,017 in <nil>. Earnings can range from as low as $35,250 to as high as $155,889. As you might expect, salaries for me graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
High Paying Careers for ME Majors
Salaries for mechanical engineering graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers me grads often go into.
Occupation Name
Median Average Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers
$148,970
Aerospace Engineers
$117,100
Engineering Professors
$113,680
Mechanical Engineers
$92,800
Cost Estimators
$69,710
ADBLOCK #173
Getting Your Mechanical Engineering Degree
With over 915 different me 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 me school rankings to help you with this.
by our College Data Analytics Team
