Regardless of specialty, the engineering field offers job opportunities at the associate, undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. levels. Although degree choices influence base pay rates, they do not limit individuals’ career choices.
Graduates at any level can pursue careers in any of the general or specialized areas of manufacturing engineering. SUNY Jefferson is advancing women in Engineering. To learn more, check out the following video.
Basic Degree Categories of Study
The field of manufacturing engineering and the categories of study within this field are broken down into three basic categories. These categories include product innovation and management, manufacturing operations management, and manufacturing systems and operations research.
Choosing which path of study to complete determines the level of engineering that a student will later pursue in his or her graduate work. It also breaks down engineering class options into more focused, specified areas of study that branch off from the more generalized course selections.
Undergraduate Degree Options
Although most schools require students to obtain at least their undergraduate degrees in order to pursue an advanced engineering or Business Administration degree, some technical schools offer two-year programs for students to earn their associate’s degree in engineering.
A two-year degree in Engineering, as offered by SUNY Jefferson Community College, will qualify the graduate for a limited number of lower-level engineering jobs, mainly at the technical level. By earning at least a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, however, an individual is qualified to work in any number of engineering positions and can also qualify for engineering careers at the managerial level.
Earning a Master’s Degree
When considering a Master’s degree in engineering, it is often beneficial to check into programs that are willing to count work experience as class credits. Additionally, some schools are also willing to count undergraduate hours for graduate credits. In these cases, schools generally only require 30 hours of coursework rather than the traditional 36 hours. But first, you’ll have to make it into college.
By earning a Master’s degree, graduates will be able to update skills, catch up with technological advances, and qualify for higher wages than coworkers who only have a Bachelor’s degree. For most individuals working in the engineering industry, obtaining a Master’s degree is an opportunity to move their careers forward to the next level.
Earning a Doctoral Degree
Many individuals working on a manufacturing engineering degree choose to move forward by earning a Ph.D. These programs are highly competitive and acceptance can sometimes be difficult but in today’s global Brain Race, they are utterly important. Most Ph.D. programs are research-intensive and focus mainly on design and development in the manufacturing industry.
They also include an in-depth study of composition, structure, and processing of materials, as well as the application of these concepts within specific areas of manufacturing. Individuals who choose to earn their Ph.D. usually go on to research and development areas of manufacturing or choose to go into high-level management.
With the availability of so many options for individuals seeking a manufacturing engineering degree, there is no limit to career options and job choices. However, individuals who continue to move ahead and work at higher degrees are better able to stay abreast of the latest technological advancements and make themselves more marketable as employees.
Engineering Fields
Engineering fields include architecture and electrical, civil, mechanical, chemical and computer engineering, along with related subfields. From 2015 to 2025, the number of U.S. bachelor’s degrees in engineering fell considerably, and probably financing study plays a role as well.
“The U.S. has traditionally been the leader in engineering technology, so to maintain that lead, we’re certainly not where we need to be,” says Al Gray of the National Society of Professional Engineers. “China and India are graduating probably eight to 10 times the engineering graduates the U.S. is.”