Chapter 3: A Statistical Profile of Engineering Profession

3.1 Statistical Overview

  • Purpose: to understand better the engineering field through key metrics and trends.
  • Core questions addressed:
    • How many people study Engineering? (enrolment levels)
    • What are their majors? (disciplinary breakdown)
    • What is the job market for engineers like? (employment trends, demand)
    • How much do engineers earn? (salaries, starting salaries, earning potential)
    • How many women and minorities are studying engineering? (diversity in the pipeline)
    • How many practicing engineers are there in the United States? (stock of professionals)

3.2 College Enrolment Trend of Engineers

  • Enrolment depends on the pool of high school graduates in a given year.
  • Long-run effect is linked to the number of births about 18 years earlier (lead-lag relationship).
  • Implication: fluctuations in births and HS enrollments drive engineering enrolment trends over time.
  • Figure reference: Births in the U.S., 1960-2014 (Figure 3.2). Source: U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2015.

3.3 College Majors of Recent Engineering Students

  • 2013 enrolment snapshot:
    • 540{,}000 students were majoring in one of the undergraduate engineering disciplines.
    • 164{,}000 pursued Graduate Engineering degrees.
  • Largest undergraduate cohort: Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).
  • Next largest cohorts: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
  • Other engineering disciplines: 106{,}000 students.
  • Pre-engineering programs: 14{,}000 students.

3.1 (Table 3.1) Fall 2013 Engineering Enrolments by Broad Disciplinary Groups

  • Total (All Undergrad): 540,161540{,}161
  • Undergrad by major group totals (illustrative):
    • Electrical and Disciplines: 147,489147{,}489
    • Computer: 139,704139{,}704
    • Mechanical and Aerospace: 63,73863{,}738
    • Environmental: 49,47949{,}479
    • Civil and Industrial, Chemical and Manufacturing, & Petroleum: 19,35619{,}356
    • Management: 106,553106{,}553
    • All Other Disciplines: 13,84213{,}842
  • Full-Time Undergrad: 496,537496{,}537
  • Part-Time Undergrad: 43,62443{,}624
  • Yearly breakdown for Full-Time Undergrad:
    • First Year: 123,877123{,}877
    • Second Year: 108,304108{,}304
    • Third Year: 108,197108{,}197
    • Fourth Year: 144,262144{,}262
    • Fifth Year: 11,89711{,}897
  • Master’s (MS) students:
    • Full Time: 61,30761{,}307
    • Part Time: 37,29937{,}299
    • Total MS: 98,60698{,}606
  • Ph.D. students:
    • Full Time: 56,63256{,}632
    • Part Time: 8,5418{,}541
    • Total Ph.D.: 65,17365{,}173
  • Graduates (Totals):
    • Full-Time Grads: 117,939117{,}939
    • Part-Time Grads: 45,84045{,}840
    • Total Grads: 163,779163{,}779
  • Notes: Source is the Engineering Workforce Commission of the American Association of Engineering Societies; Table 3.1.

3.4 Engineering Degrees

  • Figure 3.4: Engineering Degrees, 1983-2014, by degree level.
  • Key interpretation:
    • There is a close correlation between enrolment and degrees earned over time.
    • When the job market improves, more BS degrees are pursued (and vice versa).
  • Overall takeaway: degree production tracks enrolment patterns and reflects labor market conditions.

3.2/3.3 ME and CS parity note (Table 3.2)

  • Table 3.2 observation: More Mechanical Engineering (ME) graduates from 2006 onward than Electrical Engineering (EE) or Computer Engineering graduates.
  • Implication: shifts in popularity among engineering majors can reflect market signals, program capacity, and student interests.

3.5 Job Placement Trends

  • Figure 3.5 summarizes engineering job placements over time.
  • Historical highlights:
    • Hottest job market in roughly 30 years during 1994–2001.
    • Sharp downturn in 2002–2003 (~50% decline) linked to the 9/11 impact on the economy.
    • Recovery from 2004–2008, followed by another downturn with the 2008–2009 financial crisis.
    • 2010–2011: renewed increase in job openings; last 3 years show more opportunities; overall trend is positive.
  • Overall: prefer to choose the right job rather than chasing market peaks; the market has shown resilience but is cyclical.

3.6 Unemployment and Salaries (General Trends)

  • Figure 3.6 compares unemployment rates: engineering vs. general population (1990–2015).
  • Unemployment benchmarks:
    • Engineering unemployment rate was 3.5% in 1994 and 1.3% in 2001.
    • 2008 unemployment: about 3.3%; 2010 around 6%.
    • Engineering unemployment generally below the general population across the period.
    • Since 2011, unemployment rates have trended down (improvement).

3.3/3.6 Salaries of Engineers (Tables 3.3 and 3.4)

  • Table 3.3: Salaries of Engineers
    • Core takeaway: engineers do better than most other graduates; Computer Scientists often have the highest starting salaries among all fields.
  • Table 3.4: Starting Salary and long-term earning potential
    • Starting salaries: Petroleum Engineers rank highest due to smaller graduate pools and specialized demand.
    • Long-term earning potential for engineers is very high, reflecting accumulation of experience and senior positions.

3.5/3.6 Salary Distribution by Curriculum and Employers (Table 3.5A/3.5B)

  • 2016 starting salaries by curriculum and employer type (bachelor’s level):
    • Representative figures (illustrative subset):
    • Aerospace / Aeronautical Engineering to Manufacturing sectors: around mid $60k to high $60k range depending on employer.
    • Electrical / Electronics Engineering: frequently in the upper $60k to mid $70k range depending on employer type.
    • Computer Science: often in the mid to high $70k range; some sectors paying higher (e.g., Information sector) approaching or exceeding $70k.
    • Chemical Engineering / Chemical & Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: typically in the low to mid $60k–$70k range, varying with employer type.
    • Civil Engineering: commonly around the mid $60k–$70k range with Construction and Engineering Services employers.
    • Industrial / Manufacturing Engineering and Materials Engineering: ranges around high $60k to mid $60k–$70k depending on employer type.
    • 2016 Master’s degree starting salaries (Information sector, Engineering Services, etc.) show higher values in many cases compared with bachelor’s, with notable figures such as:
    • Information: around 67,00067{,}000
    • Computer & Electronics Manufacturing: in the upper $70k–$90k range depending on occupation and sector (e.g., $86{,}333$ to $93{,}000$ cited for select paths).
    • Oil & Gas Extraction: high starting figures relative to other sectors (examples in the $80k–$90k+ range in some lines).
  • Table 3.5B defines employer-type categories and provides the 2016 salary breakdown by field and employer type; definitions of employer types include:
    • Construction: construction of buildings and engineering projects (highways, utilities, etc.).
    • Engineering Services: engineering design, development, and utilization of machines, structures, processes.
    • Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate: financial services and related consulting.
    • The Information sector: production/distribution of information and data processing.
    • Management of Companies and Enterprises: holding securities or managing corporate entities.
    • Manufacturing: transformation of materials into products.
    • Mining, Quarrying, and Oil & Gas Extraction: natural resource extraction.
    • Professional Services: specialized technical activities (engineering, accounting, architectural, etc.).
    • Utilities: electric power, natural gas, water, etc.

3.7 Diversity of the Profession

  • Historical pattern: engineering was dominated by White males for many years.
  • Current trend: participation of women and minorities is increasing, but growth rates are slow.
  • Table 3.9 highlights: Women in engineering programs around 20%; Minorities around 15%.
  • Noted concern: figures have been dropping in the past few years, despite ongoing efforts to diversify.

3.8 Distribution of Engineers by Field of Study

  • Figure 3.13 (summary of distribution in 2015):
    • Highest numbers in Electrical Engineering (EE) ~277,000−281,000277{,}000-281{,}000 (approximate interpretation from the source).
    • Civil and Mechanical Engineering also have very large counts, around 277,000277{,}000 each in the cited range.
    • Smallest counts observed in Agriculture (≈2,9002{,}900), Marine/Naval (≈8,3008{,}300), and Mining (≈8,3008{,}300).
  • Interpretation: EE, Civil, and Mechanical are the dominant fields by number of practicing engineers, with relatively small pools in some specialty areas.

3.9 Engineering Employment by Type of Employer (Table 3.10)

  • 2015 data (Bureau of Labor Statistics):
    • 34% of Engineering and Related Sciences employment was in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (includes Engineering Services and related fields).
    • ~22% in information-related occupations.
    • ~8% employed at Federal, State, and Local government levels.
    • Other notable groups include defense, transportation, agriculture, interior, energy, aeronautics, space (NASA), and state/local public works.
    • Hiring patterns also cut across manufacturing, communications, utilities, and computer industries.
  • Interpretation: the engineering workforce is distributed across a range of sectors, with a substantial share in services and information-intensive industries.

3.10 Percent of Students Unemployed or in Graduate School

  • Historical trend: graduate engineering enrollment increased from 1970 to 1992, then declined into 2000, then rose again 2001–2011 to about 168,000168{,}000 graduate enrollees.
  • Job market context: 2002–2011 saw a tighter job market for BS graduates, contributing to higher graduate school enrollment.
  • Current takeaway: unemployment rate for new engineering graduates tends to be lower than other fields; improvement in the economy is expected to reduce graduate enrollment pressures over time.

Conclusions

  • The current job market for graduating engineers is encouraging, suggesting a potential decrease in the share choosing to pursue graduate programs.
  • Ongoing issues for graduates include the need to develop deep competencies beyond the degree (e.g., critical thinking, problem-solving, communication).
  • Michigan State University studies emphasize that having just a degree may not be sufficient; emphasis on developing broader, transferable skills is important for long-term success.

Quiz (from transcript)

  • 1) Which of the following is cited as the primary factor influencing why engineering enrollments have fluctuated so greatly over the last few decades?
    • 1) Demand for engineers in U.S. industry
    • 2) Number of births in a given year
    • 3) Rigor found in engineering education
    • 4) Number of high school graduates in a given year
  • 2) True or False? The percentage of women amongst all students earning engineering degrees currently is about 40%
  • 3) As of 2007, which of the following engineering branches is not in the top among numbers of practicing engineers in the U.S.?
    • 1) Civil engineering
    • 2) Computer engineering
    • 3) Electrical engineering
    • 4) Mechanical engineering
  • 4) When employers state that they want engineering graduates to have the “total package,” which of the following types of skills is not included in that “total package”?
    • 1) Leadership
    • 2) Computer proficiency
    • 3) Work experience
    • 4) Strong communication skills