Careers Finding a Job Engineering Careers: Job Options, Job Titles, and Descriptions Print Hero Images / Getty Images Finding a Job Job Searching Career Advice Skills & Keywords Resumes Salary & Benefits Letters & Emails Job Listings Job Interviews Cover Letters Best Jobs Work-From-Home Jobs Internships Table of Contents Expand Engineer Educational Requirements Engineering Job Titles and Position Descriptions Aerospace Engineer Biomedical Engineer Chemical Engineer Civil Engineer Electrical Engineer Environmental Engineer Industrial Engineer Mechanical Engineer Software / Hardware Engineers Engineering Technician By Alison Doyle Updated on 03/22/22 Engineering is a broad work category that refers to jobs that use science and mathematics to solve a variety of problems. Engineers work in disciplines that include mechanical, electrical, chemical, civil, and environmental engineering, among others. Because engineering is such a broad field, there are many engineering job titles. Read below for an extensive list of engineering job titles, and a description of what the job involves. But before you get started, find out if engineering is the career that's right for you. Engineer Educational Requirements Most engineer positions require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a field of engineering related to the job. However, certain positions only require an associate degree or specialized apprenticeship training; these include roles like boiler engineers, stationary engineers, and welding engineers. Engineer positions pay well, and many engineering jobs have a strong job outlook. Engineering Job Titles and Position Descriptions Below is a list of some of the most common engineering job titles, as well as a description of each. For more information about each job title, check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook. Aerospace Engineer Aerospace engineers design aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missile systems. They also analyze, design, and test prototypes to make sure that they function according to design. Related job titles: Aerospace EngineerMaterials EngineerReliability EngineerResearch and Development Engineer Salary: The 2020 median pay for aerospace engineers was $118,610 per year. Biomedical Engineer Biomedical engineers work in both the biological and medical sciences. They design, create, and improve a number of solutions related to health care. These might include medical equipment like MRI machines, healthcare computer systems, or medical innovations like prosthetics and artificial organs. Related job titles: Biological EngineerBiomedical EngineerQuality Assurance EngineerQuality Control EngineerQuality EngineerR&D Engineer Salary: The 2020 median pay for biomedical engineers was $92,620 per year. Chemical Engineer Chemical engineers work with physics, mathematics, and biology to solve problems related to a variety of substances. They design and implement systems that control how substances interact with one another. They also create processes to improve products ranging from fuel to food to medications. Related job titles: Chemical EngineerMetallurgical EngineerMining EngineerPetroleum EngineerPlastics Engineer Salary: The 2020 median pay for chemical engineers was $108,540 per year. Civil Engineer Civil engineers plan, design, build, and maintain various structures. These might include roads, buildings, bridges, or systems for water or sewage treatment. They often spend time outdoors managing a construction site. Related job titles: Chief EngineerCivil EngineerCommissioning EngineerConstruction EngineerContract EngineerDrilling EngineerFire Protection EngineerPiping EngineerPiping Stress EngineerPlanning EngineerReservoir EngineerStructural EngineerWelding Engineer Salary: The 2020 median pay for civil engineers was $88,570 per year. Electrical Engineer Electrical engineers and electronics engineers design, develop, and manage the manufacturing of electrical and electronic equipment. These include equipment such as GPS systems, lighting systems, robotics, remote-controlled systems, and more. Related job titles: Electrical Design EngineerElectrical EngineerElectrical Field EngineerElectro-Mechanical EngineerElectronics Engineer (non-computer)Instrumentation EngineerI&C EngineerProduct Design / Development EngineerProduct EngineerRadio Frequency (RF) EngineerSCADA EngineerSenior Electrical EngineerSubstation EngineerTransmission EngineerTransmission Planning Engineer Salary: The 2020 median pay for electrical and electronics engineers was $103,390 per year. Environmental Engineer Environmental engineers work in the biological, chemical, and environmental sciences to solve problems related to the environment. They might develop and implement systems related to waste disposal, water and air pollution control, farming operations, or public health. They typically work for the federal, state, or local government, or for a consulting service. Related job titles: Agricultural EngineerEnvironmental EngineerEnvironmental Compliance EngineerEnvironmental Health & Safety EngineerGeological EngineerHealth & Safety EngineerMining Safety EngineerProtection EngineerSafety Engineer Salary: The 2020 median pay for environmental engineers was $92,120 per year. Industrial Engineer Industrial engineers work to improve processes or systems. They strive to eliminate waste, including wasted time, money, materials, energy, or other resources. They might work for a manufacturing plant, or work as consultants. Related job titles: Compliance EngineerComponent EngineerControls EngineerCost EngineerDesign EngineerFacilities EngineerIndustrial EngineerLogistics EngineerMaintenance EngineerManufacturing EngineerNuclear EngineerOperations EngineerPackaging EngineerPerformance EngineerPlant EngineerProcess Control EngineerProcess Design EngineerProcess EngineerProduction EngineerProject Controls EngineerProject EngineerProposal Engineering CoordinatorSales EngineerSenior Manufacturing EngineerSenior Process Engineer Salary: The 2020 median pay for industrial engineers was $88,950 per year. Mechanical Engineer Mechanical engineers study motion, energy, and force to develop various solutions for mechanical systems. They often develop and improve small systems like sensors, or larger systems like machine tools. Related job titles: Automotive EngineerBoiler EngineerCeramics EngineerEquipment EngineerHigh-Pressure EngineerMarine EngineerMechanical Design EngineerMechanical EngineerNaval ArchitectPipeline EngineerPower EngineerRotating Equipment EngineerSenior Mechanical EngineerTurbine EngineerValidation Engineer Salary: The 2020 median pay for mechanical engineers was $90,160 per year. Software / Hardware Engineers Hardware and software engineers design and create hardware and software systems for computers. They utilize math, science, engineering, and design techniques, and frequently have to test and evaluate their own systems as well as software built by other people. Related job titles: Application EngineerComputer Hardware EngineerComputer Software EngineerFirmware EngineerFrontend EngineerHardware EngineerNetwork EngineerSecurity EngineerSoftware EngineerTechnical Support EngineerTelecommunications EngineerTest EngineerUser Interface (UI) Engineer Salary: The 2020 median pay for software developers was $110,140 per year; for computer hardware engineers, $119,560 per year. Software engineers are expected to see much faster job growth than average over the next 10 years: 22% vs. 8% for all occupations. Computer hardware engineers should see slower than average growth of 2% during the same time period. Engineering Technician For all of the job titles listed above, there are also corresponding engineering technician jobs. Engineering technicians work under the supervision of an engineer. They might help draw up designs, implement a design, or improve systems. Generally, an engineering technician does not require as much education and experience as an engineer. They need at least an associate degree. Related job titles: Drafting TechnicianEngineering AideEngineering ClerkEngineering SecretaryEngineering TechnicianField Service EngineerProject AssistantStaff EngineerStaking EngineerStationery Engineer Salary: Median pay is typically lower for technicians than it is for engineers. For example, the 2020 median annual pay for civil engineering technicians was $54,080 compared to $88,570 for civil engineers. Key Takeaways Engineering is a broad discipline with many job titles and areas of focus, including civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and software development.Most engineering careers require at least a bachelor’s degree, although a few technician jobs require an associate degree or apprenticeship.Engineering jobs tend to pay well and offer a solid occupational outlook; nearly all job titles in this field are projected to grow more quickly than the average.