GROWTH IN ENGINEERING DEGREES BY DISCIPLINE, 2014–2018
By Charles Stuppard
Reprinted from ASEE Connections
From 2014 to 2018, the total number of engineering degrees awarded increased by 32 percent. Computer Science (inside Engineering), Computer Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, and Civil/ Environmental Engineering increased more than any other discipline over that period; respectively, they’ve grown by 86 percent, 69 percent, 58 percent, and 51 percent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics “Employment outlook for engineering occupations to 2024” lists Environmental Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, and Civil Engineering as three out of the five occupations with the best employment outlook1. With the continued expansion of specializations within the tech industry, the number of Computer Science (inside Engineering) and Computer Engineering graduates is expected to grow rapidly.
Although most Engineering disciplines experienced growth from 2014–2018, four disciplines did not. The number of graduate and undergraduate degrees slightly declined for both Nuclear Engineering and Civil Engineering. Mining decreased by 24 percent at the undergraduate level, yet increased 24 percent at the graduate level; Biological Engineering & Agricultural Engineering increased 35 percent at the undergraduate level, yet decreased 11 percent at the graduate level.
Overall, undergraduate degrees have grown by 37 percent with Computer Science (inside Engineering), Computer Engineering, and Petroleum Engineering growing by 104 percent, 83 percent, and 70 percent, respectively. Graduate degrees, including Master’s and Doctoral programs, have grown by 24 percent. Civil/ Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, and Engineering (General) increased the most by 75 percent, 63 percent, and 50 percent, respectively.
Tables 1 and 2 show the undergraduate and graduate growth by discipline from 2014-2018.
Charles Stuppard is a data analyst in ASEE’s Institutional Research & Analytics Department.
1Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Employment Outlook for Engineering Occupations to 2024. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/employment-outlook-for-engineering-occupations-to-2024.htm
