Career-PathGPS
← All education and training
Career

Manufacturing Engineers

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeHigh pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $102,440 Median per year · $49.25/hr Most earn $74,370–$159,860

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
  • Evaluate manufactured products according to specifications and quality standards.
  • Design tests of finished products or process capabilities to establish standards or validate process requirements.
  • Evaluate current or proposed manufacturing processes or practices for environmental sustainability, considering factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, water pollution, energy use, or waste creation.
  • Train production personnel in new or existing methods.
  • Design, install, or troubleshoot manufacturing equipment.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
12% more jobs by 2035, much faster than average · about 23,100 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Aerospace product and parts manufacturing7.1%
  • Engineering services5.8%
  • Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing5.5%
  • Machinery manufacturing5.0%
  • Fabricated metal product manufacturing4.6%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Manufacturing engineering is not usually a straight-from-school job. Most people earn a bachelor's degree, then spend about 1 to 2 years in a related entry-level engineering role before moving into this career, so plan on roughly 5 to 6 years from starting college.

  1. Bachelor's degree in engineering (mechanical, industrial, or manufacturing)

    4 years

    You learn the math, physics, and design skills that manufacturing engineering is built on, and internships or co-ops during school help you get your first engineering job.

  2. Process Engineer

    1-2 years

    In an entry-level role you help run and improve production steps, learn how real factories work, and build the experience employers look for.

  3. Manufacturing Engineer

    Career goal

    You design, set up, and improve the systems and processes that make products, and you work with product designers to make products easier and cheaper to build.

Where it can lead

  1. Industrial Production Manager

    2-4 years of experience first

    You move from engineering work into leading production teams, budgets, and plant operations, which usually takes a few years of hands-on manufacturing experience and strong leadership skills.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take advanced math and physicsCalculus and physics are the foundation for any engineering degree, and they make college coursework much easier.
  • Join a robotics or engineering clubBuilding and testing machines teaches you how things are made and how to fix them when they break.
  • Take a drafting, CAD, or shop classLearning to read technical drawings and use design software gives you a head start on the tools manufacturing engineers use every day.
  • Look for a summer job at a factory or machine shopSeeing how a production line runs day to day gives you real context for what manufacturing engineers improve.
  • Volunteer for a science or engineering fairEntering a project and presenting it builds problem-solving and communication skills that you will use in engineering work.

In college

  • Major in mechanical, industrial, or manufacturing engineeringThese majors cover the core design, materials, and production topics that manufacturing engineers need, and they lead directly to the typical bachelor's degree.
  • Take courses in manufacturing processes, quality control, or lean methodsClasses on how products are made and how to improve them match the daily work of this career closely.
  • Complete a co-op or internship at a manufacturing companyHands-on production experience is what often covers the 1 to 2 years of prior work employers typically expect.
  • Join a professional society student chapterGroups for manufacturing or industrial engineers offer networking, competitions, and connections to employers.
  • Consider an entry-level certification such as Lean Six Sigma Green BeltA short certification shows employers you understand process improvement, and it can strengthen your résumé before you graduate.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask about co-op or internship programs when choosing a college, since real factory experience is one of the strongest things you can bring to your first job.
  • Get comfortable with CAD software and basic shop skills early; they show up in almost every manufacturing engineering job ad.
  • Join a student engineering or robotics group, where you practice teamwork and hands-on problem solving that employers value.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

  • Industrial Engineering Bachelor's degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $77,946 a year · typical debt $20,824
  • Engineering-Related Fields Bachelor's degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $75,934 a year · typical debt $23,250
  • Systems Engineering Bachelor's degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $78,987 a year · typical debt $19,500
  • Manufacturing Engineering Bachelor's degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $76,612 a year · typical debt $19,823

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

Related careers