Manufacturing Engineers

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.

$101,140
Median Annual Pay
Jobs growth:
+11% projected 2024โ€“2034
Bachelor's degree
Typical Entry-Level Education

What They Do

Manufacturing engineers work at the intersection of design and production, solving complex problems to make products easier and more cost-effective to build. They spend their days analyzing production processes, identifying bottlenecks, and developing solutions that improve efficiency while maintaining quality standards. This might involve redesigning how a factory floor is laid out, selecting new equipment and machinery, or creating detailed specifications for assembly procedures. They frequently collaborate with product designers to modify designs that are difficult or expensive to manufacture, suggesting changes that maintain functionality while reducing production costs.

Programs That Prepare You

College programs linked to this occupation, ranked by graduate earnings

Engineering-Related Fields(doctoral)George Washington University, DC
$162,693
Systems Engineering(masters)Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA
$151,271
Engineering-Related Fields(masters)Northwestern University, IL
$144,879
Systems Engineering(masters)Johns Hopkins University, MD
$135,107
Engineering-Related Fields(masters)Stanford University, CA
$133,371
Industrial Engineering(masters)University of Washington-Seattle Campus, WA
$132,568
Industrial Engineering(masters)Clemson University, SC
$128,988
Engineering-Related Fields(masters)Wayne State University, MI
$128,271
Engineering-Related Fields(masters)Washington State University, WA
$127,541
Engineering-Related Fields(masters)George Washington University, DC
$127,408
Systems Engineering(masters)Boston University, MA
$127,141
Systems Engineering(masters)Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA
$127,141
Engineering-Related Fields(masters)Tufts University, MA
$123,639
Engineering-Related Fields(masters)Temple University, PA
$123,016
Systems Engineering(masters)University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, MI
$122,914
Engineering-Related Fields(masters)University of Kansas, KS
$122,538
Engineering-Related Fields(masters)Texas A&M University-College Station, TX
$120,911
Engineering-Related Fields(masters)University of Central Florida, FL
$120,323
Systems Engineering(masters)George Washington University, DC
$119,258
Systems Engineering(masters)Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus, GA
$118,944
Manufacturing Engineering(masters)Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus, GA
$118,763
Systems Engineering(masters)University of Southern California, CA
$118,363
Systems Engineering(masters)Cornell University, NY
$117,455
Systems Engineering(masters)George Mason University, VA
$117,239
Manufacturing Engineering(masters)Southern Methodist University, TX
$115,893

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