What Careers are Available with a Master’s in Engineering?

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Before you enroll in classes to earn your master's in engineering, it is important to set aside time to decide what you plan on doing with your degree when you are out of school. Engineering degrees have been selected as one of the best majors to select when attending graduate school for quite some time now. With the demand for engineers in various fields and various industries, both public and private, on the rise, it is no surprise that more and more students are challenging themselves to go for their master's degree. If you would like to know just what your options will be when you hold a Master's in a major in the field of Engineering, read on to learn about some of the most popular career paths graduates take.

Petroleum Engineers Are High in Demand

If you major in Petroleum Engineering, you will have the educational background that you need to land employment as a petroleum engineer. These engineers design methods to retrieve natural gas and oil from under the Earth's surface. They also oversee the production of oil or work in universities or labs conducting research. Petroleum engineers receive extremely high salaries based on their level of experience and education. With a Master's degree, professionals in the field average $98,595 per year.

Career Options in Electrical Engineering

Another path that you can go is to work in electrical engineering. Professionals in this area of the discipline design and build electrical equipment and devices as well as test products to ensure that they are running at an optimum level of performance. When you possess a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, you are qualified to apply for several different positions that all play a different role in the development or improvement of a product. Some of the job titles that you can hold with your Master's include: research engineer, design engineer, project engineer, test engineer, system engineer, and application engineer. It is important to discover more about the phase each engineer works in to decide which path is right for you.

Career Options in Civil Engineering

Civil engineering has been around for decades, and in this professional branch of the field, professionals will design and oversee the construction of structures, roads, bridges and other systems. While there are positions for people who carry an associate's or a bachelor's degree, most public and private sector companies are looking for professionals who have taken the time to complete a master's degree program in civil engineering. Once you hold this degree, you can find jobs in construction management, structural engineering, development planning and design. You also have the option to work in research where you will develop new project ideas and write plans.

Many sub-specialties in engineering exist so you will need to really sit back and decide which specialty interests you the most before attending a graduate school. You need to take the time to select a program that will give you all of all of the knowledge that you need to enter the field and to succeed. You should also take time to find a college with accreditation that is well respected by employers in the specialty. Once you do all of this, you will be able to choose the right master's in engineering program.

Also see:

Top 10 Best Online Masters in Computer Science Degrees