Pursue Careers With Purpose
Engineers and computer scientists serve the common good by solving some of society’s toughest problems. That means engineers are needed everywhere, in all industries, providing creative solutions with their math and science problem-solving skills. Whether building smart cities, developing renewable energy sources, exploring new materials for construction or manufacturing, designing systems for self-driving cars, 3D printing new metals for rocket engines, keeping our water clean, or protecting the nation’s infrastructure from cybersecurity threats—engineers and computer scientists have exciting careers in industry or academia developing technologies that serve humankind.
A degree in engineering or computer science from Tennessee Tech is an opportunity to pursue a career with purpose. It starts with choosing a major that aligns with your interests and values, but it doesn’t end there. Building a career is a lifelong process of growing your skillset through hands-on experience and interdisciplinary education while building a professional network. With more than 30 student organizations, competitive teams, and clubs—combined with our robust co-op and internship programs and a vast alumni network—the College of Engineering provides opportunities to build your network while getting the kind of real-life experience employers are looking for. Tech is home to the largest STEM career fair in the southeast, with more than 120 employers attending every spring—and the companies and agencies that hire our graduates say that Tech grads are career-ready, making them highly sought after.
Plus, our students graduate with the highest early career salaries and least amount of debt of all public universities in Tennessee, according to Payscale and U.S. News & World Report, respectively. While a career is more than a paycheck, a degree from Tech is a financial head start.
- Companies That Hire Our Graduates
By the time they earn their undergraduate degree, our engineering students often already have experience under their belts—through internships and co-ops, industry- and alumni-sponsored capstone projects, and undergraduate research. The College of Engineering’s reputation for “career-ready” graduates supported by faculty with excellent industry and government relationships is the secret to our success in bringing more than 120 employers to campus each spring for our STEM career fair—the largest in the southeast. The list below is a sampling of private and public employers who regularly recruit our grads in a variety of industries.
- » Automotive
- MAHLE
- Bridgestone Americas Manufacturing
- DENSO
- Nissan North America
- Q2 Management
- Fitzgerald Manufacturing Partners
- Volkswagen Group of America
- JTEKT North America Corporation
- Tenneco
- SHIROKI North America, Inc.
- Advanced Composites, Inc.
- Morrison Industries
- » Civil Engineering
- LBYD
- KIRBY BUILDING SYSTEMS
- Cannon & Cannon, Inc.
- AECOM
- Bennett & Pless, Inc.
- OHM Advisors
- RaganSmith
- BL Companies
- Chastain-Skillman, Inc.
- Connico Inc.
- Ingram Civil Engineering Group, LLC
- HMB Professional Engineers, Inc.
- Engineering Consulting Services (ECS)
- Colliers Engineering & Design
- R. Wauford & Company Consulting Engineers, Inc.
- WSP
- Crunk Engineering LLC
- Barge Design Solutions, Inc.
- TKC Architecture and Engineering LLC
- Weaver Consultants Group
- W&A Engineering
- Thomas & Hutton
- » Construction/Engineering and Construction
- I.C. Thomasson Associates, Inc.
- Henderson Engineers, Incorporated
- Gresham Smith
- Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. (CEC)
- K&S Engineering, PLLC
- Sargent & Lundy
- Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
- Haren Construction
- Cooper Steel Fabricators
- Rogers Group Inc.
- Messer Construction Co.
- Wright Brothers Construction Company
- Maffett Loftis Engineering, LLC
- Robins & Morton
- Lee Company
- Barnhart Crane and Rigging
- Baker Construction DC
- Keller North America, Inc.
- Garney Construction
- Hoar Construction
- AGI
- Hale Construction, Inc.
- Baker Concrete Construction
- ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions
- International Fire Protection Inc.
- Skanska
- » Defense, Research and Government
- ARCS Aviation
- Marine Officer Selections Nashville TN
- SAIC
- U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center
- Dynetics
- SCI Technology, Inc.
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Nashville District
- Joint Warfare Analysis Center
- Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD)
- Air Force Civilian Service (AFCS) Air Force Test Center (AFTC) – STEM
- Statheros
- Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Air Force Civilian Service
- » Internet, Software, Electronics and Computer Hardware
- Aristocrat Technologies, Inc.
- Transcard
- Hilton Software
- Fast Enterprises, LLC
- Urban Science
- NTT DATA
- Quality Manufacturing Systems, Inc.
- Robins AFB - 402d Software Engineering Group
- Non-Contact Technologies, LLC
- » Manufacturing
- Clayton Homes
- Automation nth
- Destaco
- Altium Packaging
- Smiths Group
- Komatsu
- Logan Aluminum
- Dometic
- GE Appliances, a Haier company
- Nuclear Fuel Services
- The Chemours Company
- ATC Automation
- EOSYS
- Emerson
- Crossville, Inc.
- Vertech
- Constellium - Rolled Products
- Solvay
- O'Neal Industries, Inc
- Flowserve Corporation
- Backer-Springfield
- Pace Industries
- O. Smith Corporation
- Research Electronics International
- MDI (Multi-Dimensional Integration)
- Cumberland Container Corporation
- Tate & Lyle
- Eastman
- Powerex
- SMC Corporation of America
- Ravago
- Wacker Chemical Corporation
- Althea US, Inc.
- Hytrol Conveyor Co., Inc
- Lochinvar, LLC
- The Carlstar Group
- DuBois Chemicals
- Marvin
- Parker Hannifin Corporation
- Team Technologies, Inc.
- » Transportation and Logistics
- Averitt Express
- FedEx Ground – Gulf
- FedEx Ground – General
- FedEx Ground
- FLEETCOR
- Designed Conveyor Systems, LLC
- Enterprise Holdings
- TQL (Total Quality Logistics)
- » Scientific and Technical Consulting
- Capgemini America Inc.
- Analysis and Measurement Services (AMS) Corporation
- Ramboll US Corporation
- Jacobs
- Intertek
- Engineering Research and Consulting (ERC)
- » Utilities, Environmental Services and Renewable Energy
- Nashville Electric Service
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- Erwin Utilities
- Hitachi Zosen Inova
- Qualus Power Services
- Mesa Associates Inc
- Middle Tennessee Electric
- Landscape Workshop
- Pace National
- Stevens Environmental Consulting, LLC
- CNS
- Patterson & Dewar Engineers
- Nixon Power Services
- Jackson Energy Authority
- » Automotive
- Explore Engineering Occupations & Salaries
What are some of the career paths in engineering disciplines? What can you earn as an engineer or computer scientist? Engineering jobs have among the best prospects for your future—with a median salary of $79,840 in May 2021, engineering jobs have the highest median annual wage of all jobs in all fields ($45,760), with employment growth of roughly 146,000 new jobs in the next ten years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). More information on engineering and computer science salaries can be found below. More in-depth information on specific engineering careers can be found at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website and through links in the table below.
OCCUPATION JOB SUMMARY 2021 MEDIAN PAY Aerospace Engineers Aerospace engineers design primarily aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missiles. $122,270 Related Academic Programs Automotive Engineers* Engineers in the automotive industry apply electrical engineering, computer science, or mechanical engineering to the application, design and manufacturing of various types of automobiles and their systems, including fuel cells, connected and autonomous systems, safety mechanisms, control systems, fuel economy, and emissions, among others. $95,300 Related Academic Programs Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers Bioengineers and biomedical engineers combine engineering principles with sciences to design and create equipment, devices, computer systems, and software. $97,410 Related Academic Programs Blockchain Engineers* Blockchain Engineers maintain and support distributed and decentralized blockchain-based networks or block-chain applications such as cryptocurrency exchange, payment processing, document sharing, and digital voting. $95,270 Related Academic Programs Chemical Engineers Chemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry, biology, physics, and math to solve problems that involve the use of fuel, drugs, food, and many other products. $105,550 Related Academic Programs Civil Engineers Civil engineers design, build, and supervise infrastructure projects and systems: roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and water supply and sewage systems. $88,050 Related Academic Programs Computer Hardware Engineers Computer hardware engineers research, design, develop, and test computer systems and components, from chips to device controllers. Also focus on computer networks for the transmission of data and multimedia. $128,170 Related Academic Programs Computer Network Architects Computer network architects design and build data communication networks, including local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and Intranets. $120,520 Related Academic Programs Computer Programmers Computer programmers write, modify, and test code and scripts that allow computer software and applications to function properly. $93,000 Related Academic Programs Electrical and Electronics Engineers Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical equipment. $101,780 Related Academic Programs Environmental Engineers Environmental engineers use the principles of engineering, soil science, and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems, as well as protect resources and infrastructure from environmental hazards. $96,820 Related Academic Programs Geological and Geotechnical Engineers Geotechnical and geological engineers use the principles of geology, hydraulics and structural mechanics to provide safe, economical and environmentally conscious support to civil engineering structures. They interact regularly with all areas of civil and environmental engineering and provide recommendations to benefit their designs and plans. $97,090 Related Academic Programs Information Security Analysts Information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems. $102,600 Related Academic Programs Manufacturing/Foundry Engineer/Casting Process Engineer Foundry engineers are responsible for developing, launching, and continuous improvements of metalcasting in working foundries. They also design and integrate new technologies in the metalcasting process. $95,3000 Related Academic Programs Manufacturing/Process Engineer* Manufacturing or Process Engineers improve the production of an item, by troubleshooting product design or materials problems, or creating more effective manufacturing processes using knowledge of fabrication, tooling, production equipment, assembly methods, or quality control. $95,300 Related Academic Programs Mechanical Engineers Mechanical engineers design, develop, build, and test mechanical and thermal sensors and devices. $95,300 Related Academic Programs Mechatronics Engineers, Automation Engineers Mechatronics engineers design engineering systems for the automation of industrial tasks. This can involve electrical or pneumatic systems, mechanical components for computer-controlled products, and developing machines to perform the work of humans. $100,640 Related Academic Programs Metallurgical (Materials) Engineer* Metallurgists are trained in metalcasting in the foundry industry and related industries. They evaluate materials and develop processes to manufacture materials and parts from metals and alloys to meet specialized design and performance specifications. They also develop new uses for known materials, or research and develop next-generation materials. $85,000 to $95,300 Related Academic Programs - Manufacturing & Engineering Technology, (Foundry)
Network & Computer Systems Administrators Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of computer networks, working with physical computer networks. $80,600 Related Academic Programs Penetration Tester* Penetration Testers work in cybersecurity, evaluating network system security by conducting simulated internal and external cyberattacks using adversary tools and techniques. They attempt to breach and exploit critical systems and gain access to sensitive information to assess system security. $95,270 Related Academic Programs Robotics Engineers* Robotics engineers build, configure, or test robots and robotic applications. This can involve autonomous vehicles, advanced displays and sensing, robotic platforms, computer vision, or telematics systems; designing software to control robotic systems; and researching new robotic systems. $100,640 Related Academic Programs Software Developers Software developers research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs, applying principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis. $110,140 Related Academic Programs Transportation Engineer* Transportation engineers develop plans for federal and state surface transportation construction projects; prepare designs, specifications, or estimates for transportation facilities; and plan modifications of existing streets, highways, or freeways to improve traffic flow. $88,050 Related Academic Programs Video Game Designer* Video game designers design core features of video games. Specify innovative game and role-play mechanics, story lines, and character biographies. Guide and collaborate with production staff to produce games as designed. $79,890 Related Academic Programs Web Developer, Digital Interface Designers* Web developers create and maintain websites. Digital designers develop, create, and test website or interface layout, functions, and navigation for usability. $79,890 Related Academic Programs * Data available for 2022, O*Net Online
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
