Occupations/17-2112.03
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.
Usually a four-year bachelor’s degree.
AI automation risk
48%
Mixed exposure
Human characteristics
52%
Balanced human and task mix
Task orientation
43%
Mixed exposure
A day in this job
- Mostly routine
Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks.
- Mostly routine
Identify opportunities or implement changes to improve manufacturing processes or products or to reduce costs, using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, or product design, materials and parts.
- Mostly routine
Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
The tasks we can read here lean routine. That sits next to the AI risk rank — it is not a forecast that the job disappears.
Core tasks
- 01Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.
- 02Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks.
- 03Identify opportunities or implement changes to improve manufacturing processes or products or to reduce costs, using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, or product design, materials and parts.
- 04Apply continuous improvement methods, such as lean manufacturing, to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
- 05Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing.
- 06Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks2.54
- Degree of automation2.56
- Time sitting3.35
- Originality (ability)3.62
- Conflict situations3.08
- Hands-on objects/tools2.42
- Outdoors / weather1.88
- Disease exposure1.23
- Decision freedom4.00
Top abilities
- Visualization4.00
- Problem Sensitivity4.00
- Oral Comprehension4.00
- Near Vision4.00
- Inductive Reasoning4.00
- Deductive Reasoning4.00
- Category Flexibility4.00
- Written Comprehension3.88
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension4.00
- Active Listening3.88
- Writing3.75
- Speaking3.88
- Mathematics4.00
- Science3.12
- Critical Thinking3.75
- Active Learning3.62
- Learning Strategies3.25
- Monitoring3.88
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
12 of 63 shown
Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.
| Institution | Program | Tuition | Admit | Grad 6-yr | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit | Systems Engineering 14.2701 | $68,200 | 12% | 92% | 1 yr $122,038 2 yr $106,421 Master's · CIP 14.27 |
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA · Public | Systems Engineering 14.2701 | $11,800 | 17% | 91% | 1 yr $114,223 2 yr $100,075 Master's · CIP 14.27 |
University of Kansas Lawrence, KS · Public | Engineering/Industrial Management 15.1501 | $11,400 | 88% | 67% | 1 yr $107,535 2 yr $106,421 Master's · CIP 15.15 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public | Systems Engineering 14.2701 | $17,700 | 18% | 93% | 1 yr $104,935 2 yr $116,354 Master's · CIP 14.27 |
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA · Public | Systems Engineering 14.2701 | $19,600 | 55% | 86% | 1 yr $101,221 2 yr $99,291 Master's · CIP 14.27 |
City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College Chicago, IL · Public | Industrial Engineering 14.3501 | $4,600 | 100% | 27% | 1 yr $90,146 2 yr $79,849 Bachelor's · CIP 14.35 |
Stanford University Stanford, CA · Private nonprofit | Engineering/Industrial Management 15.1501 | $62,400 | 4% | 96% | 1 yr $86,867 2 yr $92,632 Bachelor's · CIP 15.15 |
University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public | Systems Engineering 14.2701 | $6,400 | 23% | 89% | 1 yr $75,603 2 yr $74,279 Bachelor's · CIP 14.27 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public | Industrial Engineering 14.3501 | $12,800 | 53% | 83% | 1 yr $75,413 2 yr $75,667 Bachelor's · CIP 14.35 |
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public | Industrial Engineering 14.3501 | $10,000 | 53% | 83% | 1 yr $73,128 2 yr $70,057 Bachelor's · CIP 14.35 |
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA · Public | Industrial Engineering 14.3501 | $17,400 | 64% | 83% | 1 yr $72,587 2 yr $69,338 Bachelor's · CIP 14.35 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA · Public | Systems Engineering 14.2701 | $15,200 | 57% | 86% | 1 yr $72,357 2 yr $74,576 Bachelor's · CIP 14.27 |