Top 6 Best Engineering Courses | Guide | Most In-Demand Engineering Degrees

Degrees in These Fields of Engineering Can Make You the Most Money

When a soon-to-be college student is choosing his or her major, many people may suggest to get a degree in engineering because the salaries are so good. But once that student goes to choose their major, they will soon realize there are many different engineering degrees.

The best engineering courses in computers are not the same as the top engineering courses in aerospace. And courses in engineering for petroleum engineering are not the same as engineering courses for chemical engineering.

So, how does one know which of the top engineering degrees to choose?

We are here to help with our ranking of the six best engineering degrees. Each of these leads to top engineering fields in terms of salary and job outlook.

This guide will offer the following information on the best engineering courses:

A short overview of why these six types of engineering courses are considered the best engineering courses

A description of what type of career each of these top engineering degrees leads to

A look into other reasons why these engineering fields are the best engineering degrees

Anybody wondering which of the best engineering courses is right for them (or for their son or daughter) will find many helpful answers through this guide.

AdvisoryHQ’s List of the Top 6 Best Engineering Degrees

List is sorted alphabetically (click any of the top engineering degrees and their names below to go directly to the detailed review section for that degree in engineering):

Aerospace Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Petroleum Engineering

Top 6 Best Engineering Courses | Brief Comparison

Fields of Engineering	Average Salary Range	Job Outlook From 2014 through 2024	How Many Jobs in 2014
Aerospace Engineering	$58,795 – $132,246	-2% through 2024	72,500
Chemical Engineering	$50,553 – $120,520	2% through 2024	34,300
Computer Engineering	$64,420 – $158,500	3% through 2024	77,000
Electrical Engineering	$52,087 – $109,562	0% through 2024	315,900
Mechanical Engineering	$49,850 – $98,376	5% through 2024	277,500
Petroleum Engineering	$59,844 – $194,045	10% through 2024	35,100

Table: Top 6 Best Engineering Fields | Above list is sorted alphabetically

Which of the Different Engineering Degrees Is Right for You?

When it comes to getting the best engineering degree for your future goals, there are many factors to consider.

If you spend years studying one of these types of engineering courses and then years working in that field, you will want to make sure that you choose the best engineering courses that do the following:

Bring you satisfaction: Ultimately, if you hate what you are studying/doing, it won’t matter if you have nice salary. Make sure to look into taking only top engineering courses that interest you.

Play to your strengths: We are all gifted in some ways and lagging in others. Talk to a counselor or academic advisor to help you see which of these top engineering degrees will help your talents shine.

Future salary: You do not want to go through at least four years of engineering courses to not even make enough to pay your student loans; make sure the cost of your degree in engineering can be made up for in salary.

Job outlook: There is no need to study the best engineering courses if the field is dying. Only look at jobs with an increase, no movement, or a slight decrease for a good reason.

Good college: It is important to take these top engineering courses at the very best schools in order to get the top engineering degrees.

Image Source: Pixabay

Now that you have some ideas as to what you should be looking for when it comes to different engineering degrees that may interest you, let’s take a closer look at the types of engineering courses.

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Detailed Review – Top Ranking Best Engineering Degrees

Below, please find a detailed review of each of the different engineering degrees on our list of top engineering courses. We have highlighted some of the factors that allowed these top engineering degrees to score so highly in our selection ranking.

Aerospace Engineering Review

The first degree in engineering we will highlight that brings you to one of the best engineering fields in terms of career is aerospace engineering.

Image Source: Pixabay

Note that this is the only option in our list of best engineering courses that has a decreasing job outlook through 2024. The decrease is small, but it is something you may want to consider.

Engineering Field #1: What Do Aerospace Engineers Do?

Aerospace engineering is typically broken up into two main fields of engineering: the study of aircraft in earth’s atmosphere (aeronautical engineering) and the study of aircraft outside of earth’s atmosphere (astronautical engineering).

Whichever you want to focus on will determine which of the best engineering courses you will take while getting your degree in engineering.

The Best Engineering Degrees: What Others Have to Say

Affordable Online Colleges named Aerospace engineering courses the #6 “Most Valuable Engineering Degrees to Employers.”

STEM Majors named Aeronautical engineering the #1 of best engineering degrees for the future.

Chemical Engineering Review

Next up on our list of the best engineering courses is chemical engineering. Out of these fields of engineering, chemical engineering has the fewest jobs.

But if you are interested in courses in engineering chemicals, there is a great salary and an increase expected for jobs through 2024.

Engineering Field #2: What Do Chemical Engineers Do?

Chemical engineers work with anything to do with chemicals, drugs, fuel, food, etc. at a chemical, biological, or physical level. The best engineering courses will prepare you for a career in designing, developing, and testing these types of products.

The Best Engineering Degrees: What Others Have to Say

PayScale has a list of the top 15 engineering jobs in terms of salary potential. The most common types of engineering courses in two of those 15 jobs are computer engineering degrees.

Out of the best engineering degrees, Interesting Engineering put chemical engineering at the #3 spot for highest paying jobs in 2017.

Computer Engineering Review

Of the different engineering degrees you could get, computer engineering brings in some of the highest salary payouts.

Though the outlook is only a small increase, you can be condifident that studying your computer engineering courses should bring you to a job once you have graduated.

Engineering Fields #3: What Do Computer Engineers Do?

A computer engineer does just what the name suggests: they design and develop things related to computers. This could include microchips, information technology, routers, or networks.

The Best Engineering Degrees: What Others Have to Say

PayScale has a list of the top 15 engineering jobs in terms of salary potential. The most common types of engineering courses in two of those 15 jobs are computer engineering degrees.

Types of Engineering Degrees highlighted computer engineering as #3 of the best engineering degrees for high paying jobs.

Electrical Engineering Review

Electrical engineering is one of the best engineering degrees this year. Since studying these engineering courses often leads to jobs with great salaries, this is one more solid choice.

Unlike the other engineering fields, electrical engineering is not expected to grow or decline over the next few years.

But considering there were the most engineers in electrical engineering jobs in 2014 over the other fields of engineering, this should not be as much of a problem if you choose to study these top engineering courses.

Engineering Fields #4: What Do Electrical Engineers Do?

All forms of electrical equipment are designed, developed, and tested by electrical engineers. This can be from small handheld devices to large equipment for power generation.

The Best Engineering Degrees: What Others Have to Say

PayScale has a list of the top 15 engineering jobs in terms of salary potential. The most common types of engineering courses in four of those 15 jobs are computer engineering degrees.

STEM Majors named an electrical degree in engineering the #2 best degree option for engineers.

Mechanical Engineering Review

Next up on our list of best engineering courses for this year is Mechanical Engineering. A degree in engineering may not lead you to the absolute highest paying job, but it will lead you to a job that is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years.

Engineering Fields #5: What Do Mechanical Engineers Do?

One of the reasons there were so many people in mechanical engineering in 2014 over other fields of engineering is likely due to its broad category. A mechanical engineer can design, develop, and test all sorts of mechanical items from tools to machines.

The Best Engineering Degrees: What Others Have to Say

PayScale has a list of the top 15 engineering jobs in terms of salary potential. The most common types of engineering courses in six of those 15 (the most) jobs are mechanical engineering degrees.

Out of the best engineering degrees, Interesting Engineering put mechanical engineering at the #5 spot for highest paying jobs in 2017.

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Petroleum Engineering Review

When it comes to taking the best engineering courses for the best engineering degrees to land jobs in the best engineering fields, it is hard to argue that anything other than petroleum engineering should top your list.

Image Source: Pixabay

Not only will taking these courses in engineering potentially land you one of the highest paying jobs, those jobs are expected to continue to grow at a rate of 10%.

Engineering Fields #6: What Do Petroleum Engineers Do?

As with many other fields of engineering, people in this job focus on design and development. In this particular field, the concentration is on extracting oil and gas.

The Best Engineering Degrees: What Others Have to Say

PayScale has a list of the top 15 engineering jobs in terms of salary potential. The fourth most highly paid types of engineering courses are petroleum engineering degrees.

Affordable Online Colleges named petroleum engineering courses the #1 “Most Valuable Engineering Degrees to Employers.”

Conclusion – Top 6 Engineering Fields

Now that you know what the best engineering degrees are for getting into the top engineering fields this year, you can start the process of choosing which of these fields of engineering is right for you.

The best next step is to talk to an academic advisor or counselor at any of your desired schools to make sure they have some of these best engineering courses. You should also ask them:

How many of their alumni have good jobs in these engineering fields?
How much financial aid can be awarded for your degree in engineering?
Which professors are teaching the best engineering courses?

This way, you can be sure to end up with one of the top engineering degrees and jobs a few years from now.

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