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How to Become A Mechanical Engineer (2026)
Key takeaway: Mechanical Engineers are the occupation this mechanical engineering guide treats as the primary outcome. The national median annual wage was $104,110, with the 10th percentile at $73,990 and the 90th at $164,340 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 293,100 in 2024, projected to grow 9.1 percent through 2034, with 18,100 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Individual outcomes vary. Labs, machine shops, and some design courses are hybrid even when the lecture is online. ABET programs document how they meet those outcomes at a distance. If a school cannot show that, it is not an ABET mechanical engineering bachelor's.
The BLS occupation used on this page is Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141). Job ads use other titles. Read the duties.
Step-by-step: how to become a mechanical engineer
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Confirm the occupation, not the vibe. Read a handful of live postings and match duties to mechanical engineers, not to the degree title.
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Check the real gate. ABET accredits bachelor’s programs in mechanical engineering. The FE exam and, later, PE licensure run through NCEES and your state board. An online program that is not ABET-accredited is a different product: it will not be treated as an engineering degree by most state boards. Confirm ABET status on ABET’s site, not the brochure.
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Pick the degree level that the postings actually ask for. Compare the bachelor’s and master’s pages. In IPEDS 2024, 389 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in the CIP codes used for this guide, and 353 of those institutions reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024).
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Build the portfolio, hours, clearance, or license the job uses. A technology (MET) bachelor’s is CIP 15.0805, not 14.1901, and it is the wrong credential for PE in most states. Engineering management is the later-career management degree, not a substitute for the technical bachelor’s.
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Use the wage range, not the median, when you decide. The 10th percentile is $73,990 and the 90th is $164,340 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Geography and employer type move this number more than the brand on the diploma.
View the data behind this chart
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $73,990 |
| 25th percentile | $84,130 |
| Median | $104,110 |
| 75th percentile | $132,590 |
| 90th percentile | $164,340 |
See all careers for a mechanical engineering degree.
Data verified: September 7, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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