Engineering majors are in high demand. According to data from the Census Bureauand Payscale.com, graduates in engineering can expect some of the best starting salaries and lifetime earnings of all college graduates.

According to the N.C. Department of Commerce, mechanical, electrical, construction, and computer engineers can all expect salaries well above $60,000 within five years of graduating. For a nuclear engineer, that number nears $90,000. (See http://nctower.com/).

The state’s public engineering schools are working hard to meet the need for more of those graduates, training specialists in some of the economy’s most rigorous, in-demand fields.

At NC State University, the College of Engineering is the largest school on campus, with 18 undergraduate majors and 34 master’s and doctoral degree programs serving more than 9,000 students,. Those students have the chance to study biomedical engineering, computer science, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and nearly a dozen other specialized fields.

They also have the chance to learn and work at Centennial Campus, a state-of-the-art research campus that houses a mix of engineering departments and private-sector partners. Centennial houses the country’s only National Science Foundation-funded smart-grid research center, working to distribute electricity more efficiently and reliably across the nation’s electric grid. NCSU also boasts one of the nation’s top programs in data analytics, a fast-growing field that touches almost every part of our economy.

The ability to work directly with innovative, expanding companies has been a key draw for talented students in North Carolina and across the world. “NC State is committed to developing partnerships that solve the grand challenges facing society and promote innovative products and solutions that improve lives around the globe,” said Chancellor Randy Woodson.

NC State’s undergraduate engineering program is the 4th-largest in the US, and US News ranks NCSU’s College of Engineering the 16th best among all public universities.

NC A&T State University awards more undergraduate engineering degrees to African-American students than any school in the country. With specialties in nano-engineering and biomedical engineering, A&T researchers attracted more than $11M in outside funding in the 2013-2014 academic year.

A&T is the only historically black university to host a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center, with a major effort to develop and commercialize metallic biomaterial (commonly used in medical implants).

The recently-built Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering — a partnership with UNC Greensboro — is already preparing a whole generation of graduate students for emerging careers in nanotech. Thanks to a major investment in world-class research facilities, the JSNN is helping to make the Triad a hub for nanotech companies.

And in an era of rising petroleum prices, Elham Fini, a civil engineering professor at A&T, has even come up with a process to convert hog manure into a less-costly substitute for asphalt – a solution that addresses two North Carolina problems at once.  (http://m.news-record.com/news/schools/lab-finds-way-to-pave-with-pig-waste/article_2acc66a5-d7c4-5717-a008-27acf32122b9.html?mode=jqm)

At UNC Charlotte, the William States Lee College of Engineering offers programs in robotics, construction management, computer engineering, motorsports and others, serving more than 3,000 students each year.

Charlotte has been hiring new faculty and expanding new programs in energy production and infrastructure, including research in smart-grid technology and close partnerships with some of the largest energy firms in the region. From Duke Energy to Westinghouse to Mitsubishi Nuclear, Charlotte students have the chance to collaborate with some of the top engineering talent in the industry.

The NC Motorsports and Automotive Research Center gives students a highly specialized curriculum in the precision engineering of race cars and other automotive sports. Students get to learn on UNC Charlotte’s very own fleet of race cars, ranging from a NASCAR-grade stock car to small dirt-track racers.

Western Carolina University’s Kimmel School houses the departments of Construction Management, Engineering and Technology, and the innovative Center for Rapid Product Realization.

The Rapid Center focuses on project-based learning, allowing current students to work directly with growing industries in western counties to help design, develop, and test new products and processes. Student capstone projects have helped local companies streamline their manufacturing processes, redesign their facilities to be more efficient, and create whole new product designs to expand the market for North Carolina goods. The facility’s state-of-the-art prototyping tools include some of the newest and best 3D printers in the country.

The school recently opened up a master of science in technology program at Biltmore Park, expanding access to engineering education for with evening courses in the Asheville area. Like all of North Carolina’s public engineering schools, Western is focused on preparing North Carolina’s workforce for the technically challenging jobs ahead.

Did You Know?

• About one in 10 NASCAR engineers are UNC Charlotte alums.
• NC State is one of the few campuses in the country to run its own nuclear reactor. The PULSTAR Reactor housed in NCSU’s Burlington Laboratory is the 4th reactor operated on campus. (http://www.ne.ncsu.edu/nrp/pulstar.html)
• Students at NC A&T’s Center for Energy Research and Technology have conducted door-to-door outreach in Greensboro to help residents make their homes more energy efficient.
• Companies across western North Carolina use WCU’s Rapid Center to quickly create and test product prototypes.