What Can You Do with an Engineering Degree?

An engineering degree can prepare you for a wide range of careers in software, hardware, data and analytics, cybersecurity, manufacturing, energy, healthcare technology, and entertainment. What you can do with an engineering degree often depends on the skills you build in your degree program and how you demonstrate them through projects, internships, and teamwork.

Key takeaways

Engineering and computing careers span hardware, software, data, systems, and technical leadership.
Your projects + internships typically matter as much as coursework for getting interviews.
Choosing the right major early helps, but students can specialize over time through electives, projects, and (optionally) accelerated graduate study.

Engineering and computing degrees at Chapman University

At Chapman University’s Fowler School of Engineering, students can choose from five bachelor’s degrees—each aligned to different career paths:

B.S. in Computer Engineering (hardware + software for devices and embedded systems)
B.S. in Computer Science (foundations of computing and software)
B.S. in Data Science (data analysis, modeling, and decision-making)
B.S. in Electrical Engineering (circuits, signals, systems, and electronics)
B.S. in Software Engineering (building and delivering software in teams)

20 careers you can pursue with an engineering degree

Software & systems careers

Software Engineer / Software Developer

What you do: Build and maintain applications, services, and features used by customers or internal teams.
Skills you’ll use: programming, debugging, data structures, testing and collaboration.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Computer Science or Software Engineering

Backend Engineer

What you do: Build APIs, databases, and services behind the scenes.
Skills: databases, reliability basics, performance, cloud fundamentals.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Computer Science or Software Engineering

Frontend Engineer

What you do: Build user-facing interfaces and experiences.
Skills: web frameworks, UX awareness, accessibility, performance.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Computer Science or Software Engineering

Mobile Developer

What you do: Build iOS/Android apps.
Skills: mobile frameworks and UI patterns, testing and release cycles.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Computer Science or Software Engineering

Systems Engineer

What you do: Integrate complex parts (software, hardware, requirements, testing) into reliable systems.
Skills: requirements, verification, communication, systems thinking.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering

Hardware & electrical careers

Embedded Systems Engineer

What you do: Write software that runs on devices (sensors, wearables, vehicles, smart products).
Skills: C/C++, microcontrollers, debugging, hardware/software integration.
Best-fit major at Chapman: Computer Engineering

Firmware Engineer

What you do: Develop low-level code that controls hardware behavior.
Skills: low-level programming, timing, memory constraints, testing.
Best-fit major at Chapman: Computer Engineering

Hardware Design Engineer (Digital/Analog)

What you do: Design circuits and hardware components.
Skills: circuit analysis, schematics, PCB concepts and lab measurement tools.
Best-fit major at Chapman: Electrical Engineering

Hardware Test / Validation Engineer

What you do: Verify hardware meets requirements and works reliably in real-world conditions.
Skills: test plans, measurement, automation scripting and troubleshooting.
Best-fit major at Chapman: Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineer (Generalist)

What you do: Work on electrical systems in products, energy, controls, or industrial environments.
Skills: circuits, signals, control fundamentals, safety and standards awareness.
Best-fit major at Chapman: Electrical Engineering

Robotics / Controls Engineer (Pathway role)

What you do: Build systems that sense, plan, and act (robots, drones, automation).
Skills: controls, mathematical modeling, sensors, testing.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering

Data, analytics & AI careers

Data Analyst

What you do: Turn raw data into insights for decision-making.
Skills: SQL, dashboards, statistics basics, data storytelling.
Best-fit major at Chapman: Data Science

Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst/Developer

What you do: Build reporting, dashboards, and metrics for teams.
Skills: SQL, BI tools, metrics design, stakeholder communication.
Best-fit major at Chapman: Data Science

Data Engineer (Pathway role)

What you do: Build pipelines and infrastructure that make data usable at scale.
Skills: databases, ETL/ELT, cloud basics, and reliability.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Data Science or Computer Science

Machine Learning Engineer (Pathway role)

What you do: Build and deploy ML models into products.
Skills: Python, statistics, ML fundamentals, evaluation, deployment basics.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Data Science or Computer Science

Security, quality & delivery careers

Cybersecurity Analyst/Engineer (Pathway role)

What you do: Protect systems, detect threats, reduce risk, and improve security posture.
Skills: networks, security fundamentals, scripting and incident response basics.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Computer Science or Software Engineering

QA / Test Automation Engineer

What you do: Improve software quality through test design and automation.
Skills: test planning, automation frameworks, CI basics, attention to detail.
Best-fit major at Chapman: Software Engineering

DevOps / Cloud Engineer (Pathway role)

What you do: Help teams ship and run software reliably (deployment, monitoring, infrastructure).
Skills: Linux, scripting, cloud services, CI/CD, reliability mindset.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Software Engineering or Computer Science

Leadership & customer-facing technical careers

Product Manager (Technical)

What you do: Define what gets built and why; translate user needs into specs for engineering teams.
Skills: communication, prioritization, user research and technical literacy.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Any of the five BS degrees (students often start in Computer Science or Software Engineering)

Solutions Engineer / Sales Engineer

What you do: Run technical demos, support evaluations, and help customers succeed with a product.
Skills: communication, technical breadth, demos, problem solving.
Best-fit majors at Chapman: Any of the five BS degrees, depending on the product domain.

two girls working on electronics — Earning an engineering degree gives students hands-on experience in many of the different fields available upon graduation.

Which engineering path is right for you?

Want hardware and software together → B.S. in Computer Engineering
Want circuits, signals, and electronics systems → B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Want broad computing foundations → B.S. in Computer Science
Want building and shipping software in teams → B.S. in Software Engineering
Want analytics, modeling, and data-driven decisions → B.S. in Data Science

What actually helps you get hired with an engineering degree

Build projects that become interview stories

Strong projects usually have:

a real constraint (time, cost, performance, reliability),
a clear outcome (demo, deployment, measured improvement),
documentation (README, architecture diagram, test plan),
your personal contribution is clearly stated.

Get experience early

For first-year students, “experience” can include clubs, labs, beginner-friendly research support, hackathons, and part-time tech work. The goal is to demonstrate growth, initiative, and skills.

Chapman University’s Career and Professional Development team hosts multiple career events throughout the year, and Fowler Engineering’s Career team can help students connect with potential employers.

Create a portfolio that makes evaluation easy

Software/data: GitHub + demo + short writeups
Hardware/EE: photos, videos, schematics, test results, and clear explanations of what you measured and why

AI and engineering: why AI isn’t replacing engineers (and how to stand out)

As AI becomes more capable, many students wonder whether it will replace jobs in engineering and computer science. In practice, AI is transforming the work—automating some repetitive tasks while increasing the value of human judgment, creativity, and responsibility.

Chapman University faculty have emphasized that AI is best viewed as an accelerator, not a substitute. Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dr. Yuxin Wen notes that AI tools can dramatically shorten the time from idea to prototype—allowing students to spend more time on creativity and innovation. And Computer Science Professor Dr. Erik Linstead has described AI as amplifying human creativity and shifting the role toward designing smarter, more ethical systems.

Where AI changes the job:

Less time on repetitive implementation and “blank page” coding
More time on system design, testing, evaluation, and real-world constraints
More demand for engineers who can build reliable, secure, human-centered solutions

How students can future-proof their careers:

Master fundamentals (algorithms, math, circuits/systems, software architecture)
Build projects with clear constraints and testing (not just demos)
Learn to work with AI tools—while keeping ownership of correctness and ethics
Strengthen communication: explain tradeoffs, write clear documentation and collaborate well

Bottom line: AI can help you move faster, but engineers are still needed to define the problem, ensure quality, and deliver solutions that work safely and reliably in the real world.

Should you consider graduate school?

Many students land strong entry-level roles with a bachelor’s degree. Graduate school can be helpful if you want deeper specialization (advanced systems, certain electrical engineering subfields, or some AI/ML paths).

Integrated program (earn a bachelor’s + master’s in 5 years)

If you’re considering graduate school, Chapman University’s Fowler School of Engineering offers an integrated program, which allows students to begin graduate coursework while completing their bachelor’s degree and potentially earn a master’s degree with as little as one additional year of study.

Here’s how the timeline works:

Years 1–3: focus on undergraduate classes
Year 4: take both undergraduate and graduate classes
Year 5: finish graduate classes and earn your master’s degree

An integrated program can be a strong option if you want deeper specialization and a streamlined path to advanced technical roles.

Explore Chapman’s options: Integrated Program (Accelerated)

You can also browse the school’s graduate offerings here:
Fowler School of Engineering Graduate Program

“Engineering teaches critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and collaboration across disciplines to address complex challenges. Engineering it is about building/creating innovative solutions that improve people’s lives.” – Dr. Franceli Cibrian, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

FAQs

What jobs can you get with an engineering degree?

Common paths include software engineering, embedded systems, electrical engineering roles, data analytics, test/QA automation, cybersecurity pathways, systems engineering, and technical product roles.

Do I need graduate school to get a good engineering job?

Not always. Many entry-level testing positions in software, general electrical/computer engineering, and data analytics are accessible with a bachelor’s degree plus strong project and internship experience.

Is computer science an engineering degree?

Computer science is often housed in engineering schools and, in career outcomes, focuses on software in engineering paths. The biggest differences are usually emphasis (theory/foundations vs. engineering process vs. hardware).

What can I do in my first year to improve career outcomes?

Take foundational math/programming seriously, join one technical club, complete one small, polished project, and start building a resume/LinkedIn early.

What’s the difference between computer science and software engineering?

Computer science emphasizes foundations and theory; software engineering emphasizes building, testing, and delivering software reliably in teams. Both can lead to software roles.

What’s the best engineering major for high pay?

Pay varies by location, industry, and role. Software, data/ML pathways, and certain specialized electrical/computer engineering roles can pay very well, but the biggest driver is often experience plus demonstrated skill.

What’s distinctive about Fowler Engineering?

Small classes and faculty mentorship, hands-on labs, undergraduate research opportunities, industry-connected projects, and pathways to internships in Southern California—plus an integrated bachelor ’s-to-master’s option for students who want to accelerate graduate study.

Next steps

Explore Chapman’s programs:

Interested in accelerated graduate study?