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Major · Engineering Technologies

The catchall code for engineering tech that doesn’t fit elsewhere

Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other is the residual CIP 15.9999 bucket — programs in applied engineering technology that don’t map to a named code like Architectural, Civil, or Manufacturing Engineering Tech. About 1,150 degrees are awarded each year across 105 colleges, and the curriculum varies considerably by institution.

Schools offering
105
Annual completions
1,150
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$80k

About this major

Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other is the catchall CIP 15.9999 code — the federal definition simply states it covers any engineering technology program not listed under a named sub-discipline. That breadth is the most important thing to understand about the major: specific program content varies considerably by institution. The example field listed in the federal CIP record is Product Design Engineering Technology, but Berklee College of Music tops the completions list with 175 bachelor’s degrees per year, almost certainly under a Music Production Engineering Technology track. East Carolina University, Old Dominion, and Bowling Green State University round out the four-year leaders, while community colleges like Allegany College of Maryland, Shasta College, and Northwest State Community College anchor the two-year side.

The major fits students drawn to applied, hands-on engineering work in a specific industry niche, rather than the generalist path of a named engineering tech program. Comfort with technical drawing, prototyping, electronics, software, and project documentation matters more than calculus depth — these programs sit on the engineering technology side of ABET accreditation (ETAC), not the full engineering side (EAC). Students who already know they want to work in audio production, niche manufacturing, product design support, or a similarly defined corner of industry tend to choose programs under this code intentionally.

On scale, 1,150 degrees are awarded annually across 105 colleges, with median five-year earnings of $79,629 across all completers. The associate-versus-bachelor split is narrow — $77,313 for two-year graduates and $80,864 for four-year graduates. Thin total completions reflect a CIP Anomaly: many students who could be reported here are administratively grouped into the broader Engineering Technologies, General code (2,524 completions) or rolled into named codes like Architectural Engineering Tech (1,056) or Civil Engineering Tech (888) instead.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

No federal crosswalk data available for this major yet.

Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$80k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$77k

Bachelor's

$81k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you have already identified the specific industry niche you want to enter — audio production, product design, niche manufacturing, or similar — and the program at your target school is the cleanest fit for that work, if hands-on and applied engineering work appeals to you more than theoretical design, if the narrow $3,500 earnings gap between associate’s ($77,313) and bachelor’s ($80,864) lets you pick the credential that matches the role rather than chasing prestige, and if you understand that ABET ETAC accreditation makes PE licensure possible but more circuitous than from a full engineering degree.

Think twice if your real interest is full engineering with a clean path to PE licensure — the engineering codes in CIP family 14 are the right fit, and Engineering, Other (CIP 14.9999, 775 completions) sits on the design-engineering side rather than the technology side. Reconsider if the program you’re looking at fits a named sub-discipline like Architectural Engineering Tech (1,056 completions), Civil Engineering Tech (888), or Industrial Production Technologies, Other (733), since the named code reads more clearly on a resume than a CIP 15.9999 line. And if you want a single, clear job-market story before committing, the breadth of this catchall makes that hard — outcomes depend on the specific program, not the code.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Berklee College of Music Boston, MA 0 175 175
East Carolina University Greenville, NC 0 165 165
Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA 0 139 139
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH 0 88 88
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC 0 65 65
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK 0 50 50
Allegany College of Maryland Cumberland, MD 33 0 33
Shasta College Redding, CA 29 0 29
Bowling Green State University-Firelands Huron, OH 15 12 27
Northwest State Community College Archbold, OH 25 0 25
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General

2,524 completions/yr

Science Technologies/Technicians, Other

2,437 completions/yr

Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians

1,056 completions/yr

Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians

888 completions/yr

Engineering, Other

775 completions/yr

Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other

733 completions/yr

Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other

550 completions/yr

Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Other

465 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do students in this major actually study?
There is no single answer, and that is the honest framing for a CIP 15.9999 program. The federal definition simply covers any engineering-technology program not listed under a named code, so the catalog at one school may emphasize Product Design Engineering Technology while another runs a Music Production Engineering Technology track — Berklee College of Music graduates the largest cohort here at 175 bachelor’s degrees per year, almost certainly under that label. East Carolina University, Old Dominion, Bowling Green State, and UNC Charlotte each run distinct technology programs under this same code. Read the specific catalog before assuming the title means what you think it means.
How does this compare to a named engineering technology program?
The named codes inside the same concentration are more specific and easier to read on a resume. Architectural Engineering Technologies (CIP 15.0101, 1,056 completions), Civil Engineering Technologies (15.0201, 888), Industrial Production Technologies, Other (15.0699, 733), and Electromechanical Technologies, Other (15.0499, 550) all describe the work directly. Engineering Technologies, General (15.0000, 2,524) is the broadest named umbrella. The 15.9999 ‘Other’ code exists for programs that genuinely don’t fit any of those — often emerging fields, niche industry partnerships, or interdisciplinary tracks. If a named code fits your actual coursework, employers will read it more clearly.
Is this engineering technology or engineering?
Engineering technology — and the difference is structural. Engineering technology programs are accredited under ABET’s ETAC commission, while full engineering degrees are accredited under EAC. ET grads can sit for the FE exam and pursue Professional Engineer licensure in some states, but the path is more circuitous and often requires extra work experience or graduate coursework. The work is more applied and hands-on: designing, testing, maintaining, and improving systems rather than originating theoretical designs. If your goal is the PE license through the standard route, the named engineering codes in CIP family 14 are the cleaner path.
Do I need a bachelor’s, or is an associate’s enough?
Both are offered, and the earnings split is narrow — associate’s completers report $77,313 in median five-year earnings versus $80,864 for bachelor’s, a gap of about $3,500. That tight spread reflects how specialized the associate’s pathway tends to be — community colleges like Allegany College of Maryland, Shasta College, and Northwest State Community College run technician-focused two-year tracks that lead directly into industry. Bachelor’s programs at Berklee, East Carolina, Old Dominion, and Bowling Green tend to combine technical work with design, project management, or production responsibilities. Pick based on the role you want, not the prestige differential.
Why does this packet show no specific career destinations?
Because the CIP code is so broad that the BLS occupation crosswalk doesn’t cleanly map it to any single career — what graduates do depends entirely on which program they completed. A Berklee Music Production Engineering Tech graduate ends up in audio engineering and production; a Product Design Engineering Tech graduate from East Carolina lands in design support, prototyping, or testing roles; a community-college associate’s grad may go into facilities, manufacturing, or maintenance technician work. The $79,629 five-year median across all completers reflects this mix and runs higher than many engineering-tech codes, partly because Berklee bachelor’s grads pull the average up.
What is a common next step after this degree?
The CIP Anomaly is real here — only 1,150 completions a year across 105 colleges, which is thin for an engineering field. Many students who could be counted under 15.9999 are administratively rolled into the broader ‘Engineering Technologies, General’ code (2,524 completions) instead. Common next steps include moving directly into the niche industry the program targets, picking up vendor or trade certifications relevant to that niche, or transferring into a named engineering technology bachelor’s program if you started at the associate’s level. Graduate study is uncommon for this group; industry experience is the more typical lever.