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Major · Engineering

The catchall code for engineering programs that don't fit a named discipline

Engineering, Other is a CIP catchall (14.9999) for engineering majors that don't map cleanly onto the roughly thirty named engineering codes. About 775 degrees are awarded annually across 65 colleges, ranging from nuclear and ocean engineering to engineering-management hybrids — programs whose substance and outcomes vary widely by institution.

Schools offering
65
Annual completions
775
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$95k

About this major

Engineering, Other is the CIP-code catchall (14.9999) for engineering programs that don't map cleanly onto the roughly thirty named engineering codes — Mechanical (14.1901), Electrical (14.1001), Civil (14.0801), Bioengineering (14.0501), Chemical (14.0701), and the rest. The CIP definition is short and deliberately broad: "Any instructional program in engineering not listed above." In practice, schools file a range of programs here — nuclear engineering, ocean engineering, fire-protection engineering, geological engineering, sustainable engineering, and engineering-management hybrids — that share a discipline with named codes only loosely. The substance of the major depends almost entirely on which institution's program a student enrolls in.

This path fits students who already know they want a specialized engineering focus that doesn't fit the named CIPs — nuclear engineering at a school with a reactor program, fire-protection engineering at one of the few institutions that offers it, ocean engineering at a coastal university. It also fits students at schools where the engineering department offers an interdisciplinary track that crosses traditional discipline boundaries. The major rewards the same dispositions named engineering disciplines do: comfort with mathematics through differential equations, methodical problem decomposition, and a tolerance for iterative design and testing.

Scale and outcomes give important context. About 775 degrees are awarded annually across 65 colleges — a fraction of the 33,431 mechanical engineering degrees produced each year. Five-year bachelor's-completer earnings sit around $94,715, putting the major in the same general range as Mechanical or Electrical Engineering at that horizon, though the variance underneath is wide. Common career destinations include 'Engineers, all other' ($117,750 median wage) and health and safety engineers ($109,660 median); architectural and engineering managers ($167,740) is a mid-career outcome rather than an entry point. The single most consequential variable is whether the specific program holds ABET accreditation, which determines eligibility for the FE exam and the downstream PE licensure pipeline.

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.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Architectural and engineering managers $168k +3.8% Bachelor's degree
Engineers, all other $118k +2.1% Bachelor's degree
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106k +8.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors $110k +4.4% Bachelor's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

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

Median 5-year earnings

$95k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if your target specialty is genuinely niche and doesn't fit a named CIP — nuclear, ocean, fire-protection, geological, or sustainable engineering — and the school you're considering has a deep program in that specialty backed by ABET accreditation. The major also fits students drawn to interdisciplinary engineering tracks that cross traditional boundaries, students who have confirmed FE-exam eligibility through the program, and those who plan to use the bachelor's as a foundation for a master's in the same specialty. The five-year earnings figure of about $94,715 is competitive with named disciplines, and the catchall 'Engineers, all other' destination at $117,750 median wage signals real bachelor's-level employability when the underlying program is solid.

Think twice if you're considering an engineering-management hybrid that lacks ABET accreditation — those programs sometimes report under 14.9999 and produce outcomes closer to business majors than to engineers, without the licensure pathway. Think twice also if your target career is in a named discipline like mechanical, electrical, or civil engineering; with 33,431, 14,891, and 13,488 annual completions respectively, the named CIPs offer larger alumni networks, more established recruiting pipelines, and a credential that reads more crisply on a resume. And reconsider if you haven't yet verified ABET accreditation status for the specific program — the FE-exam and PE-licensure pipeline matters more in this CIP than in any of the named ones, because the variance between programs is wider.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Engineering, Other

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Northeastern University Boston, MA 0 134 134
Stanford University Stanford, CA 0 117 117
Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 0 48 48
Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS 0 46 46
University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 0 45 45
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN 0 37 37
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA 0 29 29
University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD 0 26 26
Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA 0 25 25
Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN 0 22 22
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Mechanical Engineering

33,431 completions/yr

Electrical and Electronics Engineering

14,891 completions/yr

Civil Engineering, General

13,488 completions/yr

Computer Engineering, General

9,312 completions/yr

Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering

8,569 completions/yr

Chemical Engineering

7,914 completions/yr

Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General

6,386 completions/yr

Engineering, General

5,416 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does the 'Other' designation actually mean for this engineering major?
The CIP code 14.9999 is administrative, not editorial. It's where institutions report engineering programs that don't fit one of the roughly thirty named engineering codes — Mechanical (14.1901), Electrical (14.1001), Civil (14.0801), and so on. In practice, schools place a wide range of programs here: nuclear engineering, ocean engineering, fire-protection engineering, geological engineering, sustainable engineering, and management-engineering hybrids. The label on the transcript reads the same across institutions, but the underlying curriculum, accreditation status, and downstream career fit can differ substantially.
Is an Engineering, Other program ABET-accredited?
Sometimes — and this is the single most important question to ask before enrolling. ABET accredits specialized engineering programs through paths beyond the named CIPs, so nuclear, fire-protection, and ocean engineering programs are often accredited even though they fall under 14.9999. Other programs in this bucket — particularly engineering-management hybrids — may not hold ABET accreditation. The distinction matters because ABET accreditation gates the FE exam and downstream Professional Engineer (PE) licensure pipeline, which is required for most public-works and consulting roles. Verify the program's accreditation directly on abet.org before committing.
What kinds of jobs do Engineering, Other graduates end up in?
The careers linked to this major reflect the bucket's breadth. 'Engineers, all other' (SOC 17-2199) is itself a catchall — a $117,750 median wage, 2.1% projected growth — covering engineers whose specialty doesn't map to a named occupation. Architectural and engineering managers ($167,740 median) represent a senior-level outcome that typically takes a decade or more of industry experience. Health and safety engineers ($109,660 median) is a more accessible bachelor's-level destination, particularly for graduates of fire-protection or safety-engineering programs. Engineering teachers at the postsecondary level ($106,120 median) require a doctoral degree.
How does Engineering, Other compare to Engineering, General or Mechanical Engineering?
Engineering, General (CIP 14.0101) is a deliberately broad foundational program — frequently used as an associate's transfer platform or as a generalist bachelor's at schools that design it that way. Engineering, Other is different: it's a placeholder for specialized programs that have a defined focus, just one that doesn't fit a named CIP. The named disciplines have far more scale and clearer recruiter signals — Mechanical Engineering produces 33,431 degrees a year, Electrical and Electronics Engineering 14,891, Civil Engineering 13,488, against just 775 for Engineering, Other. If your school's program is essentially a niche specialization (nuclear, ocean, fire-protection), the 'Other' label is unavoidable. If it's a general engineering track, the 14.0101 code is usually a cleaner fit.
Will 'Engineering, Other' on my transcript hurt me on a resume?
It can — recruiters scanning quickly recognize 'Mechanical Engineering' or 'Electrical Engineering' faster than 'Engineering, Other.' The mitigating factor is that on resumes and transcripts, the program's actual name (e.g., 'Nuclear Engineering,' 'Fire Protection Engineering,' 'Ocean Engineering') typically appears, not the raw CIP label. Where the 14.9999 code shows up — federal data, IPEDS pulls, and some applicant-tracking systems — it can read less crisply than a named discipline. The strongest counter-signal is ABET accreditation and FE-exam eligibility, both of which carry more weight than the CIP code itself.
What does the mix of top-completing schools reveal about this major?
The top-completing institutions are nearly all four-year research universities — Northeastern (134 bachelor's), Stanford (117), Michigan State (48), Mississippi State (46), UC San Diego (45), Purdue (37), and Penn State (29). That distribution signals two things. First, this is a bachelor's-level credential at scale — there are zero associate's completions among the top schools, so the major is not functioning as a community-college transfer pathway the way Engineering, General does. Second, each school's 14.9999 program likely reflects an institution-specific specialty: Northeastern's program structure, Stanford's engineering-product-design and management hybrids, Michigan State's biosystems track. Read the curriculum at the specific school carefully; the CIP code tells you almost nothing.