An interdisciplinary engineering bachelor’s with two distinct uses

Engineering Science (CIP 14.1301) is a broad, interdisciplinary engineering credential with two distinct uses: as the umbrella engineering bachelor’s at liberal-arts-oriented universities, and as a transfer-engineering associate’s at community colleges. The CIP definition organizes coursework around the general application of mathematical and scientific principles to the analysis and evaluation of engineering problems — including applied research in human behavior, statistics, biology, chemistry, the earth and planetary sciences, atmospherics and meteorology, and computer applications. At four-year universities, programs cover engineering fundamentals (calculus, physics, chemistry, statics, dynamics, materials, thermodynamics) plus a flexible upper-division curriculum that students tailor toward mechanical, electrical, biomedical, or computational concentrations. At community colleges, the same CIP houses pre-engineering transfer associate’s programs — first two years of any engineering bachelor’s, completed at lower CC tuition before transfer.

The major fits two distinct student profiles. For the four-year-university student at Dartmouth, Harvard, Smith, Vanderbilt, Trinity, or similar, this is a flexible, ABET-accredited engineering bachelor’s that lets students choose a concentration through electives rather than committing to a named engineering discipline upfront. For the community-college student at Connecticut State CC, Houston CC, or Hudson County CC, this is a transfer credential designed to articulate cleanly into a state-university engineering program. Both rewards quantitative aptitude, but the destination differs sharply.

One grounded observation about pay and program mix: 826 students complete this CIP across 78 institutions. The top of the list is unusual: Dartmouth (98 bachelor’s graduates, 12% of national output) leads, followed by Connecticut State Community College (64 associate’s), Houston Community College (59 associate’s), Rutgers (45), Vanderbilt (42), Harvard (40), Trinity (40), Smith (39), Hudson County CC (25), and Penn State (25). Bachelor’s graduates earn $93,039 in five-year tracked wages — competitive with named engineering disciplines — while associate’s graduates earn $73,617, reflecting a strong CC-to-engineering transfer outcome. The named labor-market destinations are bachelor’s-tier engineering roles: engineers all other ($117,750, 2.1% growth), with engineering managers ($167,740) as a mid-career outcome and engineering teachers ($106,120) as a doctoral path.