The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is one of the oldest states in the country and is noteworthy for its many educational institutions across the country. The major city and capital, Boston, is historically and culturally important nationally, with many firms ranging from finance to education in the city.
Other areas of the state include the Connecticut River Valley and the metropolitan Worcester area, which also contain a vast number of firms.
Here are a few of the larger companies in Massachusetts that hire engineering professionals: Staples, Massachusetts General Hospital, The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. LLC, The University of Massachusetts, Steward Health Care System, Harvard University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, UMass Memorial Health Care, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Raytheon Co., State Street Corp., Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Boston Scientific, Biogen Idec.
Engineering Education in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has several dozen academic institutions, both private and public, that provide engineering programs. Fifteen of the state’s community colleges provide certifications or associate’s degrees in engineering.
In addition, two public universities, Fitchburg State University and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, offer certificates and associate’s degrees in engineering. Several private institutions also provide certificates and associate’s programs in engineering, including the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, Merrimack College, Northeastern University, Suffolk University, and the Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Besides Fitchburg State and UMass-Lowell, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, which is the flagship campus, the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy offer undergraduate programs in engineering.
Fourteen private universities and colleges offer undergraduate engineering programs, including Northeastern University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, the Franklin W. Olin School of Engineering, Harvard University, Smith College, and Tufts University. Three UMass campuses (Amherst, Lowell, Dartmouth) provide graduate programs in engineering, along with the the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Ten private universities offer graduate programs in engineering, including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Western New England University, and Anna Maria College.
Outlook for Engineering Jobs in Massachusetts
Massachusetts is the home to many public and private firms that need engineers, such as biotech. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Massachusetts employs 70,020 engineers and architects as of May 2011. The BLS states that the average annual salary of engineers in Massachusetts calculated to $82,060 a year in May 2011.
The bottom tenth percentile of engineers earned a salary of $44,810 a year, while the top tenth percentile earned a salary of $126,400 a year. The engineering sector that employs the most workers is the electrical engineering sector, which employs 7,410 workers in Massachusetts. Behind electrical, the mechanical engineering sectors employs 7,110 Massachusetts workers. Civil engineering is third, with 6,410 workers, and fourth is industrial with 5,640 workers in Massachusetts.
- Massachusetts Aerospace Engineering Schools
- Massachusetts Automotive Engineering
- Massachusetts Biomedical Engineering Schools
- Massachusetts Chemical Engineering
- Massachusetts Civil Engineering Schools
- Massachusetts Computer Engineering Schools
- Massachusetts Electrical Engineering Schools
- Massachusetts Mechanical Engineering Schools