Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering/ Master's degree
Engineers take courses in subjects such as electrical circuits, computer organization and system
architecture, microprocessors, and internal circuit engineering
2-4 years for the degree
$11,800 yearly
Entry level hardware engineer
Hardware Engineer
Senior Engineer
Earnings: $80,000 to $125,000 or more a year
Requirements: A graduate degree in engineering or a Master of Business Administration (MBA)
degree. Many years of experience.
Responsibilities: Reviewing other engineers’ work; initiating new design concepts and assigning
responsibilities to other engineering staff; making decisions about overall engineering policy;
evaluating new designs; liaising with other departments to ensure that the engineering work is
meeting the requirements of the company; possibly carrying out departmental administrative
functions, such as budgeting.
Earnings: $55,000 to $100,000 a year
Requirements: A few years of experience
Responsibilities: Working with less supervision; doing more complex analyses; taking on more
complicated design projects; supervising the work of junior engineers.
Earnings: $40,000 to $60,000 a year
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering or a related field
Responsibilities: Under the supervision of senior hardware engineers, carrying out basic engineering
tasks, such as analysis and number crunching; working with other engineers and researchers to help
solve design problems.