Mechanical Engineering vs Electrical Engineering

How each major is officially classified

Both definitions below are the official U.S. Department of Education (NCES) CIP 2020 descriptions — not CampusPin summaries.

What you actually study

Where each major leads

The federal CIP–SOC crosswalk maps each academic program to the occupations it is designed to feed. Comparing the two lists shows where Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering converge and where they part. Every wage below is the BLS 2024 national median for that occupation — not an outcome for the major, and not a starting salary.

A major does not restrict you to these occupations, and plenty of graduates work outside them. The mapping describes what each program is built to prepare you for.

Which one tends to suit which student

This part is CampusPin’s judgement, not a measurement. Neither major is better; they suit different temperaments.

What to ask each department

Curricula vary far more between institutions than between these two majors. These questions surface the differences that actually matter for this choice.

1. 1Are both programs ABET-accredited? For engineering this is close to mandatory for licensure and many employers.
2. 2What does the first-year curriculum look like — is it shared across engineering, so I can decide after two semesters?
3. 3Which concentrations does each department actually staff (robotics, power, controls, thermal, RF)?
4. 4What is the co-op or internship placement rate for each major, and with which employers?

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Mechanical Engineering and a Electrical Engineering major?

Mechanical engineering deals with forces, motion, energy, and materials — things you can usually see move. Electrical engineering deals with electricity, electronics, and signals — behavior you mostly infer from instruments. Both are broad, mathematics-heavy degrees, and both are commonly offered as ABET-accredited programs; the divide is which physical domain you want to reason in.

Do Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering lead to the same jobs?

Partly. The federal CIP–SOC crosswalk maps both programs to 3 of the same occupations — including Architectural and Engineering Managers, Aerospace Engineers, Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. It also maps 2 occupations to Mechanical Engineering that it does not map to Electrical Engineering, and 3 to Electrical Engineering that it does not map to Mechanical Engineering. A degree is not a restriction — graduates work outside these lists routinely — but the mapping shows where each program is designed to lead.

Which pays more, Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering?

CampusPin does not publish a "higher-paying major" answer, because the data does not support one. BLS reports median wages by OCCUPATION, not by college major, and both of these majors lead to a range of occupations that overlap. The per-occupation medians on this page are the honest version of that question: compare the specific roles you are actually interested in, and remember that pay varies widely by employer, region, and experience.

Is there anything commonly misunderstood about choosing between Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering?

The two share engineering-management and aerospace occupations in the federal crosswalk and are close cousins in practice — mechatronics and robotics draw on both. Many departments share a common first year, so this choice is often less final than it feels.