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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Mechanical engineering produced the most bachelor’s degrees in ASEE’s 2022–23 reporting year, with 29,792 awards. The ranking below counts degrees awarded—not current enrollment or the share of Americans who already hold each degree—and reflects ASEE’s reporting categories, including computer science programs housed within engineering.
Top 10 engineering degrees by bachelor’s awards
The latest detailed discipline counts in the sources available for this comparison come from the American Society for Engineering Education’s Profiles of Engineering and Engineering Technology, 2023. The figures cover degrees awarded from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023.
| Rank | ASEE discipline category | Bachelor’s degrees awarded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical | 29,792 |
| 2 | Computer Science (inside Engineering) | 26,324 |
| 3 | Civil | 11,263 |
| 4 | Electrical | 11,207 |
| 5 | Chemical | 8,034 |
| 6 | Biomedical | 7,920 |
| 7 | Computer | 7,338 |
| 8 | Other | 7,051 |
| 9 | Industrial/Manufacturing/Systems | 5,847 |
| 10 | Aerospace | 5,251 |
ASEE’s 2023 Profiles report lists 134,090 bachelor’s degrees across its engineering categories in the table; that total excludes computer science outside engineering. Its data come from institutions with at least one ABET-accredited engineering, engineering technology, or computing program, so this is a defined reporting set rather than a census of every U.S. institution.
What “most popular” means in this ranking
Here, popular means the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in a reporting year. It does not mean the number of students currently enrolled, the number of people applying to a major, or the proportion of engineering degree holders who studied that subject.
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Classification matters, too. ASEE reports 26,324 degrees in Computer Science inside Engineering and separately reports 17,412 in Computer Science outside Engineering. The table above keeps the inside-engineering category as listed and does not add the outside-engineering figure; combining them would change the ranking’s scope. Computer is another distinct category in ASEE’s table, with 7,338 awards.
Why another official measure puts electrical ahead
The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses American Community Survey data to describe people who already hold engineering degrees, not the degrees awarded in one year. In that 2023 degree-holder distribution, Electrical Engineering accounted for 21% and Mechanical Engineering for 20%; General Engineering was 13%, Civil Engineering 11%, and Computer Engineering 10%. The remaining 25% were grouped as Other. Those shares answer a different question, which is why Electrical leads that measure even though Mechanical leads the ASEE awards ranking.
BLS’s engineering field-of-degree page also reports a $100,000 median wage for engineering degree holders in 2023, based on Census Bureau ACS data. That is an aggregate figure across engineering degree holders, not a salary estimate for any one major. It should not be used to infer that the most common degree is the best-paid.
How current is the ranking?
The ranking is explicitly an ASEE 2023 snapshot, covering awards from July 2022 through June 2023; it is not a 2026 ranking of student preferences. ASEE’s report includes a March 2025 correction notice about certain institution-ranking tables that were removed after data errors. That correction concerned institution rankings, not the discipline-count table used here.
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A newer broad measure is available from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics: 117,332 bachelor’s degrees in the broad field of Engineering in 2024, using provisional NCES/IPEDS completion data. Because it is a broad field total rather than a detailed discipline breakdown, it cannot replace ASEE’s top-ten ordering or resolve the computer-science classification distinction. NCSES’s 2026 report technical notes describe the data basis.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this ranking can—and cannot—tell you about a major
Award counts show which reported categories produced the most graduates in that year. They do not establish which degree is easiest to complete, most in demand, best paid, or best suited to a particular student. Those questions require different evidence, such as program requirements, occupation-specific employment projections, and earnings for graduates in comparable jobs.
For broad context only, BLS reports that engineering degree holders had a $100,000 median wage in 2023, compared with $70,000 across all fields; 73% were employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree, and 42% had an advanced degree. BLS also reports projected 2024–34 growth for occupations—not majors—including software developers (16%), industrial engineers (11%), and mechanical engineers (9%). These figures describe degree holders or occupations and should not be read as outcomes guaranteed by choosing a particular major. See BLS’s engineering field-of-degree data for definitions and occupation details.
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