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The differences between instrumentation & control engineers and control systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an instrumentation & control engineer, becoming a control systems engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a control systems engineer has an average salary of $92,727, which is higher than the $92,464 average annual salary of an instrumentation & control engineer.
The top three skills for an instrumentation & control engineer include PLC, HMI and SCADA. The most important skills for a control systems engineer are PLC, HMI, and C++.
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Control Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,464 | $92,727 |
| Hourly rate | $44.45 | $44.58 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 51,065 | 133,220 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An instrumentation and control engineer is responsible for installing and designing technical components for engineering systems that would support production and manufacturing processes. Instrumentation and control engineers inspect control systems, modify features and infrastructure, configure controllers, and run multiple quality checks to ensure stability and optimal performance. They must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in developing system codes and analyzing programming languages to serve control functions and development. An instrumentation and control engineer also resolves system issues and write resolution reports for reference.
Control systems engineers are interdisciplinary engineers managing the company's control systems. They are expected to be familiar with different engineering disciplines such as mechanical, industrial, and computer science, among others. They are responsible for designing systems based on the company's requirements. Control systems engineers must conduct feasibility studies to ensure that the company's requirements can be met. They are also responsible for developing the systems, creating prototypes, and testing. They test whether the control systems produce desired results. After testing, control systems engineers implement the system and conduct routine maintenance checks.
Instrumentation & control engineers and control systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Control Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,464 | $92,727 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $121,000 | Between $72,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Marathon Petroleum | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an instrumentation & control engineer and a control systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Control Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between instrumentation & control engineers' and control systems engineers' demographics:
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Control Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 15.4% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |