How To Become A Manufacturing Engineering Internship: What It Is and Career Path

Q: Are manufacturing engineers in demand?

Yes, manufacturing engineers are in demand. The demand is expected to go up over the next ten years. The overall job outlook for manufacturing engineer careers has been positive since 2004.

Q: Do engineer interns get paid?

Yes, engineering interns get paid. A reasonable salary for an internship depends on a variety of factors but can be anywhere from $20 to $40 an hour. There are a number of factors that should influence your desired salary for an internship, including industry, experience, and location.

Q: How do I get a mechanical engineering internship?

While most mechanical internships do not require prior experience, it is important to showcase your areas of technical skill, educational experience, and work experience if you expect to get an internship.

Q: How do I get an engineering internship?

To get an engineering internship, you must have a good GPA, complete some upper-level courses toward your degree in engineering, and have a polished resume and cover letter. The first step is to do your research. The best place to start your internship search is with companies that are actively looking for interns. Engineering firms will typically advertise this information on their career page, job-seeking sites like indeed, or even craigslist. There are also specialized engineering internships websites.

Q: How much do engineer interns make?

Engineer interns make around $33,291 a year ($15 an hour). However, many internships are unpaid or offer other compensation like school credit or stipends to cover the cost of living. The average range for a paid engineering internship pays an average of $35,000 a year but can range as low as $15,000 a year to as high as $93,000 a year. A few engineer interns get lucky and can earn a lot more.

Q: Is manufacturing engineering a good career?

Yes, being a manufacturing engineer is a good career. Manufacturing engineering is a well-paying, well-regarded job with a strong career outlook. It is a promising career if you enjoy a challenging work environment with individual project work and team interaction. Manufacturing engineers have a high level of career satisfaction and generally stay in the profession long-term.

What is a manufacturing engineering internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Jerry Leth,

Robert Taylor

A manufacturing engineering internship is the first step towards a successful career in the field. Candidates gain exposure to daily operations in a manufacturing environment through hands-on experience during an internship. In addition to manufacturing, you can get an opportunity to work in engineering and other departments of a company.

A manufacturing engineering intern participates in a training program that's designed to give them theoretical and practical knowledge in the field. Interns also work with clients, suppliers, equipment maintenance, and operation. They interact with different departments within the organization, including manufacturing, sales, materials, receiving, engineering, and quality.

They present their findings to upper-level management at the end of their internship. During a manufacturing engineering internship, you can earn about $24.42 an hour, which is enough to meet daily expenses. The position is usually full-time with an average of forty working hours per week. Getting an internship in this field requires either a bachelor's or master's degree in mechanical or industrial engineering.

What general advice would you give to a manufacturing engineering internship?

Jerry Leth

VP/General Manager, MANA

We are the Manufacturers' Agents National Association, a trade association of independent manufacturers' representative businesses. We will address this question from that perspective.
To a recent college graduate, a question I pose is, "Am I going to be happier and more satisfied working for someone? Or would I be more satisfied if I embarked on a path that leads me to own my own business?"
If the answer is owning your own business, consider looking for employment as an outside salesperson for an existing manufacturers' representative business. Our average member employs six outside salespersons, and the largest employs 160. Starting out as an employee provides an opportunity to learn about the business while earning an income. When you are ready, many manufacturers' representative firms offer ownership opportunities to employees, or you may choose to move on and start your own business. Either way, you achieve your goal of owning and running your own business.

ScoreManufacturing Engineering InternshipUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $53,047

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 15.12%

Black or African American 4.24%

Hispanic or Latino 10.39%

Unknown 3.88%

White 66.20%

Gender

female 18.75%

male 81.25%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a manufacturing engineering internship

Explore manufacturing engineering internship education requirements

Most common manufacturing engineering internship degrees

Bachelor's

78.9 %

Master's

10.6 %

Associate

6.4 %

Start to develop specific manufacturing engineering internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Continuous Improvement	14.54%
Lean Manufacturing	9.30%
CAD	7.19%
Solidworks	5.12%
Process Improvement	3.86%

Complete relevant manufacturing engineering internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New manufacturing engineering interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a manufacturing engineering internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real manufacturing engineering internship resumes.

Research manufacturing engineering internship duties and responsibilities

Incorporate PLC logic to automate safety features for stud drop tester equipment.
Lead the implementation of a new SPC system throughout several business units.
Operate and manage the operation of the SMT production and inspection line, ensuring high quality.
Lead numerous Kaizan events in machining value stream and are successfully able to increase the OEE of multiple cells.

Prepare your manufacturing engineering internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your manufacturing engineering internship resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a manufacturing engineering internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable manufacturing engineering internship resume templates

Build a professional manufacturing engineering internship resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your manufacturing engineering internship resume.

Apply for manufacturing engineering internship jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a manufacturing engineering internship job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average manufacturing engineering internship salary

The average manufacturing engineering internship salary in the United States is $53,047 per year or $26 per hour. Manufacturing engineering internship salaries range between $40,000 and $68,000 per year.

Average manufacturing engineering internship salary

$53,047 Yearly

$25.50 hourly

How do manufacturing engineering interns rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Manufacturing engineering internship reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

Improve 5's & increase productivity, manpower reduction...n+/- concept..

Cons

Can be managed accordingly situation.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020

Pros

Learn much about different systems. Project management and worthy salary.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

I like creating and discovering new perspecrive and eliminate waste thinga.

Cons

I dont like people whi dont share of knowledge.

Manufacturing engineering internship FAQs

What is a manufacturing engineering internship and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a manufacturing engineering internship?

Manufacturing engineering internship career paths

Key steps to become a manufacturing engineering internship

Explore manufacturing engineering internship education requirements

Most common manufacturing engineering internship degrees

Start to develop specific manufacturing engineering internship skills

Complete relevant manufacturing engineering internship training and internships

Research manufacturing engineering internship duties and responsibilities

Prepare your manufacturing engineering internship resume

Choose from 10+ customizable manufacturing engineering internship resume templates

Apply for manufacturing engineering internship jobs

How did you land your first manufacturing engineering internship job

Average manufacturing engineering internship salary

How do manufacturing engineering interns rate their job?

Manufacturing engineering internship reviews

Manufacturing engineering internship FAQs

Are manufacturing engineers in demand?

Do engineer interns get paid?

How do I get a mechanical engineering internship?

How do I get an engineering internship?

How much do engineer interns make?

Is manufacturing engineering a good career?

Search for manufacturing engineering internship jobs