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Pharmaceutical engineer vs product engineer

The differences between pharmaceutical engineers and product engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a pharmaceutical engineer, becoming a product engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, which is higher than the $84,592 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical engineer.

The top three skills for a pharmaceutical engineer include PLC, process improvement and FDA. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.

Pharmaceutical engineer vs product engineer overview

Pharmaceutical EngineerProduct Engineer
Yearly salary$84,592$89,645
Hourly rate$40.67$43.10
Growth rate10%2%
Number of jobs38,658157,888
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4241
Years of experience46

Pharmaceutical engineer vs product engineer salary

Pharmaceutical engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Pharmaceutical EngineerProduct Engineer
Average salary$84,592$89,645
Salary rangeBetween $58,000 And $121,000Between $68,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CityFoster City, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyGilead SciencesMeta
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between pharmaceutical engineer and product engineer education

There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:

Pharmaceutical EngineerProduct Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorChemical EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborMichigan Technological University

Pharmaceutical engineer vs product engineer demographics

Here are the differences between pharmaceutical engineers' and product engineers' demographics:

Pharmaceutical EngineerProduct Engineer
Average age4241
Gender ratioMale, 66.7% Female, 33.3%Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 10.5% White, 73.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage4%5%

Differences between pharmaceutical engineer and product engineer duties and responsibilities

Pharmaceutical engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage overall validation programs for the GMP products at the manufacturing facility and the contract manufacturing company.
  • Participate in regulatory agency inspections (FDA, EU) as a subject matter expert and minimize findings.
  • Develop skills in process change control, aseptic technique and gowning, validation, FDA audits and writing manufacturing tickets.
  • Prepare installation qualification, operational qualification, and performance qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) protocols and reports.
  • Expedite and simplify the quotation process for solar water heating systems by accurately representing solar water heating system performance through MATLAB models
  • Provide plant technical input for all modifications affecting EQ equipment.
  • Show more

Product engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead team to achieve project objectives and report results to Sr. Management.
  • Manage outsourced $500k mix mode voice security IC development.
  • Manage various EHS activities at the Fremont, California facility.
  • Manage coordination of APQP, component timing, and technical resource allocation for commercial issues.
  • Manage the manufacturing of defense and aerospace electro-mechanical print circuit boards from prototype to production level.
  • Sketch concepts (Creo), coordinate prototype builds, provide assembly instructions and troubleshoot build issues.
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Pharmaceutical engineer vs product engineer skills

Common pharmaceutical engineer skills
  • PLC, 28%
  • Process Improvement, 26%
  • FDA, 17%
  • API, 10%
  • Process Equipment, 10%
  • Sops, 3%
Common product engineer skills
  • CAD, 6%
  • Product Design, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • C++, 4%
  • Solidworks, 3%
  • Product Development, 3%

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