Become A Quality Engineer
Where do you want to work?
Working As A Quality Engineer
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Getting Information
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Interacting With Computers
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Deal with People
$63,752
Average Salary
What Does A Quality Engineer Do
How To Become A Quality Engineer
Industrial engineers must have a bachelor’s degree. Employers also value experience, so cooperative education engineering programs at universities are also valuable.
EducationIndustrial engineers need a bachelor’s degree, typically in industrial engineering. However, many industrial engineers have degrees in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering technology, or general engineering. Students interested in studying industrial engineering should take high school courses in mathematics, such as algebra, trigonometry, and calculus; computer science; and sciences such as chemistry and physics.
Bachelor’s degree programs include lectures in classrooms and practice in laboratories. Courses include statistics, production systems planning, and manufacturing systems design, among others. Many colleges and universities offer cooperative education programs in which students gain practical experience while completing their education.
A few colleges and universities offer 5-year degree programs in industrial engineering that lead to a bachelor’s and master’s degree upon completion, and several more offer similar programs in mechanical engineering. A graduate degree allows an engineer to work as a professor at a college or university or to engage in research and development. Some 5-year or even 6-year cooperative education plans combine classroom study with practical work, permitting students to gain experience and to finance part of their education.
Programs in industrial engineering are accredited by ABET.
Important QualitiesCreativity. Industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal.
Critical-thinking skills. Industrial engineers create new systems to solve problems related to waste and inefficiency. Solving these problems requires logic and reasoning to identify strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to the problems.
Listening skills. These engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff. They must listen to customers and clients in order to fully grasp ideas and problems the first time.
Math skills. Industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.
Problem-solving skills. In designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance.
Speaking skills. Industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available. Being able to explain concepts clearly and quickly is crucial to preventing costly mistakes and loss of time.
Writing skills. Industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference. The documentation must be coherent and explain their thinking clearly so that the others can understand the information.
Licenses, Certifications, and RegistrationsLicensure is not required for entry-level positions as an industrial engineer. A Professional Engineering (PE) license, which allows for higher levels of leadership and independence, can be acquired later in one’s career. Licensed engineers are called professional engineers (PEs). A PE can oversee the work of other engineers, sign off on projects, and provide services directly to the public. State licensure generally requires
- A degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program
- A passing score on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam
- Relevant work experience, typically at least 4 years
- A passing score on the Professional Engineering (PE) exam
The initial FE exam can be taken after one earns a bachelor’s degree. Engineers who pass this exam are commonly called engineers in training (EITs) or engineer interns (EIs). After meeting work experience requirements, EITs and EIs can take the second exam, called the Principles and Practice of Engineering.
Several states require engineers to take continuing education in order to keep their licenses. Most states recognize licenses from other states, as long as the other state’s licensing requirements meet or exceed their own licensing requirements.
AdvancementBeginning industrial engineers usually work under the supervision of experienced engineers. In large companies, new engineers also may receive formal training in classes or seminars. As beginning engineers gain knowledge and experience, they move on to more difficult projects with greater independence to develop designs, solve problems, and make decisions.
Eventually, industrial engineers may advance to become technical specialists, such as quality engineers or facility planners. In that role, they supervise a team of engineers and technicians. Obtaining a master’s degree facilitates such specialization and thus advancement.
Many industrial engineers move into management positions because the work they do is closely related to the work of managers. For more information, see the profile on architectural and engineering managers.
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Quality Engineer jobs
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Quality Engineer Career Paths
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Quality Technician Lead 5.0 years
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Manager, Quality Engineer 4.6 years
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Quality/Reliability Engineer 4.4 years
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Manufacturing Quality Manager 4.3 years
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Senior Quality Engineer 4.2 years
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Quality Manager 4.0 years
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Senior Supplier Quality Engineer 4.0 years
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Quality Engineer/Process Engineer 3.9 years
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Manufacturing Quality Engineer 3.9 years
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Quality Control Manager 3.8 years
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Product Quality Manager 3.7 years
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Quality Technician Engineer 3.7 years
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Quality Technician 3.6 years
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Director Of Quality & Engineering 3.6 years
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Supplier Quality Engineer 3.4 years
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Quality Coordinator 3.4 years
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Quality Control Coordinator 3.3 years
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Product Quality Engineer 3.3 years
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Quality Systems Engineer 3.3 years
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Lead Quality Engineer 3.3 years
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Quality Lead 3.1 years
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Principal Quality Engineer 3.1 years
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Quality Engineer 3.0 years
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Quality Assurance Specialist 2.9 years
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Advanced Quality Engineer 2.9 years
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Quality Control Engineer 2.8 years
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Quality Assistant 2.1 years
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Quality Manager 11.7%
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Process Engineer 6.8%
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Quality Technician 5.9%
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Project Engineer 4.3%
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Quality Supervisor 4.0%
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Internship 3.4%
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Industrial Engineer 3.4%
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Project Manager 3.3%
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Quality Inspector 3.3%
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Engineer 3.0%
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Quality Assurance 3.0%
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Design Engineer 2.7%
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Quality Manager 20.0%
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Senior Quality Engineer 13.0%
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Project Manager 4.4%
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Process Engineer 4.4%
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Project Engineer 3.3%
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Operations Manager 3.1%
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Program Manager 3.0%
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Director Of Quality 2.9%
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Quality Assurance 2.8%
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Quality Supervisor 2.5%
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Engineering Manager 2.5%
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Engineer 2.3%
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Consultant 2.2%
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Manager 1.9%
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Plant Manager 1.9%
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Average Length of Employment
Top Careers Before Quality Engineer
Top Careers After Quality Engineer
Quality Engineer Demographics
Gender
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Male
74.8% -
Female
22.3% -
Unknown
2.9%
Ethnicity
-
White
72.4% -
Asian
13.3% -
Hispanic or Latino
10.9% -
Unknown
2.7% -
Black or African American
0.8%
Languages Spoken
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Spanish
49.9% -
German
6.8% -
Chinese
6.5% -
Mandarin
6.0% -
French
5.4% -
Japanese
4.2% -
Arabic
3.6% -
Portuguese
3.2% -
Korean
2.1% -
Hindi
1.8% -
Carrier
1.8% -
Italian
1.8% -
Cantonese
1.8% -
Russian
0.9% -
Thai
0.9% -
Vietnamese
0.8% -
Urdu
0.8% -
Gujarati
0.6% -
Indonesian
0.6% -
Turkish
0.6%
Quality Engineer
Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.
Quality Engineer Education
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University of Phoenix
13.7% -
Purdue University
7.9% -
Rochester Institute of Technology
7.6% -
Wayne State University
7.0% -
Northeastern University
5.4% -
University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
5.0% -
Pennsylvania State University
4.8% -
Michigan State University
4.5% -
Iowa State University
4.4% -
San Jose State University
4.1% -
University of Toledo
4.1% -
University of Alabama
3.8% -
Clemson University
3.7% -
Georgia Institute of Technology -
3.6% -
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
3.6% -
Indiana Wesleyan University
3.4% -
Auburn University
3.4% -
Wichita State University
3.4% -
Texas A&M University
3.4% -
Eastern Michigan University
3.3% -
Business 19.8%
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Mechanical Engineering 16.5%
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Management 4.2%
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Chemical Engineering 4.0%
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Engineering 3.5%
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Chemistry 2.6%
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Computer Science 2.5%
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Biology 2.1%
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Project Management 1.8%
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Finance 1.4%
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Bachelors
48.2% -
Masters
28.0% -
Other
12.6% -
Associate
6.3% -
Certificate
2.9% -
Doctorate
1.4% -
Diploma
0.5% -
License
0.1%
Schools
Majors
Degrees
Quality Engineer
Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.
Real Quality Engineer Salaries
Job Title
|
Company
|
Location
|
Start Date
|
Salary
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff Mobile Quality Engineer, Samsclub.Com | Wal-Mart Associates, Inc. | San Bruno, CA | Nov 07, 2016 | $196,000 |
| Quality Engineer V | Nvidia Corporation | Santa Clara, CA | Oct 21, 2016 | $182,780 |
| Quality Engineer | Bigcommerce, Inc. | San Francisco, CA | Jan 26, 2016 | $170,000 |
| Staff Quality Engineer | Wal-Mart Associates, Inc. | Sunnyvale, CA | Jan 12, 2016 | $169,290 |
| Staff Engineer-Quality Engineering | Nicira, Inc. | Palo Alto, CA | Feb 11, 2015 | $167,000 |
| Staff Engineer-Quality Engineer | Nicira, Inc. | Palo Alto, CA | Dec 19, 2016 | $167,000 |
| Quality Engineer, Senior | Ticketfly LLC | San Francisco, CA | Nov 30, 2015 | $162,000 |
| Quality Engineer, Senior | Ticketfly, LLC | San Francisco, CA | Oct 08, 2016 | $160,000 - $185,000 |
| Staff Quality Engineer | Wal-Mart Associates, Inc. | San Bruno, CA | Jun 09, 2016 | $160,000 |
| Java Quality Engineer | Populus Group LLC | San Francisco, CA | Mar 10, 2016 | $159,530 |
| Java Quality Engineer | Populus Group LLC | San Francisco, CA | Jan 10, 2016 | $159,530 |
| Quality Engineering Lmts | Salesforce.Com, Inc. | San Francisco, CA | Aug 11, 2015 | $156,402 |
| Staff Engineer-Quality Engineering | Vmware, Inc. | Palo Alto, CA | Dec 14, 2016 | $156,004 |
| Staff Quality Engineer | Appdynamics, Inc. | San Francisco, CA | Feb 05, 2016 | $155,000 |
| Quality Engineer | Entegris, Inc. | Billerica, MA | Aug 15, 2015 | $89,984 |
| Quality Engineer | The Mathworks, Inc. | Natick, MA | Sep 19, 2015 | $89,974 |
| Corporate Quality Engineer | Shure Incorporated | Niles, IL | Dec 27, 2016 | $89,606 - $127,474 |
| Quality Engineer-Quality Assurance | Staar Surgical Company | Monrovia, CA | Jun 06, 2016 | $89,500 - $95,000 |
| Quality Engineer-Quality Assurance | Staar Surgical Company | Monrovia, CA | Feb 09, 2016 | $89,500 - $95,000 |
| Quality Engineer II | Honeywell International, Inc. | Murfreesboro, TN | Jun 10, 2016 | $89,315 |
| Quality Engineer | The Mathworks, Inc. | Natick, MA | Sep 14, 2015 | $89,300 |
| Quality Engineer, Value Stream | Wabco Compressor Manufacturing Company | North Charleston, SC | Dec 09, 2016 | $89,268 |
| Infrastructue Quality Engineer | Palantir Technologies Inc. | Palo Alto, CA | Jan 08, 2016 | $77,421 |
| Quality Engineer | Verotech Solutions, LLC | Palm Beach Gardens, FL | Jul 23, 2016 | $77,219 |
| Quality Engineer | Tech Mahindra (Americas), Inc. | Portland, OR | May 16, 2015 | $77,210 |
| Quality Engineer | Industrial Tectonics Bearings | East Rancho Dominguez, CA | Jul 24, 2015 | $77,126 |
| Quality Engineer | Intel Corporation | Folsom, CA | Jul 09, 2015 | $77,085 - $142,900 |
| Quality Engineer | Fitbit, Inc. | San Francisco, CA | Jun 04, 2016 | $77,064 - $120,000 |
| Quality Engineer | Us It Solutions Inc. | San Francisco, CA | Apr 05, 2016 | $77,064 |
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Top Skills for A Quality Engineer
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Top Quality Engineer Skills
- Supplier Quality
- Corrective Action
- Quality Procedures
- Identified and resolved supplier quality problems.
- Participate in containment, recovery, issue escalation process, and corrective actions involving atypical quality events.
- Maintained ISO 9000 documentation for quality procedures during CATV inspection and electrical/mechanical performance evaluations.
- Received commendation for root cause analysis which resulted in identification, isolation and resolution of problem which had prevented system shipments.
- Conducted Process Capability Studies on packaging and filling equipment which lead to over 6-figures in yearly savings.
Top Quality Engineer Employers
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