Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between quality engineers and project 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 quality engineer, becoming a project engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a quality engineer has an average salary of $79,672, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for a quality engineer include corrective action, continuous improvement and ISO. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Quality Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $79,672 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $38.30 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 96,838 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
Quality engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $79,672 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $103,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a quality engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between quality engineers' and project engineers' demographics:
| Quality Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |