Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between requirements engineers and systems 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 requirements engineer, becoming a systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a requirements engineer has an average salary of $87,170, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for a requirements engineer include java, software development and powerpoint. The most important skills for a systems engineer are python, linux, and C++.
| Requirements Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,170 | $82,834 |
| Hourly rate | $41.91 | $39.82 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 166,444 | 145,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Requirements engineers are responsible for the analysis, documentation, coordination, and management of requirements regarding new software projects. They identify and understand the customer's project-specific demands and document them in a clear and binding way. Their duties and responsibilities also include preparing well-written and detailed documentation of the project and ensuring the project is designed and built within the legal parameters.
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
Requirements engineers and systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Requirements Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,170 | $82,834 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $120,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a requirements engineer and a systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Requirements Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between requirements engineers' and systems engineers' demographics:
| Requirements Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.5% Female, 35.5% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |