Careers / Jobs and Engineering Employment

Job Opportunities and careers in biological engineering for agriculture, bioprocesses and the environment frequently involve a combination of indoor and outdoor work. Engineering jobs may involve product design and development, plant engineering and management, engineering consulting, and design of systems working with biological, natural resources and the environment. Jobs can be found in the private sector, research, teaching and government.

Agricultural and environmental technology graduates are typically employed in jobs that involve the application and management of engineering designs in the conservation and utilization of natural resources, agricultural production systems, water and animal waste management, structures and environmental controls, and agribusiness management. Both programs may lead to jobs with private businesses, governmental agencies (county, state, and federal), or public utilities. Students learn while participating in hands-on research projects overseen by faculty and extension personnel.

About Engineering Wages

Disclaimer: Wages stated below are only provided as a guide and in no way are to be interrupted as fact. Graduates of this department may earn more or less for various reasons.

Biological Engineers with a concentration in Agriculture could become consultants for farming enterprises, agricultural commodities suppliers or mitigate land and water rights.

Engineers are generally well paid and respected. The median salary for all US engineering disciplines range from $50,000 to $60,000. This wage median is also representative of biological engineers. In general Biological Engineer wages are comparable to that of a Civil Engineer.

The researched wage data can be found at:

• US labor Bureau
• Regional Data
• (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill (1996 publication)
• Some engineering organizations also provide data

Below are some reasons why engineering wages vary:

1. Job location
2. Years of experience
3. Areas of expertise
4. Amount of travel
5. Academic record
6. Type of certifications
7. Prior co-op or industry related experiences
8. The employing businesses particular needs

Wages for biological engineer that specializes in high risk hazardous waste management might find that positions of this variety could earn from $60,000 to $90,000. An environmental compliance engineer whose focus is on legal issues might earn $48,000 to $70,000.

An entry-level biological engineer might start their career at $45,000 however, some graduates do command much more. The main factors used by employers of entry-level candidates are based on academic record and/or prior industry experiences, Co-op, internship, and summer research experiences.

Those with masters' degrees could start at $48,000 or more. This department is proud of the fact that many of our graduates choose to continue to earn their advanced degrees at NC State.

Technology graduates often work with engineers to complete engineering projects. An entry level starting salary for a technology graduate might be 33,500. The average national starting salary for technology graduates (includes all fields) is estimated at 43,411 (National Association of Colleges and Employers, Salary Survey, summer 2004)

• National Association of Colleges and Employers
• Yoh Index of Technology

  Preparing Work Ready Students

BAE students are prepared for the work-world by gaining valuable field, data collection and researching experience in several ways. They may participate in undergraduate level field research or laboratory challenges proposed by faculty or participate in the "NC State Undergraduate Research Symposia." All BE engineering students are required to complete a capstone senior design project and student are encouraged to participate in industry internships, co-op opportunities, journalized research and related extension work experiences. Students may also apply to participate in summer fellowships at this and other universities. With additional university-level field experiences, BAE students are prepared for the varied job opportunities they may seek after graduation.

Many Environmental Engineers specialize in solving problems in areas like water control and management. This culvert control structure is massive. The engineer must choose the best plan of action for each phase of the project from the initial planning through installation and final monitoring.

This structure requires the calculation of the riser width and height, determining the diameter of the culvert opening and the structures optimal placement in the river bed. One structure may not solve all the water flow issues in a river bed. The engineer is most likely coordinating additional control measures to resolve river flow and stream to river issues. On a project like this dozens of factors require engineering decisions.