Modern engineering challenges are becoming more complex by the day. Naturally, the demand for highly skilled engineers has skyrocketed – Scott Sargis, founder & president of engineering recruitment firm Strategic Search Corporation affirms this.
“2024 continued to be one with more engineering job openings than qualified engineers to fill them. Companies needed over one million engineers this year, but with only 141,000 US engineer graduates, there was a deficit of 825,000 engineers,” he says in an interview with Design News.
2025 will only continue to build on that demand. Businesses now seek engineers with cutting-edge skills in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, the Internet of Things, and more. It’s an edge that only the most impactful graduate degrees can equip you with.
University of Maryland
Located just a few miles from Washington, D.C. the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland is the catalyst for exceptional research, innovation, and learning at the center of the nation’s federal laboratories and cutting-edge tech companies. Clark School graduates leave ready to assume roles in influential start-ups, big name tech giants, and powerful government agencies, working to solve the grand challenges of the 21st century.
One of the nation’s leading institutions for entrepreneurial activities and for graduating underrepresented students in STEM disciplines, a Clark School degree opens doors and forges exciting, new pathways.
Maryland Applied Graduate Engineering (MAGE) brings the prestige of the Clark School to working engineers and technical professionals. The school offers a range of excellent programmes for those aiming to advance their engineering expertise, including a Master of Engineering and a Graduate Certificate in Engineering in 20 different fields. These include cybersecurity, robotics, software engineering, embedded systems, cloud engineering, and fire protection engineering. One standout is its online Master of Engineering – the programme is ranked #9 for Best Online Master’s in Engineering Programmes.
Engineering Artificial Intelligence, the latest addition, will be available in the fall of 2025. The school seeks to meet the growing demand for expertise in the emerging technologies that are reshaping industries, allowing graduates to explore new frontiers of opportunity. It’s this commitment to engineering education that ranks the school #18 globally for Graduate Engineering, with several of its programmes scoring places within the top 25 and #9 for their Online Master of Engineering programmes.
No matter what you choose to pursue, you’ll be in good hands. Each programme guarantees applied education in emerging, niche, and trending areas of engineering; you’ll benefit from a blend of coursework that builds theoretical foundations and applied technical expertise, a combination that’ll prepare you for careers around the world or just a short ride from campus in the nation’s capital. Dedicated student support staff are available at every step of your degree journey, from admissions to registration to graduation, and organising special functions such as industry site visits and social events, to enhance your student experience.
Visit Maryland Applied Graduate Engineering here.
Engineering education at Purdue Engineering brings students into the heart of the latest research and developments. Source: Purdue University
Purdue University
For over 150 years, Purdue University has one overarching goal — moving the US state of Indiana, the nation, and the world forward. In 2024, it placed first among US public universities and was named the ninth most recognised university in the world in the 2024-25 Global University Visibility (GUV) rankings.
At the College of Engineering, students learn from world-class scholars, and use rare, cutting-edge resources in a wide range of laboratories, centres, and institutes. It’s the perfect setting for student-driven research, and the legacy of Purdue Engineering is certainly one for students to model after: it’s where the first Women in Engineering Programme was established, and where you’ll find the National Society of Black Engineers.
Students have the opportunity to build their professional development through many other resources offered by the school. To give them a leg up when advancing their careers, the school aids in finding internships, co-ops, and jobs, and gets more specific as you find your niche. There are teaching experiences that students can undergo at a college or university level, travel grants for PhD students going to international conferences, and more to help boost your employability.
The College of Engineering offers many undergraduate, graduate, online master’s degree, and professional master’s programmes. Graduate students have 16 engineering fields to choose from, including Nuclear Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Engineering Education, and many more. They’ve even got two options for dual degree programmes for those looking to add an MBA to their CVs, one of which is conducted in partnership with Indiana University Kelley School of Business, the other from the Krannert School of Management.
UC Irvine is proud to offer hands-on engineering experiences. Source: University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
Founded in 1965, the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) is among the nation’s top 10 public universities. With over 36,000 students and 224 degree programmes, the university is known for its innovative research and vibrant campus life.
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering has produced leaders in the field since 1965. The school aims to unleash innovation, create opportunities and inspire ingenuity – at the forefront are its faculty members, each one an expert who has achieved worldwide recognition for their research and dedicated teaching.
You’ll find a strong research focus here. The school pursues research that is timely, socially responsible, and cutting-edge, working in partnership with industry and state and federal agencies to promote the transfer of research to applications that benefit society. One measure of its calibre is its funding – the school received US$81 million to sponsor its research in 2023-2024.
You’ll also find outstanding programmes here. The school offers engineering education in a wide range of traditional and emerging fields, available at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Choose between six academic departments: Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Regardless of choice, you’ll enjoy a hands-on experience from day one. Aside from compulsory practical components in the curriculum, all engineering programmes offer their students multiple opportunities for experiential learning experiences, combining science, engineering fundamentals, design principles and application.
*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International
