Special field & Interdisciplinary Engineer

There are plenty of traditional, nontraditional, and interdisciplinary fields of engineering that might just match up with your interests, whether they involve design, architecture, law, business, geography, psychology, agriculture, or education. As an acoustical engineer, you might develop a state-of-the-art sound studio, or as a sports engineer you might create equipment that tests the performance of athletes.  You might also work in “human factors engineering,” a fascinating field that takes human behavior and psychology into account in developing products and systems.

Education

In general an engineering job requires a bachelor's degree in a technical field, although there are some alternate pathways that may get you started.

Job Outlook

The job outlook varies depending on the specialty.  As examples about 100 openings for agricultural engineers, 900 openings for marine engineers, and 1,500 openings for health and safety engineers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.*

Lifestyle

Engineers work in all sorts of environments depending on their specialty.  They might spend some time in an office but also visit manufacturing sites.  They may also travel to other countries, visit exotic locations, or explore the sea floor!

Salary

The average annual salary for engineers in special and interdisciplinary fields varies depending on the specialty. However, for a general entry-level engineer the median annual wage is around $91,420.*

Examples

• As an oceanographic engineer, design instruments that can map the ocean floor
• As a fire protection engineer, develop the fire exit layout for a school
• As a forensic engineer, investigate a suspicious explosion at a manufacturing plant
• As a package engineer, design a new bottle for hand cream that increases the shelf life of the product
• As a systems engineer, design and coordinate large and complex projects known as systems
• As a safety engineer, inspect a chemical manufacturing company, making sure that workers aren’t exposed to dangerous fumes

*Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025