A new bachelor’s of science degree in computer engineering is being offered by the College of Engineering at New Mexico State University. Computer engineering is one of the most sought-after degrees by employers and has one of the highest entry-level salaries among the various engineering disciplines. There are more than seven job postings for every computer engineering graduate, with an average beginning annual salary of $99,000.
The program is a joint effort between the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering and the Department of Computer Science in the College of Arts and Sciences. NMSU as a whole has committed to support this new program through dedicated investments, starting with the creation of a new faculty line created specifically for this new program.
“The timing couldn’t be better,” said College of Engineering Dean Lakshmi N. Reddi. “The 2022 bi-partisan passage of the CHIPS and Science Act will infuse $280 billion dollars into the American economy to support competitiveness, innovation, and national security. Much of that funding will go toward workforce development and research.”
Enrico Pontelli, College of Arts and Sciences Dean said, “The talent produced by this new program will contribute to a workforce which understands the interaction between hardware and software solutions, a great need in a variety of application domains. It also has the potential of attracting more students to NMSU, especially through the development of articulations with community colleges in New Mexico and surrounding regions.”
Specifically, the new law aims to spur investments in U.S. domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity. It also seeks to increase research and commercialization of leading-edge technologies, such as quantum computing, AI, clean energy, and nanotechnology, along with developing a workforce to support these efforts.
“The need for this expertise is tremendous across the nation,” said Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Head Steven Stochaj. “There are also tremendous opportunities for computer engineers within the state. Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, along with White Sands Missile Range and other industry partners nearby in Albuquerque, Tucson, and Phoenix, such as Intel ABQ and the new Intel plant in Phoenix, are potential employers for our graduates. The employability and demand for the graduates of the degree will only grow as the initiatives from the CHIPS ACT take hold.”
Statistics relevant to the computer engineering job opportunities, as calculated by Gray Associates* on academic performance, include:
7.7 Job postings per graduate (New job postings divided by the number of computer engineering graduates.)
5.4% Three-year historic growth (Compound annual growth rate in employment of computer engineers)
$93,000 Mean wages for computer engineering-related occupations
104M Total job postings over the past year in occupations directly related to computer engineering
$99,000 Average salary for graduates with computer engineering B.S. degrees
#8 Computer engineering rank on employment opportunities out of 1,500-plus occupations
#2 Program rank among employment opportunities within all available undergraduate engineering programs in the USA
Gray performs analysis based on widely recognized data sources.
Computer engineering is a career track focused on designing and building secure hardware systems. Courses for the computer engineering program will be taught by faculty members in NMSU’s engineering and computer science departments and will utilize shared laboratory space. There is crossover between the two fields of study, providing an opportunity for dual degrees.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers the 121-credit degree program. The computer engineering degree program is not listed in the 2023-24 course catalog, however, students wanting to pursue the computer engineering degree can begin fulfilling some of the basic course requirements this fall semester. For more information, contact Jimi Ickes, undergraduate program operations support manager, at jickes@nmsu.edu or 575-646-5894.
