Quick answer: A computer engineering degree is the hardware half of computing: processors, boards, embedded systems and the firmware between them. Look for accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. There is no license gate, but the work is geographically concentrated and the math sequence is real. Programs, the careers this degree opens, and what they pay are covered below.
Computer engineering is the discipline between electrical engineering and computer science, and the curriculum reflects that:
Look for accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. Institutional accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor is a separate matter and governs credit transfer, which the receiving institution decides and which genuinely varies. Get any transfer evaluation in writing before committing. For how prior training is assessed, see college credit for apprenticeship and degree completion programs.
Confirm the specific program holds accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET and ask how circuits labs and senior design are handled at a distance, since those are the parts most likely to require campus time. With that filter set, compare online computer engineering programs enrolling now:
Every school listed is verified in federal IPEDS data both to award this degree and to offer programs that can be completed entirely by distance education at this level. Whether this exact degree is delivered fully online varies by school, so confirm the format before you apply.
This page lists 10 schools, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 10 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Data center construction is one of the larger sources of engineering demand right now, and the roles split along lines that are not obvious from the outside. It is worth being precise, because “data center engineer” is a job title, not a degree.
| Part of the build | Degree that typically leads there | Where it is covered here |
|---|---|---|
| Power distribution, switchgear, UPS, generators | Electrical engineering | Online electrical engineering degree |
| Cooling, airflow, chilled water, thermal design | Mechanical engineering | Online mechanical engineering degree |
| Site work, structure, foundations, slab loading | Civil engineering | Online civil engineering degree |
| Water use, permitting, environmental review | Environmental engineering | Online environmental engineering degree |
| Schedule, trades coordination, delivery | Construction management | Online construction management degrees |
| Building systems, BMS, ongoing operations | Facilities management | Online facilities management degree |
| Servers, boards, embedded and hardware systems | Computer engineering | this page |
| Network fabric, routing, capacity design | IT and networking | Online information technology degree |
| Security architecture and monitoring | Cybersecurity | Online cybersecurity degrees |
The facility itself is an electrical and mechanical building problem before it is a computing problem, which is why most of that table points away from this page. What computer engineering owns is the compute: hardware and board-level design, embedded and firmware work, and the systems engineering behind the equipment that fills the racks.
Worth saying plainly for anyone weighing this: a large share of data center jobs are not degree jobs at all. Data center technician, critical facilities electrician, HVAC and controls work on the mechanical plant, and network cabling are trades roles, and several of them pay well without four years of school. The electrician and controls technician routes reach that floor faster. This degree is the right choice if you want to design the equipment, not maintain the building.
Computer hardware engineers earn a median of $161,740 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), the highest of any occupation on this site.
| Metric | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $161,740 ($77.76 per hour) | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Wage range | $92,940 (10th pct) - $225,330 (90th pct) | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Employment | 76,660 computer hardware engineers | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Projected change (2024-34) | 7.3%, about 4,700 openings per year | BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34 |
| Typical credential | Bachelor’s in computer engineering, ABET-EAC accredited | ABET |
| License | None required for most hardware work | - |
| SOC codes covered | 17-2061 computer hardware engineers; 17-2072 electronics engineers; 15-1241 computer network architects; 17-3023 electrical and electronic engineering technologists | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
$161,740 is not a typo, and it deserves context rather than celebration.
| Occupation | SOC | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer hardware engineers | 17-2061 | $161,740 | $92,940 | $225,330 | 76,660 |
| Computer network architects | 15-1241 | $134,050 | $79,900 | $202,680 | 179,740 |
| Electronics engineers, except computer | 17-2072 | $130,220 | $81,840 | $206,960 | 96,900 |
| Electrical and electronic engineering technologists | 17-3023 | $78,190 | $49,510 | $115,700 | 95,130 |
All figures BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Two things drive that median. The first is concentration: this work happens at a small number of employers in a small number of places, and those employers compete for the same people. The second is that the occupation is small. At 76,660 nationally with about 4,700 openings a year, computer hardware engineering is roughly a third the size of electrical engineering. High pay on thin employment means the market is real but narrow, and it rewards being where the work is.
The bottom of the range matters too. The 10th percentile of $92,940 is higher than the median of most occupations on this site, which tells you the floor for a credentialed hardware engineer is solid even outside the top markets.
Versus electrical engineering. The closest relative, and the more flexible degree in raw terms: electrical engineering spans power, controls, communications and electronics, and it is the one that leads toward PE licensure if you end up on the power side. Computer engineering trades that breadth for depth in digital systems. If you came from electrical work, compare with online electrical engineering degree and the electrician to engineer transition.
Versus electronics engineering. Electronics engineers, except computer, earn a median of $130,220 across 96,900 jobs, against $161,740 across 76,660 for computer hardware engineers (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The distinction in practice is whether the product is a computing platform or another kind of electronic system. The electronics engineer career guide covers the occupation directly.
Versus IT and networking. Computer network architects earn a median of $134,050 on much larger employment of 179,740, with 11.9% projected change and about 11,200 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). More jobs, more geographic spread, lower ceiling. If your interest is running and designing infrastructure rather than designing hardware, online information technology degree is the better match.
Versus staying a technologist. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists earn a median of $78,190 across 95,130 jobs (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is a real career, and the 90th percentile of $115,700 is respectable. The engineering degree roughly doubles the median, and the honest cost is four years and a heavy math sequence.
| State | Median annual wage | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $185,180 | 19,820 | 2.21 |
| Washington | $169,120 | 1,800 | 1.03 |
| Massachusetts | $167,600 | 3,150 | 1.76 |
| New Mexico | $165,350 | 5,260 | 12.25 |
| Texas | $163,860 | 7,390 | 1.06 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
This is the most concentrated occupation covered on this site. California employs 19,820 computer hardware engineers, more than the next four states combined, at the highest median in the country. New Mexico’s location quotient of 12.25 means the occupation is more than twelve times as concentrated there as in the average state labor market, on employment of 5,260, reflecting a federal laboratory and semiconductor footprint rather than a broad commercial market.
Florida rounds out the larger markets at 3,290 jobs and a $134,160 median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Note the spread between the California median of $185,180 and the Florida median of $134,160 for the same job title. In a field with no license to anchor you and employment this concentrated, location is a bigger lever on earnings than in almost anything else covered here.
The case for is straightforward: the highest median wage on this site at $161,740, a 10th percentile of $92,940 that beats most occupations’ medians, 7.3% projected change with about 4,700 openings a year, no licensing gate, and a subject that follows naturally from electronics and controls work (BLS OEWS, May 2025; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
The case against is equally clear. It is a four-year degree with a demanding math and physics sequence, the occupation is small at 76,660 jobs, hiring concentrates in a handful of expensive metros, and the online options are thinner than for IT or business degrees because of the lab component. If you want infrastructure work rather than hardware design, IT and networking reach a large market with less math. If you want to stay hands-on with equipment, the technologist and controls routes get there far faster.
Which engineering degree fits your trade compares the disciplines from a craft starting point, and is college worth it covers the general tradeoff. Individual outcomes may vary.
Computer engineering sits between electrical engineering and computer science. It covers the hardware side of computing - digital logic, computer architecture, embedded systems, circuit design, signal processing and the firmware that runs on the silicon. Programs are typically four-year bachelor's degrees, and the ones that carry weight carry accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
The national median annual wage for computer hardware engineers is $161,740, or $77.76 per hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The bottom 10 percent earn $92,940 or less and the top 10 percent earn $225,330 or more, across employment of 76,660 nationally. It is the highest median of any occupation covered on this site.
Increasingly yes, though less commonly than business or IT degrees. Digital logic, architecture, programming and signal processing all deliver well at a distance, and many programs ship FPGA and microcontroller kits so lab work happens at your bench. Circuits labs and senior design are the parts most likely to require campus time. Confirm the lab format and whether the program holds ABET accreditation before you enroll.
Computer science is about software, algorithms and systems as abstractions. Computer engineering is about the physical machine that runs them - processors, memory, buses, boards and embedded controllers. If you like knowing what the signal is actually doing on the wire, computer engineering is the closer fit, and it is the one that follows more naturally from electrical or electronics work.
Almost never in practice. Professional Engineer licensure exists and some computer engineers pursue it, but hardware and embedded work is largely exempt because it is not the kind of work that requires a stamped drawing. That is a real difference from civil, structural or electrical power engineering, where the license gates the career.
Data center work splits between the facility and the compute inside it. The facility side - power distribution, cooling, structure, permitting - runs through electrical, mechanical, civil and environmental engineering. Computer engineering serves the compute side: server and hardware design, board-level and embedded work, and the systems engineering behind network and storage equipment. Both sides are hiring as capacity expands.
It is one of the more demanding transitions on this site, because the math sequence is heavy. But the subject matter is familiar territory: electrical and electronic engineering technologists earn a median of $78,190 against $161,740 for computer hardware engineers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and the day-to-day already involves circuits, signals and troubleshooting hardware. Expect four years of degree work and a real calculus and physics sequence. Individual outcomes may vary.
Heavily. California alone employs 19,820 computer hardware engineers at a median of $185,180, and New Mexico has a location quotient of 12.25 on employment of 5,260 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This is one of the most geographically concentrated occupations covered here, and relocation should be part of the plan.
State pay, licensing and metro-level data for this degree. Wage and employment figures on every state page come from BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Alabama * Arizona * Arkansas * California * Colorado * Delaware * District of Columbia * Florida * Georgia * Hawaii * Idaho * Illinois * Indiana * Iowa * Kansas * Kentucky * Louisiana * Maryland * Massachusetts * Michigan * Minnesota * Mississippi * Missouri * Nebraska * Nevada * New Hampshire * New Jersey * New Mexico * New York * North Carolina * Ohio * Oklahoma * Rhode Island * South Carolina * South Dakota * Texas * Utah * Virginia * Washington * Wisconsin
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
