How to Become a Welding Engineer in Nebraska: Salary & Requirements (2026)
Quick answer: The median welding engineer salary in Nebraska is $98,270 per year - 13% below the national median of $112,860 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The career requires a 4-year degree: Bachelor’s in welding engineering, materials science, or metallurgical engineering.
How to Become a Welding Engineer in Nebraska
1. Earn a bachelor’s degree
Welding engineering (a handful of dedicated programs exist), materials science, or metallurgical engineering.
2. Keep your hood time
Field welding experience is what separates welding engineers who write workable procedures from those who don’t.
3. Add AWS credentials
CWI (Certified Welding Inspector) and later CWEng formalize the expertise.
4. Start in procedure development or QA
Fabricators, energy companies, and shipyards hire at the bachelor’s level.
5. Advance
Senior welding engineer, QA manager, or consulting on code work (ASME, AWS D1.1).
Requirements in Nebraska
The education path is national - Bachelor’s in welding engineering, materials science, or metallurgical engineering - while licensing runs through the Nebraska state board of professional engineers: CWEng/CWI certifications (AWS) valued; PE for some roles. Verify current requirements with the Nebraska state board of professional engineers before enrolling, as details change.
Welding Engineer Salary in Nebraska
| Wage level | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| Nebraska entry level (10th percentile) | $57,030 |
| Nebraska 25th-75th percentile | $76,740 - $127,960 |
| Nebraska median | $98,270 |
| Nebraska top earners (90th percentile) | $135,400 |
| U.S. median | $112,860 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. State employment: 160.
The Nebraska Job Market: Welding Engineer
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Employed in Nebraska | 160 |
| Jobs per 1,000 in the state | 0.15 |
| Concentration vs U.S. (location quotient) | 1.06 |
| Mean annual wage in Nebraska | $100,320 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. With a location quotient of 1.06, Nebraska’s demand for welding engineers tracks close to the national average.
Salary Nationwide
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th | $72,300 |
| 25th | $88,080 |
| 50th (median) | $112,860 |
| 75th | $142,720 |
| 90th | $175,720 |
Job Outlook
| Year | Employment |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 23,000 |
| 2034 projected | 24,300 |
| Percent change | +5.7% |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a welding engineer make in Nebraska?
The median annual wage for materials engineers in Nebraska is $98,270 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 13% below the national median of $112,860.
How to become a welding engineer in Nebraska?
The core path is the same nationwide - Bachelor's in welding engineering, materials science, or metallurgical engineering - with licensing through the Nebraska state board of professional engineers: CWEng/CWI certifications (AWS) valued; PE for some roles. See the steps on this page.
How many welding engineers work in Nebraska?
BLS counts about 160 materials engineers employed in Nebraska (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Welding Engineer in Nearby States
- Welding Engineer in Missouri
- Welding Engineer in Montana
- Welding Engineer in Nevada
- Welding Engineer in New Hampshire
Related
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Materials Engineers (SOC 17-2131), Nebraska and national
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
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/.
Data sources
Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.
| Data | Provider | Vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | May 2025 |
| Employment Projections | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | 2024-2034 |
| Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System | National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS) | 2024 |
| College Scorecard (school-level outcomes) | U.S. Department of Education | latest release |
| College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings) | U.S. Department of Education | latest release (updated 2026-06-12) |
| Occupational licensing requirements | CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) | latest release (updated 2026-02-22) |
| Registered apprenticeship programs | CareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor) | latest release (updated 2025-10-25) |
| O*NET occupation profiles (skills, tasks, tools, job zones) | U.S. Department of Labor (O*NET / Employment & Training Admin.) | O*NET 29.1 (updated 2026-06-13) |