New York·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-2061

Best Computer Hardware Engineer programs in New York, ranked by enrollment

Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.

29 schools in New York run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,996 people a year. The job pays a median of $163,470 in New York across about 3,020 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledEngineerDesign EngineerHardware EngineerSystems Integration EngineerStaff EngineerComputer TesterProject EngineerComputer Designer
Graduates / yr
2,996
in New York
Median pay · New York
$163,470
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
3,020
people employed
Schools
29
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
69%
across those schools
Median net price
$26,807
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in New York that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

4 programs in New York that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in New York (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own New York page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 14.1001In New York
1,761
58.8%
25$77,636$25,000
2
CIP 14.0901In New York
947
31.6%
14$78,333$24,098
3
CIP 14.4701In New York
255
8.5%
5
4
CIP 14.0902In New York
33
1.1%
1$78,333$24,098

Top 25 schools in New York

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 17 of the 29 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1New York University
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
506Computer Engineering, General$82,18388%$29,0239%
2Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
313Electrical and Electronics Engineering$84,01996%$15,3154%
3Cornell University
Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
291Electrical and Electronics Engineering$100,51695%$17,6139%
4Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
245Electrical and Computer Engineering70%$28,13367%
5Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
221Computer Engineering, General$73,82076%49%
6Electrical and HVAC/R Training Center
Copiague, NY Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
204Electrical and Electronics Engineering$34,37599%$18,872
7Binghamton University
Vestal, NY Public · 3 feeder programs
184Computer Engineering, General$86,93882%39%
8University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
153Electrical and Electronics Engineering$74,20575%74%
9Clarkson University
Potsdam, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
122Electrical and Electronics Engineering$77,94075%$27,28177%
10Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
105Electrical and Electronics Engineering$83,41284%$28,90063%
11CUNY City College
New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
95Electrical and Electronics Engineering$78,17257%60%
12Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
94Computer Engineering, General$84,79384%$28,85146%
13University of Rochester
Rochester, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
65Electrical and Electronics Engineering$83,70585%$25,87440%
14Manhattan University
Riverdale, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
59Electrical and Electronics Engineering$70,96164%$26,80779%
15University at Albany
Albany, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
57Electrical and Computer Engineering61%69%
16New York Institute of Technology
Old Westbury, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
48Electrical and Electronics Engineering$70,36259%$22,15881%
17The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
48Electrical and Electronics Engineering81%$14,33721%
18State University of New York at New Paltz
New Paltz, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
38Electrical and Electronics Engineering$72,23872%62%
19College of Staten Island CUNY
Staten Island, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
29Electrical and Electronics Engineering$66,50634%92%
20CUNY LaGuardia Community College
Long Island City, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
19Electrical and Electronics Engineering24%
21Union College
Schenectady, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
19Electrical and Electronics Engineering80%$25,88544%
22United States Military Academy
West Point, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
19Electrical and Electronics Engineering87%12%
23SUNY Maritime College
Throggs Neck, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
18Electrical and Electronics Engineering$77,96464%72%
24Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
14Electrical and Electronics Engineering69%$34,53968%
25State University of New York at Oswego
Oswego, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
14Electrical and Computer Engineering60%81%

All 29 schools in New York

Every school in New York with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in New York that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
New York UniversityNew YorkPrivate not-for-profit5062
Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew YorkPrivate not-for-profit3132
Cornell UniversityIthacaPrivate not-for-profit2911
Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochesterPrivate not-for-profit2454
Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookPublic2212
Electrical and HVAC/R Training CenterCopiaguePrivate for-profit2041
Binghamton UniversityVestalPublic1843
University at BuffaloBuffaloPublic1532
Clarkson UniversityPotsdamPrivate not-for-profit1222
Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroyPrivate not-for-profit1051
CUNY City CollegeNew YorkPublic952
Syracuse UniversitySyracusePrivate not-for-profit942
University of RochesterRochesterPrivate not-for-profit651
Manhattan UniversityRiverdalePrivate not-for-profit592
University at AlbanyAlbanyPublic571

What computer hardware engineers earn in New York

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in New York
$163,470
Mean annual
$164,770
Jobs in state
3,020
What the range looks like
10th pct$101,530Median$163,47090th pct$224,490
Versus the national median
+1.1%

U.S. median $161,740. New York pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.63×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in New York

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$160,300median
1,780 jobs
Syracuse, NY
$141,180median
100 jobs
Utica-Rome, NY
$151,330median
90 jobs
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
$130,050median
110 jobs
Rochester, NY
$120,550median
100 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+7.3%
Faster than average
Openings per year
4,700
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
5,600
76,800 → 82,400
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Computer Hardware Engineers page.

How to become a Computer Hardware Engineer

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive ListeningWritingSpeakingActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in New York

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Computer Hardware Engineers4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 14.0901Computer Engineering, General
  • 14.0902Computer Hardware Engineering
  • 14.1001Electrical and Electronics Engineering
  • 14.4701Electrical and Computer Engineering

Common questions

Answers for people weighing computer hardware engineers programs in New York.

What degree do you need to become a Computer Hardware Engineer?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Electrical and Electronics Engineering, which awarded 1,761 degrees in New York in 2024-25, 58.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Computer Hardware Engineer?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Electrical, Computer Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering. Together they graduate about 2,996 people a year in New York.

How much do computer hardware engineers earn in New York?+

The median is $163,470 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 1.1% above the U.S. median of $161,740. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for computer hardware engineers growing?+

BLS projects a +7.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 4,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in New York?+

29 institutions in New York reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do computer hardware engineers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Engineer, Design Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Systems Integration Engineer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-2061.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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