Instrumentation engineers are also called control or automation engineers because they design, produce, maintain and repair instruments that control systems, machinery and processing in factories and manufacturing facilities. They may work on an individual instrument or procedure when starting. As they advance, they may become responsible for the manufacturing functions of an entire facility.
More than 27 percent of instrumentation engineers reported annual base salaries of $75,001 to $100,000, according to a 2012 salary survey by Control Engineering magazine. More than 21 percent earned base annual salaries from $50,001 to $75,000 a year, and another 16 percent made from $100,011 to $125,000 annually. About 73 percent reported increases in base salary from the previous year. Only 25 percent showed wages remaining the same, and about 2 percent reported decreases.
The reported salaries did not include bonuses. When bonuses were included, the total compensation of 52 percent of engineers increased, with 43 percent remaining the same. Only 4.4 percent reported decreases.
Different types of engineers work in the instrumentation industry and specialize in control devices for their discipline. For example, aerospace engineers focus on navigation panels and fuel gauges, earning an average $51.03 an hour, or $106,140 a year, as of 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Other position types in this industry include industrial engineers, who earned an average $41.38 an hour, or $86,060 a year, and electrical engineers, who received $45.01 an hour, or $93,620 a year.
Almost 48 percent of those working in instrumentation engineering had an undergraduate degree, with 18 percent having a master's degree and 3.7 percent holding a doctorate. About 14.2 percent had a diploma from a technical school, which is necessary to work as an instrumentation engineering technician. Technicians set up equipment, run tests and collect data under the supervision of engineers. Instrumentation professionals need project-management and team-building skills for coordinating complex projects, communication and presentation skills for discussing instruments with production staff and clients, and computer skills for translating concepts into plans and documents.
- Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images