Hawaii, America's youngest and most exotic state, is one of the most interesting states for students and tourists, alike. The diverse terrain includes volcanoes, pristine beaches, tropical jungles and lovely cities. Hawaii has two official languages: English and Hawaiian.
Hawaii is no stranger to engineering. With a growing employment rates in almost all departments, specifically mechanical and landscape engineering, Hawaii has the Hawaii Council of Engineering Societies (HCES). HCES is an umbrella organization that keeps tabs on the top eighteen engineering societies in the state of Hawaii.
Here is a list of the larger employers in Hawaii that hire engineering professionals: Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA), Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., University of Hawaii, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific Health, The Queen’s Health Systems, Aloha Petroleum, Ltd. and Servco Pacific Inc.
Engineering Education in Hawaii
Despite being a tourist magnet, the state has agricultural and naval industries. The state's university system offers several options, including associate, bachelor, master and doctorate degrees, in various engineering fields, such as a Master of Science (MS) in Financial Engineering or a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Molecular Biosciences & Bioengineering.
Other fields include civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering; ocean and resources engineering; biological engineering; and computer engineering. Some students opt to get their associate degrees at the two-year institutions and enrolling in the university system to get a higher degree.
Outlook for Engineering Jobs in Hawaii
In general, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts an average to below average job growth rate for engineers. In some states, the demand for engineers is higher than the national average. Hawaii places third in the nation for the highest concentration of civil engineers per thousand workers.
Although they do not hire the most computer hardware engineers, employers in the Hawaii - Maui - Kauai non-metropolitan area pay the highest mean average wages in the United States. This area is also in the top five list of mean annual wages for electronics engineers.