Wyoming is a state of many firsts- first to grant women the right to vote in 1869, first national park in 1872, first national forest in 1891, and first national monument in 1906.
Yellowstone National Park, Shoshone National Forest, and Devil’s Tower head a long list of attractions for “where the plains meet the Rocky Mountains.” From a safe distance, visitors may view bison, wolves, bears, elk, eagles, and bighorn sheep.
For those who prefer to view their wild animals in a preserved form, The Wyoming Dinosaur Center has over 12,000 square feet of exhibition space filled with 30 mounted skeletons. Visitors also have the prospect to join archeologists in unearthing dinosaur fossils in a unique “Dig for a Day” environment.
Engineering Education in Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is the only public four-year university in the state.
Bachelor’s, Master’s, or doctorate degrees can be earned in several engineering fields: architectural; bioengineering; chemical; civil; computer; electrical; environmental; mechanical; and petroleum.
Located around the state, seven community colleges: Laramie; Casper; Northwest; Sheridan; Eastern Wyoming; Western Wyoming; and Central Wyoming offer associate degrees or one-year certificates in various engineering concentrations.
Outlook for Engineering Jobs in Wyoming
The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) May 2011 report registers 5,090, or nearly 19 out of 1,000, in Wyoming are employed under one of the Architecture and Engineering Occupations.
Petroleum engineers and Mining and Geological engineers are two of the higher paying fields. For petroleum engineers, Caspar is ranked as the second highest concentration in a metropolitan area with an annual mean wage of $95,340 and the Southwestern non-metropolitan area ranked fifth highest concentration with an annual mean salary of $103,750.
Mining and Geological engineers are ranked #1 for the highest concentration of employment with an annual mean salary of $88,750.
Wyoming’s second and fifth standings for the Southwestern and Northeastern non-metropolitan regions for this classification place it in a positive perspective for engineering employment, particularly for the above-mentioned two specialties.
Additionally, and not surprisingly, with its many national and state parks, Wyoming is registered as the second highest concentration for states employing environmental engineers.