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Machine Learning Engineer

ML engineers turn models into reliable, scalable software — handling data pipelines, training, deployment, and monitoring. It pairs strong software engineering with applied machine learning.

Median salary (BLS)

$150,000

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$110k – $250k

Job outlook

+26% (much faster than average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $109,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Machine Learning Engineer

Education

Typical entry: Master's degree

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

Estimate

Cost to qualify

$64,300–$232,000

Time to qualify

6.3 yr

Renewal

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    Master's degree

    Degree

    Typically two years; average graduate tuition ≈ $20,000/yr at public universities (NCES).

    $24,000–$80,000 · 2 years source

  3. 3

    Industry certification (optional)

    Certification

    Vendor certifications (AWS, CompTIA, Google, Microsoft…) are a common entry booster, rarely a hard requirement.

    $300–$2,000 · 3 months source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Machine Learning Engineer" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Machine Learning Engineer Intern

    Internship

    $55,000

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Machine Learning Engineer

    Entry / Junior

    $110,000

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Machine Learning Engineer

    Established

    $150,000

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Machine Learning Engineer

    Senior

    $200,000

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

PythonML frameworksMLOpsDistributed systemsMathematics

A typical day

  • Build data and training pipelines
  • Deploy and monitor models
  • Optimize performance

Fields of study

Computer Science · Machine Learning · Mathematics

Top colleges for Technology

Explore all

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.

Related careers

Other careers from this field of study

Mapped by field-of-study code (Computer Science, Machine Learning, Mathematics), not by job-title guessing.