Engineering
Photonics Engineers
Design technologies specializing in light information or light energy, such as laser or fiber optics technology.
Median salary
$117,750
Typical range
$63k – $184k
Job outlook
+2% (about average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Photonics Engineers
Education
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Photonics Engineers Intern
Internship
$36,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior Photonics Engineers
Entry / Junior
$62,840
~2 yrs to advance
Photonics Engineers
Established
$117,750
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Photonics Engineers
Senior
$150,630
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
A typical day
- •Analyze system performance or operational requirements.
- •Develop optical or imaging systems, such as optical imaging products, optical components, image processes, signal process technologies, or optical systems.
- •Develop or test photonic prototypes or models.
- •Design, integrate, or test photonics systems or components.
- •Assist in the transition of photonic prototypes to production.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Engineering
Explore all- Massachusetts Institute of Technology4% admit · $124,000 grad pay
- Stanford University4% admit · $122,000 grad pay
- University of California, Berkeley11% admit · $97,000 grad pay
- Georgia Institute of Technology16% admit · $99,000 grad pay
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign45% admit · $80,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.