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Engineering

Fuel Cell Engineers

Design, evaluate, modify, or construct fuel cell components or systems for transportation, stationary, or portable applications.

Median salary (BLS)

$104,110

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$74k – $164k

Job outlook

+9% (faster than average)

AI exposure

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports one wage for this occupational group, which covers 2 related roles — so read the median as an approximate group figure, and the range as the truer picture for this specific title. BLS source.

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $99,000 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 Fuel Cell Engineers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

Typical progression

  1. Fuel Cell Engineers Intern

    Internship

    $36,995

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Fuel Cell Engineers

    Entry / Junior

    $73,990

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Fuel Cell Engineers

    Established

    $104,110

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Fuel Cell Engineers

    Senior

    $134,225

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

  • •Plan or conduct experiments to validate new materials, optimize startup protocols, reduce conditioning time, or examine contaminant tolerance.
  • •Provide technical consultation or direction related to the development or production of fuel cell systems.
  • •Characterize component or fuel cell performances by generating operating maps, defining operating conditions, identifying design refinements, or executing durability assessments.
  • •Plan or implement fuel cell cost reduction or product improvement projects in collaboration with other engineers, suppliers, support personnel, or customers.
  • •Conduct fuel cell testing projects, using fuel cell test stations, analytical instruments, or electrochemical diagnostics, such as cyclic voltammetry or impedance spectroscopy.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Engineering

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