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Automotive designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an automotive designer. Automotive designers usually study mechanical engineering, graphic design, or mechanical engineering technology. 53% of automotive designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 29% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 144 real automotive designer resumes to see exactly what automotive designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for automotive designers are the College for Creative Studies and the College for Creative Studies.
There are also many online automotive designer courses to help get the education required to be an automotive designer.
What education do you need to become an automotive designer?
What degree do you need to be an automotive designer?
- Bachelor's, 53%
- Associate, 29%
- Master's, 5%
- Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become an automotive designer?
- Graphic Design, 11%
- Management, 6%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for automotive designers
| Automotive designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| College for Creative Studies | 17.65% |
| Henry Ford College | 8.82% |
| Western Michigan University | 8.82% |
| Eastern Michigan University | 5.88% |
| Wayne State University | 5.88% |
Best majors for automotive designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical Engineering | 25.0% |
| 2 | Graphic Design | 10.9% |
| 3 | Mechanical Engineering Technology | 9.4% |
| 4 | Management | 6.3% |
| 5 | Drafting And Design | 6.3% |
Best colleges for automotive designers
The best colleges for automotive designers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
An automotive designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for automotive designers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become automotive designers.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
8. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$53,880
Enrollment
6,590
9. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
10. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
20 best online courses for automotive designers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for automotive designers
The most affordable schools for automotive designers are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for automotive designers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for automotive designers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
10. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for automotive designers
The hardest universities for automotive designers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for automotive designers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for automotive designers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for automotive designers
The easiest schools for automotive designers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an automotive designer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for automotive designers.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
8. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
Average automotive designer salary by education level
| Automotive designer education level | Automotive designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $81,750 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $68,777 |
| Doctorate Degree | $91,454 |
Automotive designer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025