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Body designer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a body designer. Body designers usually study mechanical engineering, drafting and design, or automotive technology. 60% of body designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 73 real body designer resumes to see exactly what body designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for body designers are the Baker College and the Baker College.

There are also many online body designer courses to help get the education required to be a body designer.

What education do you need to become a body designer?

What degree do you need to be a body designer?

The most common degree for body designers is bachelor's degree, with 60% of body designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 32% and associate degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 60%
  • Associate, 32%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Master's, 4%

What should I major in to become a body designer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a body designer. 24% of body designers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a body designer include drafting and design and automotive technology.

Most common colleges for body designers

Body designers often get their degrees at Baker College, Syracuse University, and Madonna University. Here are the most common colleges for body designers in the US based on their resumes.
Body designer common collegePercentages
Baker College5.88%
Syracuse University5.88%
Madonna University5.88%
University of Louisville5.88%
York College of the City University of New York5.88%

Best majors for body designers

Best colleges for body designers

The best colleges for body designers are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford University.

A body 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 body 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 body designers.

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

2. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for body designers

Advertising disclosure

1. Rigid Body Dynamics

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This course teaches dynamics, one of the basic mechanics subjects of Mechanical Engineering. Students would be able to organize their knowledge about force and motion, work-energy, impulse-momentum in view of Newton's 2nd law and its integration over time and displacement. The Engineering Dynamics consists of two parts: particle dynamics and rigid body dynamics. This is the second part of the dynamics: rigid body dynamics The class will consist of lecture videos, which are about 15 min length...

2. Body Language & Lie Detection: Read Body Language, Spot Lies

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The Secrets Of Body Language & Nonverbal Communication Read Body Language To Win Any Social Interaction...

3. The Complete Body Language for Business Course

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Body language and Non-Verbal Training for Business Meetings, Public Speaking, Presenting, Media Interviews, and Panels...

4. Body Language: Your Path to Success

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Body Language: The Secret To Success...

5. Body Language in the Workplace

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Body Language Skills for a High Tech World...

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Learn how to feel and look more CONFIDENT & COMFORTABLE with proven body language tools. TOP-Rated body language course...

7. Body Language to Help Your Business Career

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Body Language for Every Meeting, Networking Event, Presentation and Media Interview...

8. Body Language in Business: Gain Confidence & Read Others

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Develop Confident Body Language, Improve Your Leadership Skills, Communicate with Charisma & Learn How To Read Others!...

9. Powerful, Confident Body Language for Business Women

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11. Fusion 360 for 3D Printing - Creating Curved Bodies

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12. Micro Expressions Training & Body Language for Lie Detection

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How To Detect Facial Expressions and Body Language to Increase your Emotional Intelligence with an average of 10%...

13. Supercharge Your Sales with Body Language

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Win business, craft a killer sales pitch and learn how to close every deal with advanced nonverbal sales techniques...

14. Body Contouring 101

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Want to Learn the art of Body Contouring?...

15. Master The Art of Body Language & Boost Your Confidence!

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Body language. Read people. Business interactions. Perceptiveness. Detect lies & non-verbal signals. Communication skills...

16. Master Solidworks 2015 - 3D CAD using real-world examples

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17. Catia V5 Electrical Harness Design - Automotive & Industrial

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Learn Catia V5 from a design engineer with more la 18 years experience in automotive, racing and industrial design...

18. Introduction to SOLIDWORKS

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(1,147)

Learn the fundamentals of SOLIDWORKS engineering and design software including parts, drawings, and assemblies...

19. Yoga for Weightlifting, Powerlifting & Body Building

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4.4
(304)

Become a better lifter with yoga! Stretch and strengthen key muscles, improve posture and get rid of aches and pains...

20. Master Solidworks 2018 - 3D CAD using real-world examples

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The 2018 version of the bestselling Solidworks 3D CAD course - learn modelling for any use, from 3D printing to pro use!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for body designers

The most affordable schools for body designers are California State University - Long Beach, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for body 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 body designers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for body designers

The hardest universities for body designers to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for body 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 body 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for body designers

The easiest schools for body designers to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, saint martin's university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a body 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 body designers.

1. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

2. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

5. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

8. Lamar University

Beaumont, TX • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,043

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average body designer salary by education level

According to our data, body designers with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $65,604 annually. Body designers with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $62,285.
Body designer education levelBody designer salary
High School Diploma or Less$59,526
Bachelor's Degree$65,604
Some College/ Associate Degree$62,285

Body designer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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