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Business development engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a business development engineer. Business development engineers usually study mechanical engineering, business, or electrical engineering. 78% of business development engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 524 real business development engineer resumes to see exactly what business development engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for business development engineers are the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

There are also many online business development engineer courses to help get the education required to be a business development engineer.

What education do you need to become a business development engineer?

What degree do you need to be a business development engineer?

The most common degree for business development engineers is bachelor's degree, with 78% of business development engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 78%
  • Master's, 14%
  • Associate, 4%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a business development engineer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a business development engineer. 22% of business development engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a business development engineer include business and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for business development engineers

Business development engineers often get their degrees at University of Illinois at Chicago, Pennsylvania State University, and Minnesota State University - Mankato. Here are the most common colleges for business development engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Business development engineer common collegePercentages
University of Illinois at Chicago8.99%
Pennsylvania State University7.87%
Minnesota State University - Mankato6.74%
University of Phoenix6.74%
Purdue University6.74%

Best majors for business development engineers

Best colleges for business development engineers

The best colleges for business development engineers are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A business development engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for business development engineers. 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 business development engineers.

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. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for business development engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for business development engineers

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

If the best universities for business development engineers 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 business development engineers.

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for business development engineers

The hardest universities for business development engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for business development engineers 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 business development engineers 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for business development engineers

The easiest schools for business development engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, oklahoma wesleyan university, and capitol technology university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a business development engineer 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 business development engineers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average business development engineer salary by education level

According to our data, business development engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $118,203 annually. Business development engineers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $113,959.
Business development engineer education levelBusiness development engineer salary
Master's Degree$118,203
High School Diploma or Less$96,715
Bachelor's Degree$113,958
Doctorate Degree$113,959
Some College/ Associate Degree$99,891

Business development engineer 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.