Car designer education requirements

Q: What degree do you need to be a car designer?

You need a bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering or design field of study. There are several degrees and majors that can lead to a career in automotive design. The majority of auto designers working in the field hold a bachelor's degree. Nearly 55% of designers have a four-year degree in a relevant field. There are entry-level positions in design available to someone with an associate's degree and some additional training or experience in the profession.

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a car designer. Car designers usually study mechanical engineering, computer applications, or graphic design. 63% of car designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 52 real car designer resumes to see exactly what car designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for car designers are the University of Southern California and the University of Southern California.

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

What education do you need to become a car designer?

What degree do you need to be a car designer?

The most common degree for car designers is bachelor's degree, with 63% of car designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 63%

Associate, 17%

Master's, 13%

High School Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a car designer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a car designer. 37% of car designers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a car designer include computer applications and graphic design.

Mechanical Engineering, 37%

Computer Applications, 7%

Graphic Design, 7%

Electrical Engineering, 7%

Other Majors, 42%

Most common colleges for car designers

Car designers often get their degrees at University of Southern California, Randolph College, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for car designers in the US based on their resumes.

Car designer common college	Percentages
University of Southern California	15.38%
Randolph College	7.69%
University of Maryland - College Park	7.69%
Savannah College of Art and Design	7.69%
Clark University	7.69%

Show more common car designer colleges

Best majors for car designers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Mechanical Engineering	37.0%
2	Computer Applications	7.4%
3	Graphic Design	7.4%
4	Electrical Engineering	7.4%
5	General Studies	7.4%

Show more common car designer majors

Best colleges for car designers

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

A car 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 car 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 car designers.

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

2. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

3. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

20 best online courses for car designers

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4. Introduction to Automotive Design

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Professional Techniques, Tips, Tricks and Secrets for the Aspiring Car Designer...

5. Autonomous Cars: How Do They Work and Impact Us?

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20. PCB Design using OrCAD/Allegro from Basics to Expert level

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Top 10 most affordable universities for car designers

The most affordable schools for car designers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for car 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 car designers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

8. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for car designers

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

Some great schools for car 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 car 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

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

SAT average

1,497

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

5. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

6. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,566

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

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

The easiest schools for car designers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, notre dame de namur university, and texas a&m; university - kingsville.

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

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

4. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,068

5. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

6. Lamar University

Beaumont, TX • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,043

7. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

10. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

Average car designer salary by education level

According to our data, car designers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $84,135 annually. Car designers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $74,856.

Car designer education level	Car designer salary
Master's Degree	$74,856
Bachelor's Degree	$62,526
Doctorate Degree	$84,135

Car designer education FAQs

What degree do you need to be a car designer?

What is the best college for Car Designers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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