Circuit design engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a circuit design engineer. Circuit design engineers usually study electrical engineering, business, or computer engineering. 63% of circuit design engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 876 real circuit design engineer resumes to see exactly what circuit design engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for circuit design engineers are the DeVry University and the DeVry University.

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

What education do you need to become a circuit design engineer?

What degree do you need to be a circuit design engineer?

The most common degree for circuit design engineers is bachelor's degree, with 63% of circuit design engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 63%

Master's, 16%

Associate, 13%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a circuit design engineer?

You should major in electrical engineering to become a circuit design engineer. 52% of circuit design engineers major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for a circuit design engineer include business and computer engineering.

Electrical Engineering, 52%

Business, 9%

Computer Engineering, 7%

Electrical Engineering Technology, 4%

Other Majors, 28%

Most common colleges for circuit design engineers

Circuit design engineers often get their degrees at DeVry University, San Jose State University, and Georgia Institute of Technology. Here are the most common colleges for circuit design engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Circuit design engineer common college	Percentages
DeVry University	10.00%
San Jose State University	8.00%
Georgia Institute of Technology	6.00%
Ohio University	6.00%
The University of Texas at Arlington	6.00%

Show more common circuit design engineer colleges

Best majors for circuit design engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Electrical Engineering	51.6%
2	Business	9.2%
3	Computer Engineering	7.3%
4	Electrical Engineering Technology	4.1%
5	Computer Science	3.1%

Show more common circuit design engineer majors

Best colleges for circuit design engineers

The best colleges for circuit design engineers are Northeastern University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A circuit design 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 circuit design 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 circuit design engineers.

1. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

3. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

4. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Enrollment

24,841

5. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,785

Enrollment

7,711

6. Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$8,184

Enrollment

11,675

7. Milwaukee School of Engineering

Milwaukee, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$40,749

Enrollment

2,582

8. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$11,870

Enrollment

53,194

9. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

10. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$19,080

Enrollment

19,127

20 best online courses for circuit design engineers

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4.8

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Motor starter schematics or wiring drawings. Learn to design power & control circuits for motor starters...

7. Ultimate Electric Circuits Masterclass for Beginners

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Learn electric circuits from scratch without any previous knowledge with dozens of examples in electrical engineering...

8. The Complete Electric Circuits Course

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Learn the fundamentals of electrical and electronic engineering and then practice 100s of electric circuit problems...

9. Basics of Electric Circuits

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Fundamentals of Electricity & Electric Circuits for Electronics - Circuit Design - Electrical Engineering...

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Guide in designing, and simulating power circuits, motor and transformer related circuitry using etap...

16. The Complete Electronics Course 2022: Analog Hardware Design

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Over 30.000+ enrolled! Learn Electronics from Zero To An Advanced Understanding of How Circuits Work !...

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

4.4

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Learn Or CAD/Allegro PCB Design: Schematic (Or CAD Capture), Footprint's (Package Editor) & Board Design(PCB Editor)...

19. PCB Design a Tiny Arduino In Altium CircuitMaker

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Learn Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design by creating your own Tiny Arduino Nanite in Altium Circuit Maker...

20. High-Level Synthesis for FPGA, Part 1-Combinational Circuits

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Logic Design with Vitis-HLS...

Top 10 most affordable universities for circuit design engineers

The most affordable schools for circuit design engineers are California State University - Long Beach, suny farmingdale, and inter american university of puerto rico bayamon.

If the best universities for circuit design 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 circuit design 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. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. West Virginia University Institute of Technology

Beckley, WV • Private

In-state tuition

$7,464

Cost of attendance

17,166

9. National University College - Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$6,675

Cost of attendance

12,941

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 circuit design engineers

The hardest universities for circuit design engineers to get into are Northeastern University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for circuit design 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 circuit design 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. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

8. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

9. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for circuit design engineers

The easiest schools for circuit design engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, capitol technology university, and pennsylvania state university - altoona.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a circuit design 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 circuit design engineers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

3. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

4. Pennsylvania State University - Berks

Reading, PA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,107

5. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

6. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,068

7. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

8. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

9. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average circuit design engineer salary by education level

According to our data, circuit design engineers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $126,641 annually. Circuit design engineers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $116,407.

Circuit design engineer education level	Circuit design engineer salary
Master's Degree	$116,407
Bachelor's Degree	$105,511
Doctorate Degree	$126,641

Circuit design engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Circuit Design Engineers?

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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