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Circuits engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a circuits engineer. Circuits engineers usually study electrical engineering, business, or electrical engineering technology. 61% of circuits engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 152 real circuits engineer resumes to see exactly what circuits engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for circuits engineers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online circuits engineer courses to help get the education required to be a circuits engineer.
What education do you need to become a circuits engineer?
What degree do you need to be a circuits engineer?
- Bachelor's, 61%
- Associate, 18%
- Master's, 13%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a circuits engineer?
- Business, 12%
- Other Majors, 35%
Most common colleges for circuits engineers
| Circuits engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.33% |
| DeVry University | 10.00% |
| University of North Texas | 6.67% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.67% |
| Santa Clara University | 6.67% |
Best majors for circuits engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Engineering | 34.6% |
| 2 | Business | 12.3% |
| 3 | Electrical Engineering Technology | 11.1% |
| 4 | Computer Engineering | 7.4% |
| 5 | Mechanical Engineering | 4.9% |
Best colleges for circuits engineers
The best colleges for circuits engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A circuits 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 circuits 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 circuits engineers.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$3,926
Enrollment
9,835
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Enrollment
2,120
6. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Lincoln, NE • Private
In-state tuition
$9,242
Enrollment
20,592
9. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
10. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
20 best online courses for circuits engineers
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1. Linear Circuits 2: AC Analysis
This course explains how to analyze circuits that have alternating current (AC) voltage or current sources. Circuits with resistors, capacitors, and inductors are covered, both analytically and experimentally. Some practical applications in sensors are demonstrated...
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This unique Master-level course offered by the Center for Wireless Technology Eindhoven (CWT/e) of the Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, provides students with in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience on RF and mmWave circuit design. The course covers the topics on how to derive the RF wireless systems specifications, and how to design the main building blocks of a transceiver, i.e., low noise amplifier, power amplifier, RF mixers, oscillators, and PLL frequency...
3. Electric Circuits for Electrical Engineering and Electronics
Start your career in electrical & electronics engineering by learning everything about electric circuits and electronics...
4. CMOS Analog Circuit Design
By Prof. Phillip E Allen...
5. Arduino: Electronics circuit, PCB Design & IOT Programming
Industrial Datalogger, Electronics circuit design, Embedded System, Eagle PCB Design, Arduino Programming and IOT system...
6. Ultimate Electric Circuits Masterclass for Beginners
Learn electric circuits from scratch without any previous knowledge with dozens of examples in electrical engineering...
7. Basics of Electric Circuits
Series and Parallel combination of Resistors, Voltage and Current Divider, Wye Delta Conversion, Balanced Bridge Circuit...
8. The Complete Electric Circuits Course
Learn the fundamentals of electrical and electronic engineering and then practice 100s of electric circuit problems...
9. Motor Starter Circuits (Motor Control)
Motor starter schematics or wiring drawings. Learn to design power & control circuits for motor starters...
10. Complete Eagle CAD PCB Design: Theory and Practical approach
Complete PCB Design Course for Freshers & Professionals...
11. Crash Course Electronics and PCB Design
Learn Electronics and PCB Design from the Ground up with Altium Circuit Maker and Labcenter Proteus...
12. PCB Design a Tiny Arduino In Altium CircuitMaker
Learn Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design by creating your own Tiny Arduino Nanite in Altium Circuit Maker...
13. Electricity for Electronics, Electrical Engineering A-Z 2023
Fundamentals of Electricity & Electric Circuits for Electronics - Circuit Design - Electrical Engineering...
14. PCB Design using OrCAD/Allegro from Basics to Expert level
Learn Or CAD/Allegro PCB Design: Schematic (Or CAD Capture), Footprint's (Package Editor) & Board Design(PCB Editor)...
15. Single and 3-Phase electrical circuit basics A to Z
AC / DC Explained, Single / Three-Phase motor circuits, Test Equipment, House Wiring, Ohm's law and fault finding...
16. ESD - An Analog Design Viewpoint
How to apply ESD protection to analog/mixed signal ICs...
17. design PCB using Eagle Cadsoft step by step(Older Version)
Best way to design PCB circuit boards using Eagle , learn how to choose your project and design it from scratch...
18. Learn the Art and Science of PCB Design with Eagle
Learn Circuit Design with the most widely used PCB Design tool in the world, Eagle!...
19. Electronics Engineering Technology Fundamentals-Updated-2022
Electronics circuits including: Direct current (DC), alternating current (AC), digital circuits (Dig C), and solid state...
20. PCB Designing (with 3D Model) in Orcad [2022]
Schematic in Or CAD Capture CIS, Printed Circuit Board, BOM,Footprints, 3D Model,Routing and Gerber files for Arduino UNO...
Top 10 most affordable universities for circuits engineers
The most affordable schools for circuits engineers are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for circuits 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 circuits engineers.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
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 circuits engineers
The hardest universities for circuits engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for circuits 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 circuits 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. 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. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
10. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for circuits engineers
The easiest schools for circuits engineers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, capitol technology university, and oregon institute of technology.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a circuits 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 circuits engineers.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
3. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
9. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)
Lemont Furnace, PA • Private
Admissions rate
80%
SAT average
1,067
10. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois
DuBois, PA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,079
Average circuits engineer salary by education level
| Circuits engineer education level | Circuits engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $102,219 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $90,086 |
| Doctorate Degree | $113,916 |
Circuits engineer 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