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Commercial engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a commercial engineer. Commercial engineers usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or business. 58% of commercial engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 190 real commercial engineer resumes to see exactly what commercial engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for commercial engineers are the Michigan State University and the Michigan State University.
There are also many online commercial engineer courses to help get the education required to be a commercial engineer.
What education do you need to become a commercial engineer?
What degree do you need to be a commercial engineer?
- Bachelor's, 58%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 12%
- High School Diploma, 8%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a commercial engineer?
- Business, 9%
- Engineering, 8%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for commercial engineers
| Commercial engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Michigan State University | 12.90% |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering | 6.45% |
| University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | 6.45% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | 6.45% |
| University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee | 6.45% |
Best majors for commercial engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Engineering | 21.6% |
| 2 | Mechanical Engineering | 20.7% |
| 3 | Business | 9.0% |
| 4 | Engineering | 8.1% |
| 5 | Chemical Engineering | 6.3% |
Best colleges for commercial engineers
The best colleges for commercial engineers are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A commercial 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 commercial 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 commercial engineers.
1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
10. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
20 best online courses for commercial engineers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for commercial engineers
The most affordable schools for commercial engineers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and united states merchant marine academy.
If the best universities for commercial 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 commercial engineers.
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. United States Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$1,080
Cost of attendance
6,646
4. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
10. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for commercial engineers
The hardest universities for commercial engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for commercial 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 commercial 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. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for commercial engineers
The easiest schools for commercial engineers to get into are D'Youville College, 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 commercial 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 commercial engineers.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
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. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
7. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
8. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
9. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois
DuBois, PA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,079
10. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
Average commercial engineer salary by education level
| Commercial engineer education level | Commercial engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $116,069 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $100,716 |
| Doctorate Degree | $130,982 |
Commercial 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