Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Contract project engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a contract project engineer. Contract project engineers usually study mechanical engineering, civil engineering, or electrical engineering. 77% of contract project engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 650 real contract project engineer resumes to see exactly what contract project engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for contract project engineers are the Texas A&M; University and the Texas A&M; University.
There are also many online contract project engineer courses to help get the education required to be a contract project engineer.
What education do you need to become a contract project engineer?
What degree do you need to be a contract project engineer?
- Bachelor's, 77%
- Associate, 11%
- Master's, 7%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a contract project engineer?
- Civil Engineering, 11%
- Other Majors, 39%
Most common colleges for contract project engineers
| Contract project engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Texas A&M University | 7.22% |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 7.22% |
| Northeastern University | 7.22% |
| Purdue University | 6.19% |
| University of Houston | 6.19% |
Best majors for contract project engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical Engineering | 32.4% |
| 2 | Civil Engineering | 11.5% |
| 3 | Electrical Engineering | 11.5% |
| 4 | Chemical Engineering | 7.5% |
| 5 | Engineering | 5.6% |
Best colleges for contract project engineers
The best colleges for contract project engineers are Columbia University in the City of New York, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
A contract project 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 contract project 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 contract project engineers.
1. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
2. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
7. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
8. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
20 best online courses for contract project engineers
Advertising disclosure
1. Engineering Project Management
Master strategies and tools to more effectively and successfully manage projects.\n\nToday’s professional environment is highly competitive, continuously changing, and difficult to manage. Employees rarely reach positions of leadership without managing one or more projects or a project segment early in their career.\n\nBrought to you by the Rice Center of Engineering Leadership and team behind the engineering management master's program, the goal of this Specialization is to give you the tools...
2. Managing Major Engineering Projects
Accelerate your career by improving your project management skills. This Specialization delivers a rigorous exploration of the best practices for planning and delivering these major engineering projects. You’ll learn about the measures of success, how to resolve challenges of governance and typical financing approaches of these projects.\n\nIf you are an engineer or a project manager and you aspire to get involved with major engineering projects, or you are already working on one, then this...
3. Contracts Management in Construction Projects
Contracts Management, Contract Administration, FIDIC, Bank Guarantees, Contracts, Letter Drafting, Quantity Surveying...
4. Projects Cost Management, Estimating, Budgeting and Control.
Learn how to estimate costs for any project, how to determine budget and how to use Earned Value Management tools. 3 PDU...
5. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects
Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...
6. Construction Cost Estimating and Management
Learn the tools used by construction management professionals to ensure their projects finish under budget...
7. IT Project Budget & Cost Management
Project Management tips to manage a million dollar IT Project budget from start to finish...
8. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers
Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...
9. Mastering Construction/Project Management
Mastering Construction-Project Management in less than 10 Hours...
10. Project Management: Cost & Schedule Monitoring using EVM
Earned Value Management, Project Management, Cost Control & Monitor, Budget, Schedule & Cost Variance, Performance Index...
11. Introduction to Contract Management
Understand what is involved in the contract management process and put this knowledge to work with confidence...
12. Construction Project Scheduling
Learn the tools and techniques used by construction management professionals to ensure projects finish on time...
13. Project Management Essentials
A crash course in the essentials of project management for new project managers...
14. Complete Contract Management Bootcamp: Zero to Hero
Learn essential post-contract management principles and practices, and gain access to over 30 free MS tools...
15. Diploma in Basics of Civil Engineering for Construction
Practical Course to Gain Quick Knowledge in Civil Engineering & Get Entry Level Jobs in Construction as Freshers...
16. Quantity Surveying Templates for Effective Cost Management
Quantity Surveying, Payment Application, Payment Tracker, Variation, Claim, Material Claim, Guarantees, Price Comparison...
17. Project Management Training
Project Management Certification Training with 4 Full Practice Tests...
18. Contract Management: Managing Contractual Risks
How to identify and deal with contract risks...
19. CompTIA Project+ Exam Prep
How to pass the Comp TIA Project+ Exam...
20. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery
Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...
Top 10 most affordable universities for contract project engineers
The most affordable schools for contract project engineers are University of Florida, florida state university, and florida atlantic university.
If the best universities for contract project 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 contract project engineers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
3. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
4. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. 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
8. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
9. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
10. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for contract project engineers
The hardest universities for contract project engineers to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for contract project 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 contract project 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,545
8. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
Admissions rate
26%
SAT average
1,427
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for contract project engineers
The easiest schools for contract project engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, saint martin's university, and alabama a & m university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a contract project 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 contract project engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
3. Alabama A & M University
Normal, AL • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
957
4. Portland State University
Portland, OR • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,111
5. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
6. South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,149
7. Washington State University
Pullman, WA • Private
Admissions rate
77%
SAT average
1,123
8. California State University - Chico
Chico, CA • Private
Admissions rate
65%
SAT average
1,092
9. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,093
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average contract project engineer salary by education level
| Contract project engineer education level | Contract project engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $86,126 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $76,268 |
| Doctorate Degree | $93,198 |
Contract project engineer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
Search for contract project engineer jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025