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Design manufacturing engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a design manufacturing engineer. Design manufacturing engineers usually study mechanical engineering, drafting and design, or electrical engineering. 70% of design manufacturing engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,306 real design manufacturing engineer resumes to see exactly what design manufacturing engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for design manufacturing engineers are the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

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

There are certain design manufacturing engineer certifications that you should consider. These design manufacturing engineer certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Six Sigma Green Belt.

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

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

The most common degree for design manufacturing engineers is bachelor's degree, with 70% of design manufacturing engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 19% and associate degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Associate, 19%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

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

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a design manufacturing engineer. 43% of design manufacturing engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a design manufacturing engineer include drafting and design and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for design manufacturing engineers

Design manufacturing engineers often get their degrees at Rochester Institute of Technology, Purdue University, and Brigham Young University. Here are the most common colleges for design manufacturing engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Design manufacturing engineer common collegePercentages
Rochester Institute of Technology8.61%
Purdue University7.95%
Brigham Young University7.28%
Wichita State University6.62%
University of Central Florida5.96%

Best majors for design manufacturing engineers

Best colleges for design manufacturing engineers

The best colleges for design manufacturing engineers are California Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A design manufacturing 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 design manufacturing 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 design manufacturing engineers.

1. Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,646

Enrollment

5,736

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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Ames, IA • Private

In-state tuition

$8,988

Enrollment

29,248

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

10. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

20 best online courses for design manufacturing engineers

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1. Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Design and Manufacturing with Fusion 360

coursera

Design for manufacturing is the process of designing parts, components, or products with the understanding surrounding design requirements for a specific manufacturing method. This course explores the design for manufacture workflow and shows how to validate models and create the G code, the programming language needed to instruct the CNC machine on how to move. We practice the basics of part and assembly design, and tools such as animation, rendering, and simulations using Autodesk Fusion 360...

2. Engineering and Product Design Processes

coursera

Welcome to “Engineering and Product Design Processes!” In this short course, you will learn how engineering design processes and product design processes are carried out. After the course, you will be familiar with the steps in both design processes. You will also be familiar with the main goal of each design process, as well as their similarities and differences...

3. Manufacturing process selection and Design for manufacturing

udemy
4.5
(657)

Learn about the basics of selecting process for a mechanical design and the principles of design for Manufacturing...

4. Manufacturing Guide for Mechanical Product Development

udemy
4.9
(491)

Learn how everyday physical products are manufactured with no prior experience in engineering...

5. Intro to Digital Manufacturing with Autodesk Fusion 360

coursera

The manufacturing industry is making a digital transformation, allowing companies to customize production through advances in machine learning, sustainable design, generative design, and collaboration, with integrated design and manufacturing processes. This course introduces innovations in CAD and digital manufacturing, speaking to the rapid changes taking place that are forever transforming the future of making. This course will also explore foundational concepts behind Autodesk® Fusion 360™...

6. Design of Transmission Line: Modelling and Performance

coursera

This course is designed to provide a detailed exploration of the critical elements involved in transmission lines' design, modeling, and performance assessment. By enrolling in this course, participants will not only gain theoretical knowledge but also practical skills that are directly applicable in the field of transmission line engineering. Whether you're a student aspiring to enter the industry or a professional seeking to deepen your expertise, this course offers a unique blend of...

7. Understanding Engineering Drawings

udemy
4.2
(384)

How Technical Information is Conveyed from Engineers and Designers to Manufacturing and Supply Chain Professionals...

8. Aerospace Engineering: Airplanes, Airlines and Airports

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4.5
(780)

Understand how Airplanes generate Lift, how Airlines and Airports operate and what is Aerospace Engineering today...

9. Autodesk Generative Design for Manufacturing

coursera

Quickly generate high-performing design alternatives—many that you’d never think of on your own—from a single idea. With generative design, there is no single solution. Instead, there are multiple great solutions. You choose the design that best fits your needs.\n\nGenerative design is a design exploration process. Designers or engineers input design goals into the software, along with parameters such as performance or spatial requirements, materials, manufacturing methods, and cost constraints...

10. Design for Additive Manufacturing

coursera

Should a part be made with additive manufacturing? If so, what process should one select, and what design choices should one make? This course seeks to answer these questions by providing a framework called the DFAM staircase, and by providing a scorecard for assessing appropriateness for additive manufacturing. The necessary elements for each course are lecture videos, knowledge checks, and project completion. For additional information on certain topics, I've included supplemental readings...

11. Aerospace Engineering: Aircraft Fundamentals and Advanced

udemy
4.6
(2,504)

Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering: Master the Mechanics of Airplanes - Aerodynamics, Flight Maneuvers, JET Engines...

12. Automotive product design using CATIA V5

udemy
4.4
(624)

Automotive domain design using CATIA, interior and exterior trims on CATIA, Plastic product design in Automotive sector...

13. Aerospace Engineering: Aircraft Systems and Avionics

udemy
4.6
(960)

Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering: Master the Systems of Airplanes - Hydraulics, Avionics, Electric, Propulsion...

14. Complete CATIA V5 course - Aerospace, Automotive, Industrial

udemy
4.5
(1,945)

Learn CATIA V5 with this perfectly designed course created after live interaction with 1000s of students in classroom...

15. Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD & T) : Basics

udemy
4.3
(3,836)

Learn the essential concepts of GD & T , for mechanical and manufacturing engineers with practice exercises...

16. Mechanical design and Product development process

udemy
4.2
(604)

Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...

17. Catia V5 Electrical Harness Design - Automotive & Industrial

udemy
4.6
(676)

Learn Catia V5 from a design engineer with more la 18 years experience in automotive, racing and industrial design...

18. Basics of Sheet metal design for Mechanical design engineers

udemy
4.3
(793)

Learn Sheet metal design, processes and practical design considerations along with Design projects...

19. Practical - ISTQB - Test Automation Engineer Course 2023

udemy
4.1
(261)

Learn the concepts, methods and tools to pass the ISTQB - Advanced Level - Test Automation Engineer Certification Exam...

20. Pro Engineer Creo Fundamental 3D design course

udemy
4.3
(1,044)

Learn fundamentals of creo parametric from scratch including part design,drawing,assembly...

Top 10 most affordable universities for design manufacturing engineers

The most affordable schools for design manufacturing engineers are Brigham Young University, inter american university of puerto rico arecibo, and inter american university of puerto rico bayamon.

If the best universities for design manufacturing 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 design manufacturing engineers.

1. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

2. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,872

Cost of attendance

13,476

3. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German

San German, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

14,322

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Cost of attendance

28,501

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

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 design manufacturing engineers

The hardest universities for design manufacturing engineers to get into are California Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for design manufacturing 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 design manufacturing 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. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,566

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

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

The easiest schools for design manufacturing engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, saint martin's university, and cleveland state university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a design manufacturing 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 design manufacturing 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. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

4. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

5. University of Southern Maine

Portland, ME • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,050

6. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

7. Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,093

8. Alcorn State University

Alcorn State, MS • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,026

9. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

10. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

Average design manufacturing engineer salary by education level

According to our data, design manufacturing engineers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $128,038 annually. Design manufacturing engineers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $116,749.
Design manufacturing engineer education levelDesign manufacturing engineer salary
Master's Degree$116,749
Bachelor's Degree$101,277
Doctorate Degree$128,038

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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