Design supervisor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a design supervisor. Design supervisors usually study drafting and design, graphic design, or mechanical engineering. 52% of design supervisors hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,873 real design supervisor resumes to see exactly what design supervisor education sections show.

The most common colleges for design supervisors are the University of Houston and the University of Houston.

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

There are certain design supervisor certifications that you should consider. These design supervisor certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and AutoCAD Certified Professional.

What education do you need to become a design supervisor?

What degree do you need to be a design supervisor?

The most common degree for design supervisors is bachelor's degree, with 52% of design supervisors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 32% and associate degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 52%

Associate, 32%

Master's, 7%

High School Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a design supervisor?

You should major in drafting and design to become a design supervisor. 19% of design supervisors major in drafting and design. Other common majors for a design supervisor include graphic design and mechanical engineering.

Drafting And Design, 19%

Graphic Design, 16%

Mechanical Engineering, 10%

Business, 9%

Other Majors, 46%

Most common colleges for design supervisors

Design supervisors often get their degrees at University of Houston, Henry Ford College, and Northern Illinois University. Here are the most common colleges for design supervisors in the US based on their resumes.

Design supervisor common college	Percentages
University of Houston	10.24%
Henry Ford College	7.09%
Northern Illinois University	6.30%
Texas A&M University	5.51%
University of Phoenix	5.51%

Show more common design supervisor colleges

Best majors for design supervisors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Drafting And Design	18.5%
2	Graphic Design	16.3%
3	Mechanical Engineering	10.0%
4	Business	9.4%
5	Electrical Engineering	7.0%

Show more common design supervisor majors

Best colleges for design supervisors

The best colleges for design supervisors are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford University.

A design supervisor 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 supervisors. 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 supervisors.

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

9. Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Ames, IA • Private

In-state tuition

$8,988

Enrollment

29,248

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

20 best online courses for design supervisors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for design supervisors

The most affordable schools for design supervisors are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for design supervisors 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 supervisors.

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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for design supervisors

The hardest universities for design supervisors to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for design supervisors 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 supervisors 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

SAT average

1,508

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for design supervisors

The easiest schools for design supervisors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, san francisco state university, and mount saint mary's university.

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

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

6. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

10. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

Average design supervisor salary by education level

According to our data, design supervisors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $105,296 annually. Design supervisors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $93,049.

Design supervisor education level	Design supervisor salary
Master's Degree	$93,049
Bachelor's Degree	$76,911
Doctorate Degree	$105,296

Design supervisor education FAQs

What is the best college for Design Supervisors?

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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