Design team member education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a design team member. Design team members usually study mechanical engineering, graphic design, or electrical engineering. 78% of design team members hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,634 real design team member resumes to see exactly what design team member education sections show.

The most common colleges for design team members are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

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

There are certain design team member certifications that you should consider. These design team member certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Master Certified Web Professional - Designer (CWP).

What education do you need to become a design team member?

What degree do you need to be a design team member?

The most common degree for design team members is bachelor's degree, with 78% of design team members earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 78%

Master's, 9%

Associate, 7%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a design team member?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a design team member. 24% of design team members major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a design team member include graphic design and electrical engineering.

Mechanical Engineering, 24%

Graphic Design, 8%

Electrical Engineering, 7%

Civil Engineering, 6%

Other Majors, 55%

Most common colleges for design team members

Design team members often get their degrees at Purdue University, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Texas A&M; University. Here are the most common colleges for design team members in the US based on their resumes.

Design team member common college	Percentages
Purdue University	8.33%
University of California, Santa Barbara	7.81%
Texas A&M University	7.29%
University of California - Davis	6.77%
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	6.25%

Show more common design team member colleges

Best majors for design team members

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Mechanical Engineering	24.2%
2	Graphic Design	8.0%
3	Electrical Engineering	6.8%
4	Civil Engineering	6.2%
5	Architecture	6.0%

Show more common design team member majors

Best colleges for design team members

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

A design team member 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 team members. 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 team members.

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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

5. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

6. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$53,880

Enrollment

6,590

10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

20 best online courses for design team members

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Top 10 most affordable universities for design team members

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

If the best universities for design team members 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 team members.

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. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

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 team members

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

Some great schools for design team members 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 team members 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

10. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,566

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for design team members

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

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a design team member 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 team members.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

9. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

10. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

Average design team member salary by education level

Design team members with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $31,432 annually. With a Master's degree, design team members earn a median annual income of $29,464 compared to $27,491 for design team members with an Bachelor's degree.

Design team member education level	Design team member salary
Master's Degree	$29,464
Bachelor's Degree	$27,491
Doctorate Degree	$31,432

Design team member education FAQs

What is the best college for Design Team Members?

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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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