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Detail engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a detail engineer. Detail engineers usually study electrical engineering, drafting and design, or mechanical engineering. 54% of detail engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 29% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 479 real detail engineer resumes to see exactly what detail engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for detail engineers are the Cleveland State University and the Cleveland State University.

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

What education do you need to become a detail engineer?

What degree do you need to be a detail engineer?

The most common degree for detail engineers is bachelor's degree, with 54% of detail engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 29% and associate degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 54%
  • Associate, 29%
  • Diploma, 5%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a detail engineer?

You should major in electrical engineering to become a detail engineer. 17% of detail engineers major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for a detail engineer include drafting and design and mechanical engineering.

Most common colleges for detail engineers

Detail engineers often get their degrees at Cleveland State University, DeVry University, and The University of Texas at Arlington. Here are the most common colleges for detail engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Detail engineer common collegePercentages
Cleveland State University11.54%
DeVry University9.62%
The University of Texas at Arlington7.69%
University of Illinois at Chicago5.77%
Rochester Institute of Technology5.77%

Best majors for detail engineers

Best colleges for detail engineers

The best colleges for detail engineers are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A detail 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 detail 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 detail engineers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,646

Enrollment

5,736

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

10. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

20 best online courses for detail engineers

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1. Requirements Engineering: Secure Software Specifications

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2. Optical Engineering

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The courses in this specialization can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5600-5602, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. Enroll here.\n\nOptical instruments are how we see the world, from corrective eyewear to medical endoscopes to cell phone cameras to orbiting telescopes. This course will teach you how to design such optical systems with simple graphical techniques, then transform those pencil and paper designs to include real optical components...

3. Complete Field Instrumentation Engineering Course

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Flow, Level, Temperature and Pressure Instrument - Selection, Sizing, Calculation and Detail Engineering...

4. Introduction To Fiber Optic Cabling

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4.3
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Welcome! This course is designed to give you a good understand of fiber optics and fiber data transmission...

5. Managing Major Engineering Projects

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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...

6. Engineering Project Management

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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...

7. Understanding Engineering Drawings

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

8. Diesel Engine Fundamentals (Mechanical Engineering)

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Learn about the diesel engine! Ideal for Automotive Engineering and Automobile Engineering!...

9. Engineering Project Management: Initiating and Planning

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11. Electrical Power Engineering Principles

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13. Railway Systems Engineering (Equivalent to Micro MSc )

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14. OpenAPI (Swagger) Specification for Software Developers

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A guide to learning Open API (Swagger) Specification for highly productive API design, documentation, development, & test...

15. Requirements Engineering: Software Engineering

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Everything you need to know about software requirements: elicitation, analysis, documentation, validation and management...

16. OpenAPI Specification & Swagger Tools - Zero To Master

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Document, Mock, Test APIs using Open API specification & Swagger Tools. Generate code from Open API. Based on OAS 3 ver...

17. Process/Chemical Engineering - BOOTCAMP 2021

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18. Engineering Drawing / Graphics: Hands-on Training

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Master Technical Drawing with Orthographic & Isometric Projections, Engineering curves, Projection of Solids and DLS...

19. Software Engineering 101: Plan and Execute Better Software.

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Software Engineering 101: Use Software Engineering to Plan and Build Amazing Software + Learn SCRUM Framework!...

20. Introduction To Telecom Networks: Fixed/Wireless Networks

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PSTN, Voice Over IP Systems (Softswitch, IMS), Internet, Mobile/cellular systems, Optical Fiber Systems (OFAN, DWDM)...

Top 10 most affordable universities for detail engineers

The most affordable schools for detail engineers are California State University - Long Beach, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for detail 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 detail engineers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for detail engineers

The hardest universities for detail engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for detail 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 detail 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for detail engineers

The easiest schools for detail engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, oklahoma wesleyan university, and capitol technology university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a detail 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 detail engineers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average detail engineer salary by education level

According to our data, detail engineers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $125,969 annually. Detail engineers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $105,724.
Detail engineer education levelDetail engineer salary
Master's Degree$105,724
Bachelor's Degree$80,719
Doctorate Degree$125,969

Detail engineer education FAQs

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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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