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Electrical & instrumentation designer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an electrical & instrumentation designer. Electrical & instrumentation designers usually study drafting and design, electrical engineering, or electrical engineering technology. 53% of electrical & instrumentation designers hold a associate degree, and 30% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 1,101 real electrical & instrumentation designer resumes to see exactly what electrical & instrumentation designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for electrical & instrumentation designers are the University of Houston and the University of Houston.

There are also many online electrical & instrumentation designer courses to help get the education required to be an electrical & instrumentation designer.

What education do you need to become an electrical & instrumentation designer?

What degree do you need to be an electrical & instrumentation designer?

The most common degree for electrical & instrumentation designers is associate degree, with 53% of electrical & instrumentation designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 30% and bachelor's degree degree at 6%.
  • Associate, 53%
  • Bachelor's, 30%
  • High School Diploma, 6%
  • Diploma, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become an electrical & instrumentation designer?

You should major in drafting and design to become an electrical & instrumentation designer. 26% of electrical & instrumentation designers major in drafting and design. Other common majors for an electrical & instrumentation designer include electrical engineering and electrical engineering technology.

Most common colleges for electrical & instrumentation designers

Electrical & instrumentation designers often get their degrees at University of Houston, McNeese State University, and Louisiana State University and A&M; College. Here are the most common colleges for electrical & instrumentation designers in the US based on their resumes.
Electrical & instrumentation designer common collegePercentages
University of Houston16.42%
McNeese State University8.96%
Louisiana State University and A&M College7.46%
Lamar University7.46%
Louisiana Tech University5.97%

Best majors for electrical & instrumentation designers

Best colleges for electrical & instrumentation designers

The best colleges for electrical & instrumentation designers are Carnegie Mellon University, Northeastern University, and Stanford University.

An electrical & instrumentation designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for electrical & instrumentation designers. 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 electrical & instrumentation designers.

1. Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,646

Enrollment

5,736

2. LeTourneau University

Longview, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$30,210

Enrollment

1,771

3. Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$42,345

Enrollment

12,886

4. Wentworth Institute of Technology

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$33,950

Enrollment

4,254

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

6. New Mexico State University

Las Cruces, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$6,686

Enrollment

11,139

7. Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$8,967

Enrollment

10,030

8. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

In-state tuition

$8,764

Enrollment

9,314

9. Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Indianapolis, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,465

Enrollment

20,651

10. University of Akron

Akron, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,463

Enrollment

13,676

20 best online courses for electrical & instrumentation designers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for electrical & instrumentation designers

The most affordable schools for electrical & instrumentation designers are California State University - Long Beach, suny farmingdale, and inter american university of puerto rico bayamon.

If the best universities for electrical & instrumentation designers 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 electrical & instrumentation designers.

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. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

4. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Aguadilla

Aguadilla, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,902

Cost of attendance

13,284

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German

San German, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

14,322

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for electrical & instrumentation designers

The hardest universities for electrical & instrumentation designers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Northeastern University, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for electrical & instrumentation designers 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 electrical & instrumentation designers 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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

2. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for electrical & instrumentation designers

The easiest schools for electrical & instrumentation designers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, capitol technology university, and pennsylvania state university - altoona.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an electrical & instrumentation designer 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 electrical & instrumentation designers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

3. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

4. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

5. Suffolk University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,131

6. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

7. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

8. Pennsylvania State University - Berks

Reading, PA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,107

9. Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Indianapolis, IN • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,111

10. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

Average electrical & instrumentation designer salary by education level

According to our data, electrical & instrumentation designers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $98,761 annually. Electrical & instrumentation designers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $89,241.
Electrical & instrumentation designer education levelElectrical & instrumentation designer salary
Master's Degree$89,241
Bachelor's Degree$79,191
Doctorate Degree$98,761

Electrical & instrumentation designer 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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