Electronic system engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an electronic system engineer. Electronic system engineers usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or engineering. 73% of electronic system engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 334 real electronic system engineer resumes to see exactly what electronic system engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for electronic system engineers are the University of Washington and the University of Washington.

There are also many online electronic system engineer courses to help get the education required to be an electronic system engineer.

What education do you need to become an electronic system engineer?

What degree do you need to be an electronic system engineer?

The most common degree for electronic system engineers is bachelor's degree, with 73% of electronic system engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 12% and master's degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 73%

Master's, 12%

Associate, 11%

Doctorate, 2%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an electronic system engineer?

You should major in electrical engineering to become an electronic system engineer. 57% of electronic system engineers major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for an electronic system engineer include mechanical engineering and engineering.

Electrical Engineering, 57%

Mechanical Engineering, 6%

Engineering, 6%

Electrical Engineering Technology, 6%

Other Majors, 25%

Most common colleges for electronic system engineers

Electronic system engineers often get their degrees at University of Washington, Purdue University, and University of Akron. Here are the most common colleges for electronic system engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Electronic system engineer common college	Percentages
University of Washington	9.38%
Purdue University	7.81%
University of Akron	6.25%
University of Louisville	6.25%
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler	6.25%

Show more common electronic system engineer colleges

Best majors for electronic system engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Electrical Engineering	56.9%
2	Mechanical Engineering	5.9%
3	Engineering	5.9%
4	Electrical Engineering Technology	5.9%
5	Computer Engineering	3.9%

Show more common electronic system engineer majors

Best colleges for electronic system engineers

The best colleges for electronic system engineers are Northeastern University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

An electronic system 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 electronic system 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 electronic system engineers.

1. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

3. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

4. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Enrollment

24,841

5. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,785

Enrollment

7,711

6. Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$8,184

Enrollment

11,675

7. Milwaukee School of Engineering

Milwaukee, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$40,749

Enrollment

2,582

8. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$11,870

Enrollment

53,194

9. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

10. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$19,080

Enrollment

19,127

20 best online courses for electronic system engineers

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3. Electric Circuits for Electrical Engineering and Electronics

4.5

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4. Product Development & Systems Engineering

4.6

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5. Crash Course Electronics and PCB Design

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6. Railway Systems Engineering (Equivalent to Micro MSc )

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7. Electrical, Electronics and PCB Design Safety & Compliance

(343)

Learn the most important aspects and methods for designing safe electrical and electronics products and applications...

8. Software Architecture & System Design Practical Case Studies

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Design Real-life Large Scale Systems, Practice Modern Software Architecture & Prepare for a System Design Interview...

9. Electrical Engineering: Power Electronics Masterclass

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14. Electricity for Electronics, Electrical Engineering A-Z 2023

4.5

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Fundamentals of Electricity & Electric Circuits for Electronics - Circuit Design - Electrical Engineering...

15. Unreal Engine: Character Skill System

4.3

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16. Power Engineering: Power System Analysis - Part 1

4.6

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Start your career in electrical engineering and power engineering by learning the fundamentals of power system analysis...

17. Arduino: Electronics circuit, PCB Design & IOT Programming

4.8

(519)

Industrial Datalogger, Electronics circuit design, Embedded System, Eagle PCB Design, Arduino Programming and IOT system...

18. Electronics Engineering Technology Fundamentals-Updated-2022

4.2

(721)

Electronics circuits including: Direct current (DC), alternating current (AC), digital circuits (Dig C), and solid state...

19. Computer Hardware, Operating System and Networking

4.1

(314)

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20. Aerospace Engineering: Aircraft Systems and Avionics

4.6

(960)

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

Top 10 most affordable universities for electronic system engineers

The most affordable schools for electronic system engineers are California State University - Long Beach, suny farmingdale, and inter american university of puerto rico bayamon.

If the best universities for electronic system 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 electronic system 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. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

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. West Virginia University Institute of Technology

Beckley, WV • Private

In-state tuition

$7,464

Cost of attendance

17,166

9. National University College - Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$6,675

Cost of attendance

12,941

10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for electronic system engineers

The hardest universities for electronic system engineers to get into are Northeastern University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for electronic system 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 electronic system 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. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

8. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

9. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for electronic system engineers

The easiest schools for electronic system engineers 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 electronic system 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 electronic system engineers.

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. Pennsylvania State University - Berks

Reading, PA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,107

5. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

6. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,068

7. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

8. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

9. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average electronic system engineer salary by education level

Electronic system engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $112,126 annually. With a Master's degree, electronic system engineers earn a median annual income of $101,215 compared to $89,823 for electronic system engineers with an Bachelor's degree.

Electronic system engineer education level	Electronic system engineer salary
Master's Degree	$101,215
Bachelor's Degree	$89,823
Doctorate Degree	$112,126

Electronic system engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Electronic System Engineers?

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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