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Engineering operations manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an engineering operations manager. Engineering operations managers usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or business. 69% of engineering operations managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,813 real engineering operations manager resumes to see exactly what engineering operations manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for engineering operations managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online engineering operations manager courses to help get the education required to be an engineering operations manager.

There are certain engineering operations manager certifications that you should consider. These engineering operations manager certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Six Sigma Green Belt.

What education do you need to become an engineering operations manager?

What degree do you need to be an engineering operations manager?

The most common degree for engineering operations managers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of engineering operations managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 69%
  • Master's, 14%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an engineering operations manager?

You should major in electrical engineering to become an engineering operations manager. 19% of engineering operations managers major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for an engineering operations manager include mechanical engineering and business.

Most common colleges for engineering operations managers

Engineering operations managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Purdue University, and Georgia Institute of Technology. Here are the most common colleges for engineering operations managers in the US based on their resumes.
Engineering operations manager common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix10.82%
Purdue University9.96%
Georgia Institute of Technology5.63%
Pennsylvania State University5.63%
Texas A&M University5.63%

Best majors for engineering operations managers

Best colleges for engineering operations managers

The best colleges for engineering operations managers are Columbia University in the City of New York, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

An engineering operations manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for engineering operations managers. 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 engineering operations managers.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

20 best online courses for engineering operations managers

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A toolkit for making small business operations effective and efficient...

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Lean Business Operations Management, Lean Process and Systems Improvement in Production and Industry. MBA style course...

7. The Operations Management Training Program

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Learn how to design, plan, direct, and improve all the activities that transform resources into goods or services...

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20. Production for Management Consultants and Business Analysts

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Top 10 most affordable universities for engineering operations managers

The most affordable schools for engineering operations managers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for engineering operations managers 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 engineering operations managers.

1. United States Merchant Marine Academy

Kings Point, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$1,080

Cost of attendance

6,646

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for engineering operations managers

The hardest universities for engineering operations managers to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for engineering operations managers 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 engineering operations managers 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,545

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for engineering operations managers

The easiest schools for engineering operations managers to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, the university of texas permian basin, and the university of texas at el paso.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an engineering operations manager 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 engineering operations managers.

1. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

2. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

3. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

4. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

5. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

6. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average engineering operations manager salary by education level

According to our data, engineering operations managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $138,986 annually. Engineering operations managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $131,074.
Engineering operations manager education levelEngineering operations manager salary
Master's Degree$131,074
Bachelor's Degree$124,307
Doctorate Degree$138,986

Engineering operations manager 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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