Post job

Engineering specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an engineering specialist. Engineering specialists usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or business. 67% of engineering specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 5,756 real engineering specialist resumes to see exactly what engineering specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for engineering specialists are the Texas A&M; University and the Texas A&M; University.

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

There are certain engineering specialist certifications that you should consider. These engineering specialist certifications include Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate and Six Sigma Green Belt.

What education do you need to become an engineering specialist?

What degree do you need to be an engineering specialist?

The most common degree for engineering specialists is bachelor's degree, with 67% of engineering specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Associate, 16%
  • Master's, 10%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become an engineering specialist?

You should major in electrical engineering to become an engineering specialist. 16% of engineering specialists major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for an engineering specialist include mechanical engineering and business.

Most common colleges for engineering specialists

Engineering specialists often get their degrees at Texas A&M; University, University of Phoenix, and Purdue University. Here are the most common colleges for engineering specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Engineering specialist common collegePercentages
Texas A&M University8.35%
University of Phoenix8.14%
Purdue University7.72%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro5.85%
Pennsylvania State University5.85%

Best majors for engineering specialists

Best colleges for engineering specialists

The best colleges for engineering specialists are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

An engineering specialist 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 specialists. 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 specialists.

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. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for engineering specialists

Advertising disclosure

1. Engineering and Product Design Processes

coursera

Welcome to “Engineering and Product Design Processes!” In this short course, you will learn how engineering design processes and product design processes are carried out. After the course, you will be familiar with the steps in both design processes. You will also be familiar with the main goal of each design process, as well as their similarities and differences...

2. Managing Major Engineering Projects

coursera

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...

3. SEO Strategy: Keyword Research, Audit & Link Building

udemy
4.2
(1,059)

Successfully rank your website on the 1st page of Google. Select the best keywords, optimize your site and build links...

4. SEO: Master Search Engine Optimization and SEO Link Building

udemy
4
(388)

Secrets of 2017 To Boost Search Rank, Conversions, Content, Traffic, Sales, Shares & Links for Wordpress & Other Sites...

5. Engineering Project Management

coursera

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...

6. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

coursera

This Specialization will teach you to optimize website content for the best possible search engine ranking. You'll learn the theory behind Google search and other search engine algorithms; you'll also build practical, real-world skills that you can apply to a career in digital marketing or online content development, including on-page and off-page optimization, optimizing for local and international audiences, conducting search-focused website audits, and aligning SEO with overall business...

7. Master Course in Advanced SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

udemy
4
(257)

Digital Marketing, Keyword Search, Website Traffic, Link Building, SEO Audit, Google Ads and PPC, Word Press, Local SEO...

8. Diesel Engine Fundamentals (Mechanical Engineering)

udemy
4.6
(374)

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

9. Azure Synapse Analytics For Data Engineers -Hands On Project

udemy
4.7
(2,117)

Hands on Project for Data Engineers using all the services available in Azure Synapse Analytics [DP-203, DP-500]...

10. Project Charter Specialist (Accredited) Project Management

udemy
4.6
(552)

What is Project Charter? Components? Template? Example? Document Project Charter? Project Charter Specialist Earn PDUs...

11. Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Practice Tests

udemy
4.3
(553)

Pass the Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Exam...

12. Complete Field Instrumentation Engineering Course

udemy
4.3
(259)

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

13. Analytics Engineering Bootcamp

udemy
4.6
(974)

Become an Analytics Engineer expert with just ONE course. Learn Data Modelling, dbt, Google Bigquery & many more!...

14. Electrical Power Engineering Principles

udemy
4.7
(1,112)

Learn all the basic theories and principles of electrical engineering...

15. Reliability Engineering Statistics

udemy
4.5
(364)

The Foundation in Probability and Statistics You Need to Understand Reliability Engineering...

16. Understanding Engineering Drawings

udemy
4.2
(384)

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

17. Internal Combustion Engine Basics (Mechanical Engineering)

udemy
4.5
(723)

Learn how internal combustion engines work! Learn all of a combustion engine's main components and how they work!...

18. Requirements Engineering: Software Engineering

udemy
4.4
(754)

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

19. Automotive Engineering: Automobile Fundamentals and Advanced

udemy
4.5
(1,243)

Automotive & Vehicle Engineering: Master the Mechanics of Cars including Engine, Dynamics, Transmission, Chassis & More...

20. AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional Practice Exams

udemy
4.6
(1,129)

Be an AWS Dev Ops Engineer! AWS Certified Dev Ops Engineer Professional Practice Tests that covers all DOP-C02 topics!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for engineering specialists

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

If the best universities for engineering specialists 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 specialists.

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. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

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 engineering specialists

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

Some great schools for engineering specialists 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 specialists 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 engineering specialists

The easiest schools for engineering specialists 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 an engineering specialist 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 specialists.

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 engineering specialist salary by education level

Engineering specialists with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $103,067 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, engineering specialists earn a median annual income of $92,705 compared to $87,722 for engineering specialists with an High School Diploma degree.
Engineering specialist education levelEngineering specialist salary
Master's Degree$103,067
High School Diploma or Less$87,722
Bachelor's Degree$92,705
Some College/ Associate Degree$84,320

Engineering specialist education FAQs

Search for engineering specialist jobs

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.

Browse computer and mathematical jobs