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Facility designer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a facility designer. Facility designers usually study interior design, architecture, or drafting and design. 60% of facility designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 578 real facility designer resumes to see exactly what facility designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for facility designers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

There are also many online facility designer courses to help get the education required to be a facility designer.

There are certain facility designer certifications that you should consider. These facility designer certifications include National Council Certified Interior Designer (NCIDQ) and Certified Facility Manager (CFM).

What education do you need to become a facility designer?

What degree do you need to be a facility designer?

The most common degree for facility designers is bachelor's degree, with 60% of facility designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 23% and associate degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 60%
  • Associate, 23%
  • Master's, 12%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a facility designer?

You should major in interior design to become a facility designer. 14% of facility designers major in interior design. Other common majors for a facility designer include architecture and drafting and design.

Most common colleges for facility designers

Facility designers often get their degrees at Purdue University, University of Phoenix, and University of California - Davis. Here are the most common colleges for facility designers in the US based on their resumes.
Facility designer common collegePercentages
Purdue University9.86%
University of Phoenix7.04%
University of California - Davis7.04%
Arizona State University5.63%
Ohio State University5.63%

Best majors for facility designers

Best colleges for facility designers

The best colleges for facility designers are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

A facility 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 facility 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 facility designers.

1. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

4. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$53,880

Enrollment

6,590

10. Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Ames, IA • Private

In-state tuition

$8,988

Enrollment

29,248

20 best online courses for facility designers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for facility designers

The most affordable schools for facility designers are Florida International University, university of florida, and university of puerto rico - mayaguez.

If the best universities for facility 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 facility designers.

1. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

7. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

9. 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

10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,872

Cost of attendance

13,476

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for facility designers

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

Some great schools for facility 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 facility 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

6. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

10. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for facility designers

The easiest schools for facility designers to get into are South Dakota State University, cleveland state university, and north dakota state university.

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

1. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

2. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

3. North Dakota State University

Fargo, ND • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,170

4. California Baptist University

Riverside, CA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,103

5. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

6. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

7. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

8. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

9. Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,070

10. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

Average facility designer salary by education level

According to our data, facility designers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $73,201 annually. Facility designers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $67,814.
Facility designer education levelFacility designer salary
Master's Degree$73,201
Bachelor's Degree$67,814
Some College/ Associate Degree$61,695

Facility 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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