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Factory engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a factory engineer. Factory engineers usually study business, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering. 67% of factory engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 81 real factory engineer resumes to see exactly what factory engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for factory engineers are the Oregon Institute of Technology and the Oregon Institute of Technology.

There are also many online factory engineer courses to help get the education required to be a factory engineer.

What education do you need to become a factory engineer?

What degree do you need to be a factory engineer?

The most common degree for factory engineers is bachelor's degree, with 67% of factory engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Master's, 13%
  • Associate, 13%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a factory engineer?

You should major in business to become a factory engineer. 18% of factory engineers major in business. Other common majors for a factory engineer include mechanical engineering and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for factory engineers

Factory engineers often get their degrees at Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Phoenix, and Louisiana State University and A&M; College. Here are the most common colleges for factory engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Factory engineer common collegePercentages
Oregon Institute of Technology9.09%
University of Phoenix9.09%
Louisiana State University and A&M College4.55%
University of Florida4.55%
Grand Valley State University4.55%

Best majors for factory engineers

Best colleges for factory engineers

The best colleges for factory engineers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A factory 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 factory 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 factory engineers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

20 best online courses for factory engineers

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1. Engineering Project Management: Risk, Quality, Teams, and Procurement

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3. Certified Quality Engineer Training [2022]

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Comprehensive Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) Exam Preparation Course (2022 Body of Knowledge)...

4. Certified Quality Process Analyst Training

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Certified Quality Process Analyst (CQPA) Exam Preparation Course - Confidently Pass the Exam on the First Attempt...

5. The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)

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6. Product Development & Systems Engineering

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14. Quality Systems, Models and Theories

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Understand key concepts, principles and terminology related to Data Quality...

17. Azure Data Factory Data Engineering on the Cloud

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18. ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management System Implementation & Audit

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19. Quality Assurance Mastery - Manual Software Testing

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Become Quality Assurance Engineer as a Complete Beginner. QA Masterclass for Junior QA Engineers...

20. An Introduction to Reliability Engineering

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A Study of Why Things Fail and How to Measure and Improve their Useful Life...

Top 10 most affordable universities for factory engineers

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

If the best universities for factory 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 factory engineers.

1. United States Merchant Marine Academy

Kings Point, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$1,080

Cost of attendance

6,646

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. 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

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

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 factory engineers

The hardest universities for factory engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for factory 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 factory 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for factory engineers

The easiest schools for factory engineers to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, oregon institute of technology, and pennsylvania state university - dubois.

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

1. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

2. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

3. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

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

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

8. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

9. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

10. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

Average factory engineer salary by education level

Factory engineers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $97,515 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, factory engineers earn a median annual income of $86,247 compared to $71,767 for factory engineers with an Associate degree.
Factory engineer education levelFactory engineer salary
Master's Degree$97,515
Bachelor's Degree$86,247
Some College/ Associate Degree$71,767

Factory engineer 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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