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Field operations engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a field operations engineer. Field operations engineers usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or business. 70% of field operations engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 479 real field operations engineer resumes to see exactly what field operations engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for field operations engineers are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

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

What education do you need to become a field operations engineer?

What degree do you need to be a field operations engineer?

The most common degree for field operations engineers is bachelor's degree, with 70% of field operations engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Associate, 15%
  • Master's, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a field operations engineer?

You should major in electrical engineering to become a field operations engineer. 21% of field operations engineers major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for a field operations engineer include mechanical engineering and business.

Most common colleges for field operations engineers

Field operations engineers often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, DeVry University, and University of Texas at Austin. Here are the most common colleges for field operations engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Field operations engineer common collegePercentages
Pennsylvania State University10.77%
DeVry University10.77%
University of Texas at Austin7.69%
Texas A&M University6.15%
Central Connecticut State University4.62%

Best majors for field operations engineers

Best colleges for field operations engineers

The best colleges for field operations engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.

A field operations 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 field operations 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 field operations engineers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Enrollment

1,333

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$19,080

Enrollment

19,127

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

20 best online courses for field operations engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for field operations engineers

The most affordable schools for field operations engineers are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for field operations 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 field operations engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

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. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

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 field operations engineers

The hardest universities for field operations engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for field operations 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 field operations 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

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. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for field operations engineers

The easiest schools for field operations engineers to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, oregon institute of technology, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a field operations 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 field operations 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. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

7. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average field operations engineer salary by education level

Field operations engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $86,892 annually. With a Master's degree, field operations engineers earn a median annual income of $79,237 compared to $71,197 for field operations engineers with an Bachelor's degree.
Field operations engineer education levelField operations engineer salary
Master's Degree$79,237
Bachelor's Degree$71,197
Doctorate Degree$86,892

Field operations 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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