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Field sales engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a field sales engineer. Field sales engineers usually study electrical engineering, business, or mechanical engineering. 79% of field sales engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 988 real field sales engineer resumes to see exactly what field sales engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for field sales engineers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

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

There are certain field sales engineer certifications that you should consider. These field sales engineer certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Certified Management Executive (CME).

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

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

The most common degree for field sales engineers is bachelor's degree, with 79% of field sales engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 10% and associate degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 79%
  • Associate, 10%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

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

You should major in electrical engineering to become a field sales engineer. 32% of field sales engineers major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for a field sales engineer include business and mechanical engineering.

Most common colleges for field sales engineers

Field sales engineers often get their degrees at Purdue University, Texas A&M; University, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for field sales engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Field sales engineer common collegePercentages
Purdue University15.00%
Texas A&M University10.00%
Pennsylvania State University5.71%
Worcester Polytechnic Institute5.71%
San Jose State University5.00%

Best majors for field sales engineers

Best colleges for field sales engineers

The best colleges for field sales engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A field sales 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 sales 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 sales engineers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Enrollment

2,120

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

20 best online courses for field sales engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for field sales engineers

The most affordable schools for field sales engineers are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for field sales 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 sales engineers.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

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. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

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 sales engineers

The hardest universities for field sales engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for field sales 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 sales 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 Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

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

The easiest schools for field sales engineers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, capitol technology university, and oregon institute of technology.

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

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

3. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

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

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

10. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

Average field sales engineer salary by education level

According to our data, field sales engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $101,816 annually. Field sales engineers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $98,255.
Field sales engineer education levelField sales engineer salary
Master's Degree$101,816
High School Diploma or Less$83,747
Bachelor's Degree$98,254
Doctorate Degree$98,255
Some College/ Associate Degree$86,425

Field sales 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.