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Fuel cell engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a fuel cell engineer. Fuel cell engineers usually study mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or electrical engineering. 68% of fuel cell engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 147 real fuel cell engineer resumes to see exactly what fuel cell engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for fuel cell engineers are the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

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

What education do you need to become a fuel cell engineer?

What degree do you need to be a fuel cell engineer?

The most common degree for fuel cell engineers is bachelor's degree, with 68% of fuel cell engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 68%
  • Master's, 21%
  • Associate, 5%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a fuel cell engineer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a fuel cell engineer. 28% of fuel cell engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a fuel cell engineer include chemical engineering and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for fuel cell engineers

Fuel cell engineers often get their degrees at Rochester Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, and Lawrence Technological University. Here are the most common colleges for fuel cell engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Fuel cell engineer common collegePercentages
Rochester Institute of Technology12.82%
Pennsylvania State University7.69%
Lawrence Technological University7.69%
Northeastern University7.69%
University of Dayton5.13%

Best majors for fuel cell engineers

Best colleges for fuel cell engineers

The best colleges for fuel cell engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A fuel cell 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 fuel cell 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 fuel cell engineers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

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. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

20 best online courses for fuel cell engineers

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1. The Little Stuff: Energy, Cells, and Genetics

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In this course, we will explore the smaller side of biology: molecular biology. We’ll cover basic topics including cell biology and how cells can go “rogue” and turn into cancer, how energy from the sun is transferred to fuel our bodies, basics of genetics and inheritance, and genetic technologies. At the end of this course, we will discuss ethical and moral implications of several exciting and new genetic technologies...

2. Physics of silicon solar cells

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The first MOOC “Photovoltaic solar energy” is a general presentation of the solar photovoltaics technologies in the global energetic context, without extensive details. In particular the description of the solar cell operation is restricted to the ideal case In contrast this second MOOC allows a deep understanding of the properties of solar cells based on crystalline semiconductors. It consists in a general presentation of the physics of the photovoltaics devices with a particular emphasize on...

3. GREEN HYDROGEN: THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE

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A Fundamental course on Green hydrogen Production, Hydrogen Technology, Hydrogen Fuel, Hydrogen Energy, Hydrogen Fuel...

4. Learn Digital Painting to Make Cell Shaded Concept Art

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5. Ash-Related Operational Challenges in Energy Utilization of Sustainable Fuels

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The basic idea behind this MOOC, is to present recent data on fuel characterization, slagging, fouling, corrosion, and trace element transformations, in a course that can be readily provided for students and industry people. This ensures understanding and application of the research, and provides the students and industry with a forum for discussion of the very latest research results, as well as feedback from industry to the research group at DTU, on important new research subjects in the...

6. Software Performance Testing and Engineering

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11. Test Automation Foundations

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12. Performance Testing Using Locust 1.0

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13. Automated Test Framework: ServiceNow

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Automated Test Framework...

14. Software Testing,QA Testing, Manual Testing,SDLC,Test Plan

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Become an expert QA Tester by mastering software testing, manual testing, SDLC, test plan and test case concepts....

15. Performance Testing Using Gatling

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Session Management in Gatling, POST request methods, Jenkins Integration, Distributed testing, Performance Framework...

16. Performance Testing Course with JMeter and Blazemeter

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You will learn the basics of performance testing using today's most popular tools while following a widely-used method...

17. JMETER - Master Performance & Load Testing(Basics + Advance)

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Jmeter Tutorials - Complete guide for end to end performance testing of a Web application using JMeter tool and features...

18. Learn JMETER from Scratch on Live Apps -Performance Testing

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Top class Jmeter lectures explaining Load testing with real time examples including material and query support...

19. Software Testing Masterclass (2023) - From Novice to Expert

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Learn software testing and become QA Engineer/Agile Tester. Mobile/Backend/Web/QA testing. JIRA, Test Rail & much more!...

20. Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Practice Tests

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Pass the Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Exam...

Top 10 most affordable universities for fuel cell engineers

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

If the best universities for fuel cell 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 fuel cell engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

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. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. 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

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for fuel cell engineers

The hardest universities for fuel cell engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for fuel cell 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 fuel cell 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

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. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for fuel cell engineers

The easiest schools for fuel cell engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, texas a&m; university - kingsville, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

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

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

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. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

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 fuel cell engineer salary by education level

Fuel cell engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $112,786 annually. With a Master's degree, fuel cell engineers earn a median annual income of $104,001 compared to $91,789 for fuel cell engineers with an Bachelor's degree.
Fuel cell engineer education levelFuel cell engineer salary
Master's Degree$104,001
Bachelor's Degree$91,789
Doctorate Degree$112,786

Fuel cell 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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