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Lead engineer and project manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a lead engineer and project manager. Lead engineer and project managers usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer science. 67% of lead engineer and project managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 920 real lead engineer and project manager resumes to see exactly what lead engineer and project manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for lead engineer and project managers are the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
There are also many online lead engineer and project manager courses to help get the education required to be a lead engineer and project manager.
What education do you need to become a lead engineer and project manager?
What degree do you need to be a lead engineer and project manager?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 11%
- Doctorate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a lead engineer and project manager?
- Computer Science, 12%
- Business, 8%
- Other Majors, 43%
Most common colleges for lead engineer and project managers
| Lead engineer and project manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 8.40% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 6.87% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.87% |
| Texas A&M University | 6.11% |
| University of Pittsburgh | 5.34% |
Best majors for lead engineer and project managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Engineering | 20.1% |
| 2 | Mechanical Engineering | 17.5% |
| 3 | Computer Science | 11.8% |
| 4 | Business | 8.1% |
| 5 | Chemical Engineering | 6.2% |
Best colleges for lead engineer and project managers
The best colleges for lead engineer and project managers are Columbia University in the City of New York, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.
A lead engineer and project manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for lead engineer and project managers. 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 lead engineer and project managers.
1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
2. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,816
Enrollment
21,047
20 best online courses for lead engineer and project managers
Advertising disclosure
1. Engineering Project Management: Risk, Quality, Teams, and Procurement
Many Project Managers focus only on the scope, schedule and budget. However, a successful project requires that you manage risk, control the quality of the deliverables, engage and manage people and procure goods and services. This course will focus on these key support functions that make the difference between a highly successful project and an average one. During the course, you will prepare a Qualitative Risk Analysis and Evaluate the Cost of Quality for a provided Case Study. By the end of...
2. Projects Cost Management, Estimating, Budgeting and Control.
Learn how to estimate costs for any project, how to determine budget and how to use Earned Value Management tools. 3 PDU...
3. Requirements Engineering: Software Engineering
Everything you need to know about software requirements: elicitation, analysis, documentation, validation and management...
4. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers
Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...
5. The Agile Methodology for Project Risk Managers
The Agile Project Management and Risk Management for Project Professionals Full Course...
6. Project Management Essentials
A crash course in the essentials of project management for new project managers...
7. Project Management: Simple Software Project Management
Project Management for NEW Project Managers - knowledge, tools, techniques, skills, checklists, guidelines, pitfalls...
8. IT Project Budget & Cost Management
Project Management tips to manage a million dollar IT Project budget from start to finish...
9. Master Course in Project Management 2.0
Project Management, PMP, Agile project management, Project manager, Prince2, Scrum, Project Planning, Project risk cost...
10. Construction Cost Estimating and Management
Learn the tools used by construction management professionals to ensure their projects finish under budget...
11. Software Project Management - The complete course
Project management in software development in traditional and agile projects...
12. Project Risk Management
Practice of identifying , analyzing, prioritizing and mitigating risks...
13. Agile Project Management Bootcamp: Agile Project Management
This Agile Project Management Bootcamp course will allow you to learn the Agile Way! Agile Project Management (Scrum)...
14. Project Management: Becoming a Successful Project manager
Project Management...
15. Project Management Course: Master Project Scope Management
Practical guide to scope development and management - Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM) Training [Earn 11PDU]...
16. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery
Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...
17. Business Analyst: Project Management Techniques and Tools
Learn project management techniques to increase your project success rate as a Business Analyst!...
18. Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One
Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager...
19. Project Management Training
Project Management Certification Training with 4 Full Practice Tests...
20. AgilePM® Project Management - Foundation and Practitioner
Get an appreciation of Agile, Agility and Agile PM® Project Management, a best practice for Agile project management...
Top 10 most affordable universities for lead engineer and project managers
The most affordable schools for lead engineer and project managers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for lead engineer and project managers 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 lead engineer and project managers.
1. United States Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$1,080
Cost of attendance
6,646
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
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. 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
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for lead engineer and project managers
The hardest universities for lead engineer and project managers to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for lead engineer and project managers 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 lead engineer and project managers 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. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,545
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for lead engineer and project managers
The easiest schools for lead engineer and project managers to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, the university of texas permian basin, and the university of texas at el paso.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a lead engineer and project manager 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 lead engineer and project managers.
1. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
2. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
3. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
4. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)
Lemont Furnace, PA • Private
Admissions rate
80%
SAT average
1,067
5. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
6. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois
DuBois, PA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,079
7. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
8. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
10. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
Average lead engineer and project manager salary by education level
| Lead engineer and project manager education level | Lead engineer and project manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $109,623 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $101,893 |
| Doctorate Degree | $118,854 |
Lead engineer and project manager education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025