Lead Machinist Education Requirements And Courses

Lead machinist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Usually, lead machinists don't need a college education. The most common degree for lead machinists is high school diploma with 34% graduates, with only 31% lead machinist graduates earning associate degree. Lead machinists who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Phoenix or University of Houston. Some good skills to have in this position include cnc lathes, grinders and calipers.

Popular lead machinist certifications include Master Engine Machinist, Certified Machine Tool Sales Engineer (CMTSE), or Forklift Safety and Inspector. To improve lead machinist qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in lead machinist education paths.

What education do you need to become a lead machinist?

What degree do you need to be a lead machinist?

The most common degree for lead machinists is high school diploma, with 34% of lead machinists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 31% and associate degree degree at 15%.

High School Diploma, 34%

Associate, 31%

Bachelor's, 15%

Diploma, 9%

Other Degrees, 11%

What should I major in to become a lead machinist?

You should major in precision metal working to become a lead machinist. 16% of lead machinists major in precision metal working. Other common majors for a lead machinist include business and mechanical engineering.

Precision Metal Working, 16%

Business, 14%

Mechanical Engineering, 12%

Industrial Technology, 7%

Other Majors, 51%

Best majors for lead machinists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Precision Metal Working	16.0%
2	Business	14.5%
3	Mechanical Engineering	11.5%
4	Industrial Technology	6.8%
5	Engineering	5.9%

Show more common lead machinist majors

20 best online courses for lead machinists

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1. Rapid Prototyping and Tooling

In the Rapid Prototyping and Tooling specialization, students learn how to make effective prototypes. Why is rapid prototyping important, and how does it facilitate the overall engineering design process? At what point in the process should rapid prototyping be employed? How can electronics bring a prototype to the next level? When is it appropriate to make a prototype out of cardboard rather than aluminum? When should you use 3D printing instead of a laser cutter? Real examples provide answers...

2. Fusion 360 tutorial for CNC machinists

4.3

(575)

CAD CAM training for CNC machinists using fusion 360...

3. CNC Milling machine programming using G-Code

4.7

(331)

Learning to read and write CNC programs with FANUC G Code has never been so easy...

4. Introduction to CNC Programming

4.5

(1,678)

Learn to program CNC Routers and CNC Milling machines that use the GCODE language...

5. ISO 27001 Lead Auditor course

4.3

(1,759)

ISO 27001 Lead Auditor course...

6. Learn Swagger and the OpenAPI Specification

4.5

(4,467)

API Definition Files, Tools, and Documentation (OAS 2.0)...

7. OpenAPI Specification & Swagger Tools - Zero To Master

4.6

(524)

Document, Mock, Test APIs using Open API specification & Swagger Tools. Generate code from Open API. Based on OAS 3 ver...

8. ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Lead Auditor Course

4.1

(829)

How to Implement & Audit an ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Lead Auditor/ Auditor course...

9. OpenAPI (Swagger) Specification for Software Developers

4.5

(383)

A guide to learning Open API (Swagger) Specification for highly productive API design, documentation, development, & test...

10. The Complete Meta Facebook Lead Generation Guide + ChatGPT

4.6

(625)

Learn Facebook & Instagram Lead Generation Ads, Conversion Ads & Messages Ads. Boost your Marketing. Get More Customers...

11. ISO 27001:2022 Lead Implementer

4.6

(1,123)

From Theory to Practice: A Comprehensive Course on Implementing ISO 27001 with Downloadable Templates and Case Studies...

12. LinkedIn Marketing, Lead Generation & B2B Sales for LinkedIn

4.3

(5,970)

Linked In Machine: The Linked In Master Class to learn Linked In Marketing, Lead Generation, Business Development, B2B Sales...

13. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System

4.4

(976)

Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...

14. ISO 45001. Occupational health & safety management system

4.6

(4,258)

Upgrate your health and safety career by understanding the requriements for an OH & S management system from ISO 45001...

15. IT Troubleshooting Skill Training

4.4

(8,194)

IT Troubleshooting 101 for Analysts and Managers...

16. Lead Generation Machine: Cold Email B2B Sales Master Course

4.4

(4,291)

Schedule meetings emailing small to large companies for business development, B2B, startup, consultants, & entrepreneurs...

17. Fusion 360 CAD/CAM for CNC routers

4.5

(397)

Make any part using your CNC router with Fusion 360...

18. The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)

4.5

(1,218)

The 18-step process for ensuring new parts are consistently manufactured and meet their customers' quality expectations...

19. ISO 45001 - Occupational Health & Safety management system

4.6

(1,584)

From zero to internal auditor: a complete course on the ISO 45001:2018 standard, with examples, quizzes and exercises...

20. Overview - Functional Safety and ISO 26262

4.2

(272)

Get an overview of functional safety and ISO 26262. Plain and simple clause by clause explanation of ISO 26262:2018...

Average lead machinist salary by education level

Lead machinists with a Associate degree earn more than those without, at $53,293 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, lead machinists earn a median annual income of $52,658 compared to $50,704 for lead machinists with an High School Diploma degree.

Lead machinist education level	Lead machinist salary
High School Diploma or Less	$50,704
Bachelor's Degree	$52,658
Some College/ Associate Degree	$53,293