Machine shop foreman education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a machine shop foreman. Machine shop foremen usually study business, precision metal working, or mechanical engineering. 32% of machine shop foremen hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 366 real machine shop foreman resumes to see exactly what machine shop foreman education sections show.

The most common colleges for machine shop foremen are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

There are also many online machine shop foreman courses to help get the education required to be a machine shop foreman.

What education do you need to become a machine shop foreman?

What degree do you need to be a machine shop foreman?

The most common degree for machine shop foremen is bachelor's degree, with 32% of machine shop foremen earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 28% and high school diploma degree at 23%.

Bachelor's, 32%

High School Diploma, 28%

Associate, 23%

Diploma, 9%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a machine shop foreman?

You should major in business to become a machine shop foreman. 19% of machine shop foremen major in business. Other common majors for a machine shop foreman include precision metal working and mechanical engineering.

Business, 19%

Precision Metal Working, 13%

Mechanical Engineering, 10%

Manufacturing Engineering, 5%

Other Majors, 53%

Most common colleges for machine shop foremen

Machine shop foremen often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, University of Iowa, and Lamar University. Here are the most common colleges for machine shop foremen in the US based on their resumes.

Machine shop foreman common college	Percentages
Pennsylvania State University	14.29%
University of Iowa	7.14%
Lamar University	7.14%
University of Pikeville	7.14%
University of Portland	7.14%

Show more common machine shop foreman colleges

Best majors for machine shop foremen

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	19.1%
2	Precision Metal Working	12.7%
3	Mechanical Engineering	10.0%
4	Manufacturing Engineering	5.5%
5	Industrial Engineering	4.5%

Show more common machine shop foreman majors

Best colleges for machine shop foremen

The best colleges for machine shop foremen are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Rochester.

A machine shop foreman with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for machine shop foremen. 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 machine shop foremen.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

4. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

9. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

In-state tuition

$55,453

Enrollment

4,312

10. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

20 best online courses for machine shop foremen

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Top 10 most affordable universities for machine shop foremen

The most affordable schools for machine shop foremen are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for machine shop foremen 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 machine shop foremen.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

6. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

9. Southern University at New Orleans

New Orleans, LA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,033

Cost of attendance

12,702

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for machine shop foremen

The hardest universities for machine shop foremen to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Rochester.

Some great schools for machine shop foremen 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 machine shop foremen 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

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

8. Providence College

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

49%

SAT average

1,294

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

10. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,337

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for machine shop foremen

The easiest schools for machine shop foremen to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, life university, and nyack college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a machine shop foreman 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 machine shop foremen.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

3. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

4. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

5. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

9. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average machine shop foreman salary by education level

According to our data, machine shop foremen with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $53,508 annually. Machine shop foremen with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $46,331.

Machine shop foreman education level	Machine shop foreman salary
Master's Degree	$53,508
High School Diploma or Less	$37,324
Bachelor's Degree	$46,331
Some College/ Associate Degree	$41,209

Machine shop foreman education FAQs

What is the best college for Machine Shop Foremen?

Have more questions? See all answers to common production and manufacturing questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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