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Manufacturing engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a manufacturing engineer. Manufacturing engineers usually study mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, or electrical engineering. 73% of manufacturing engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 29,889 real manufacturing engineer resumes to see exactly what manufacturing engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for manufacturing engineers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.
There are also many online manufacturing engineer courses to help get the education required to be a manufacturing engineer.
There are certain manufacturing engineer certifications that you should consider. These manufacturing engineer certifications include Six Sigma Green Belt and Engineer In Training Certification (EIT).
What education do you need to become a manufacturing engineer?
What degree do you need to be a manufacturing engineer?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Associate, 13%
- Master's, 9%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a manufacturing engineer?
- Other Majors, 41%
Most common colleges for manufacturing engineers
| Manufacturing engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Purdue University | 12.55% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 7.55% |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | 7.21% |
| University of Iowa | 5.62% |
| San Jose State University | 5.17% |
Best majors for manufacturing engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical Engineering | 31.3% |
| 2 | Industrial Engineering | 10.2% |
| 3 | Electrical Engineering | 9.4% |
| 4 | Industrial Technology | 9.1% |
| 5 | Business | 5.8% |
Best colleges for manufacturing engineers
The best colleges for manufacturing engineers are Northwestern University, California Institute of Technology, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A manufacturing 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 manufacturing 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 manufacturing engineers.
1. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
2. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
7. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
8. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
20 best online courses for manufacturing engineers
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1. Engineering and Product Design Processes
Welcome to “Engineering and Product Design Processes!” In this short course, you will learn how engineering design processes and product design processes are carried out. After the course, you will be familiar with the steps in both design processes. You will also be familiar with the main goal of each design process, as well as their similarities and differences...
2. Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Design and Manufacturing with Fusion 360
Design for manufacturing is the process of designing parts, components, or products with the understanding surrounding design requirements for a specific manufacturing method. This course explores the design for manufacture workflow and shows how to validate models and create the G code, the programming language needed to instruct the CNC machine on how to move. We practice the basics of part and assembly design, and tools such as animation, rendering, and simulations using Autodesk Fusion 360...
3. Manufacturing Guide for Mechanical Product Development
Learn how everyday physical products are manufactured with no prior experience in engineering...
4. Manufacturing process selection and Design for manufacturing
Learn about the basics of selecting process for a mechanical design and the principles of design for Manufacturing...
5. Intro to Digital Manufacturing with Autodesk Fusion 360
The manufacturing industry is making a digital transformation, allowing companies to customize production through advances in machine learning, sustainable design, generative design, and collaboration, with integrated design and manufacturing processes. This course introduces innovations in CAD and digital manufacturing, speaking to the rapid changes taking place that are forever transforming the future of making. This course will also explore foundational concepts behind Autodesk® Fusion 360™...
6. Semiconductor Packaging Manufacturing
This course will provide information on the various stages of semiconductor package manufacturing, including sort, assembly, and final test. In addition, we will also describe how to select, build, and test the packages with the die and other components to ensure the quality of the package and total assembly performance. We will also discuss the role of Process Control Systems in semiconductor manufacturing as they relate to quality testing. Specifically, we will explore how Process Control...
7. Product Development & Systems Engineering
The complete Product Development & Systems Engineering course! Earn 25 contact hours AND prepare to take the INCOSE Exam...
8. The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)
The 18-step process for ensuring new parts are consistently manufactured and meet their customers' quality expectations...
9. Introduction to SOLIDWORKS
Learn the fundamentals of SOLIDWORKS engineering and design software including parts, drawings, and assemblies...
10. Mechanical design and Product development process
Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...
11. Lean Manufacturing A-Z: Lean Operations Management
Lean Business Operations Management, Lean Process and Systems Improvement in Production and Industry. MBA style course...
12. Kaizen Practitioner Masterclass for Quality Management.
Structured Approach to identify and Eliminate waste in Business for Continuous Improvement & Quality Management...
13. Understanding Engineering Drawings
How Technical Information is Conveyed from Engineers and Designers to Manufacturing and Supply Chain Professionals...
14. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners
Application of product design management principles, concepts, tools and techniques in agile product management...
15. Technical Product Management: learn on 4 real industry cases
Boost your technicality (as a PM) or tech product skills (as an engineer) to grow in your current role...
16. Learning SOLIDWORKS: For Students, Engineers, and Designers
For Basic and Intermediate Users...
17. Certified Quality Engineer Training [2022]
Comprehensive Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) Exam Preparation Course (2022 Body of Knowledge)...
18. Product Management Crash Course; IT Product Management
Product Management Essentials & Product Management Fundamentals to kick-start your career in Product Management...
19. Introduction Agile & Scrum for Product Owners
[UNOFFICIAL] Learn about agility & Scrum. Prepare for your Project Manager or Product Owner certification in 2023!...
20. Comprehensive Product management for Product managers
Become a great product manager with comprehensive product management Real world case study with JIRA & Confluence...
Top 10 most affordable universities for manufacturing engineers
The most affordable schools for manufacturing engineers are Brigham Young University, inter american university of puerto rico arecibo, and inter american university of puerto rico bayamon.
If the best universities for manufacturing 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 manufacturing engineers.
1. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
2. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo
Arecibo, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,872
Cost of attendance
13,476
3. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Cost of attendance
13,508
4. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
5. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German
San German, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Cost of attendance
14,322
7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Cost of attendance
28,501
10. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for manufacturing engineers
The hardest universities for manufacturing engineers to get into are Northwestern University, California Institute of Technology, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for manufacturing 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 manufacturing 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
8. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for manufacturing engineers
The easiest schools for manufacturing engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, saint martin's university, and cleveland state university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a manufacturing 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 manufacturing engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
3. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
4. Alabama A & M University
Normal, AL • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
957
5. University of Southern Maine
Portland, ME • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,050
6. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,093
7. Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,080
8. Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
1,086
9. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,033
10. Saint Francis University
Loretto, PA • Private
Admissions rate
75%
SAT average
1,146
Average manufacturing engineer salary by education level
| Manufacturing engineer education level | Manufacturing engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $84,872 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $77,423 |
| Doctorate Degree | $91,865 |
Manufacturing engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025