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Manufacturing engineer lead education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a manufacturing engineer lead. Manufacturing engineers lead usually study mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, or industrial technology. 70% of manufacturing engineers lead hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 882 real manufacturing engineer lead resumes to see exactly what manufacturing engineer lead education sections show.

The most common colleges for manufacturing engineers lead are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

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

There are certain manufacturing engineer lead certifications that you should consider. These manufacturing engineer lead certifications include Six Sigma Green Belt and Certified Manufacturing Specialist (CMS).

What education do you need to become a manufacturing engineer lead?

What degree do you need to be a manufacturing engineer lead?

The most common degree for manufacturing engineers lead is bachelor's degree, with 70% of manufacturing engineers lead earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Master's, 13%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a manufacturing engineer lead?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a manufacturing engineer lead. 31% of manufacturing engineers lead major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a manufacturing engineer lead include industrial engineering and industrial technology.

Most common colleges for manufacturing engineers lead

Manufacturing engineers lead often get their degrees at Purdue University, Kettering University, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Here are the most common colleges for manufacturing engineers lead in the US based on their resumes.
Manufacturing engineer lead common collegePercentages
Purdue University11.68%
Kettering University6.57%
Rochester Institute of Technology6.57%
University of Florida5.11%
University of Wisconsin Colleges5.11%

Best majors for manufacturing engineers lead

Best colleges for manufacturing engineers lead

The best colleges for manufacturing engineers lead are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A manufacturing engineer lead 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 lead. 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 lead.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

6. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$53,880

Enrollment

6,590

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for manufacturing engineers lead

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1. Engineering and Product Design Processes

coursera

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

coursera

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

udemy
4.9
(491)

Learn how everyday physical products are manufactured with no prior experience in engineering...

4. Mechanical design and Product development process

udemy
4.2
(604)

Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...

5. Machine Learning Engineering for Production (MLOps)

coursera

Understanding machine learning and deep learning concepts is essential, but if you’re looking to build an effective AI career, you need production engineering capabilities as well.\n\nEffectively deploying machine learning models requires competencies more commonly found in technical fields such as software engineering and DevOps. Machine learning engineering for production combines the foundational concepts of machine learning with the functional expertise of modern software development and...

6. Intro to Digital Manufacturing with Autodesk Fusion 360

coursera

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™...

7. Product Development & Systems Engineering

udemy
4.6
(3,086)

The complete Product Development & Systems Engineering course! Earn 25 contact hours AND prepare to take the INCOSE Exam...

8. Manufacturing process selection and Design for manufacturing

udemy
4.5
(657)

Learn about the basics of selecting process for a mechanical design and the principles of design for Manufacturing...

9. Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Production

coursera

In this course, "Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Production," you'll learn about Kubernetes and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) security; logging and monitoring; and using Google Cloud managed storage and database services from within GKE. This is the final course of the Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine series. After completing this course, enroll in the Reliable Google Cloud Infrastructure: Design and Process course or the Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure Foundations with...

10. The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)

udemy
4.5
(1,218)

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

11. Lean Manufacturing A-Z: Lean Operations Management

udemy
4.6
(3,222)

Lean Business Operations Management, Lean Process and Systems Improvement in Production and Industry. MBA style course...

12. Introduction to Automotive Product Design & development

udemy
4.4
(648)

Learn about the process, milestones and activities from idea to complete design of cars for Automotive engineers...

13. Automotive product design using CATIA V5

udemy
4.4
(624)

Automotive domain design using CATIA, interior and exterior trims on CATIA, Plastic product design in Automotive sector...

14. Productivity for Mac Users: 10x Your Productivity

udemy
4.2
(982)

Shortcuts and Tools to 10x Your Productivity on Your Mac...

15. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners

udemy
4.5
(1,111)

Application of product design management principles, concepts, tools and techniques in agile product management...

16. Understanding Engineering Drawings

udemy
4.2
(384)

How Technical Information is Conveyed from Engineers and Designers to Manufacturing and Supply Chain Professionals...

17. Product Management Crash Course; IT Product Management

udemy
4.4
(593)

Product Management Essentials & Product Management Fundamentals to kick-start your career in Product Management...

18. Professional Diploma in Digital Products Management

udemy
4.3
(288)

Program with business cases (Fintech, Retail Banking, Digital Business) & Interactive part...

19. Process/Chemical Engineering - BOOTCAMP 2021

udemy
4.2
(448)

The only course with over 10 hours practical knowledge about main process equipment Design, Control and Safety...

20. Introduction Agile & Scrum for Product Owners

udemy
4.7
(7,772)

[UNOFFICIAL] Learn about agility & Scrum. Prepare for your Project Manager or Product Owner certification in 2023!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for manufacturing engineers lead

The most affordable schools for manufacturing engineers lead are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for manufacturing engineers lead 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 lead.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for manufacturing engineers lead

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

Some great schools for manufacturing engineers lead 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 lead 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. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for manufacturing engineers lead

The easiest schools for manufacturing engineers lead to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, the university of texas permian basin, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a manufacturing engineer lead 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 lead.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

Average manufacturing engineer lead salary by education level

Manufacturing engineers lead with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $102,493 annually. With a Master's degree, manufacturing engineers lead earn a median annual income of $95,414 compared to $87,812 for manufacturing engineers lead with an Bachelor's degree.
Manufacturing engineer lead education levelManufacturing engineer lead salary
Master's Degree$95,414
Bachelor's Degree$87,812
Doctorate Degree$102,493

Manufacturing engineer lead 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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