Mechanical design engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a mechanical design engineer. Mechanical design engineers usually study mechanical engineering, drafting and design, or mechanical engineering technology. 73% of mechanical design engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 11,410 real mechanical design engineer resumes to see exactly what mechanical design engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for mechanical design engineers are the San Jose State University and the San Jose State University.

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

There are certain mechanical design engineer certifications that you should consider. These mechanical design engineer certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Certified Agile Developer (CAD).

What education do you need to become a mechanical design engineer?

What degree do you need to be a mechanical design engineer?

The most common degree for mechanical design engineers is bachelor's degree, with 73% of mechanical design engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 12% and associate degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 73%

Associate, 12%

Master's, 12%

Diploma, 1%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a mechanical design engineer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a mechanical design engineer. 64% of mechanical design engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a mechanical design engineer include drafting and design and mechanical engineering technology.

Mechanical Engineering, 64%

Drafting And Design, 7%

Mechanical Engineering Technology, 7%

Engineering, 4%

Other Majors, 18%

Most common colleges for mechanical design engineers

Mechanical design engineers often get their degrees at San Jose State University, Purdue University, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for mechanical design engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Mechanical design engineer common college	Percentages
San Jose State University	7.98%
Purdue University	7.88%
Pennsylvania State University	7.68%
University of California - Davis	6.42%
Rochester Institute of Technology	6.23%

Show more common mechanical design engineer colleges

Best majors for mechanical design engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Mechanical Engineering	63.8%
2	Drafting And Design	7.3%
3	Mechanical Engineering Technology	7.3%
4	Engineering	4.1%
5	Aerospace Engineering	3.0%

Show more common mechanical design engineer majors

Best colleges for mechanical design engineers

The best colleges for mechanical design engineers are California Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A mechanical design 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 mechanical design 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 mechanical design engineers.

1. Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,646

Enrollment

5,736

2. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

3. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Ames, IA • Private

In-state tuition

$8,988

Enrollment

29,248

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

10. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

20 best online courses for mechanical design 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. Mechanical design and Product development process

4.2

(604)

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

4. Basics of Material selection for mechanical design engineers

4.4

(542)

Learn about the fundamentals of materials and their selection for mechanical engineering design for design engineers...

5. Basics of Sheet metal design for Mechanical design engineers

4.3

(793)

Learn Sheet metal design, processes and practical design considerations along with Design projects...

6. Mechanics / Statics - Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

4.5

(263)

Engineering Solid Mechanics / Engineering Statics...

7. Diesel Engine Fundamentals (Mechanical Engineering)

4.6

(374)

Learn about the diesel engine! Ideal for Automotive Engineering and Automobile Engineering!...

8. Complete Course in CATIA

4.4

(674)

For Students, Engineers, and Designers...

9. Automotive product design using CATIA V5

4.4

(624)

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

10. Manufacturing Guide for Mechanical Product Development

4.9

(491)

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

11. The Complete Engineering Mechanics Course

4.5

(311)

Master the fundamentals of mechanics, statics and applied physics and then solve real-world mechanics problems...

12. Introduction to Automotive Product Design & development

4.4

(648)

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

13. Python for Mechanical Engineers

4.3

(444)

Learn Python to solve problems in mechanical fields...

14. Manufacturing process selection and Design for manufacturing

4.5

(657)

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

15. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners

4.5

(1,111)

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

16. ANSYS Training: An Easy Introduction with Applications

4.5

(1,863)

Essential training on solving Engineering Problems from start by using Ansys workbench with examples...

17. Master Digital Product Design: UX Research & UI Design

4.6

(8,540)

A complete design education for product designers: Research the user experience, then design a great user interface...

18. AutoCAD Mechanical 2D and 3D for Beginners to Advanced

(417)

Auto CAD Mechanical Engineering/ Drawing / Drafting / Design in 2D and 3D...

19. Ultimate Guide to Product Design: Design Thinking Approach

4.1

(1,005)

Uncover the Secrets of Successful Products for Outstanding User Experience. Design unique product that your users love!...

20. Engineering Mechanics: Statics

4.8

(611)

The Study of Objects in Equilibrium...

Top 10 most affordable universities for mechanical design engineers

The most affordable schools for mechanical design 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 mechanical design 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 mechanical design 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. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Cost of attendance

28,501

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

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 mechanical design engineers

The hardest universities for mechanical design engineers to get into are California Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for mechanical design 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 mechanical design 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. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,566

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

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

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 mechanical design engineers

The easiest schools for mechanical design 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 mechanical design 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 mechanical design 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. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

7. Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,093

8. Alcorn State University

Alcorn State, MS • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,026

9. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

10. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

Average mechanical design engineer salary by education level

Mechanical design engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $87,902 annually. With a Master's degree, mechanical design engineers earn a median annual income of $82,674 compared to $75,223 for mechanical design engineers with an Bachelor's degree.

Mechanical design engineer education level	Mechanical design engineer salary
Master's Degree	$82,674
Bachelor's Degree	$75,223
Doctorate Degree	$87,902

Mechanical design engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Mechanical Design Engineers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering 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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