Pcb designer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a pcb designer. Pcb designers usually study electrical engineering, drafting and design, or electrical engineering technology. 45% of pcb designers hold a associate degree, and 36% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 861 real pcb designer resumes to see exactly what pcb designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for pcb designers are the San Jose State University and the San Jose State University.

There are also many online pcb designer courses to help get the education required to be a pcb designer.

There are certain pcb designer certifications that you should consider. These pcb designer certifications include Certified Interconnect Designer (CID) and IPC Certification Using IPC-7711 and IPC 7721.

What education do you need to become a pcb designer?

What degree do you need to be a pcb designer?

The most common degree for pcb designers is associate degree, with 45% of pcb designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 36% and bachelor's degree degree at 8%.

Associate, 45%

Bachelor's, 36%

Diploma, 8%

High School Diploma, 6%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a pcb designer?

You should major in electrical engineering to become a pcb designer. 34% of pcb designers major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for a pcb designer include drafting and design and electrical engineering technology.

Electrical Engineering, 34%

Drafting And Design, 17%

Electrical Engineering Technology, 14%

Business, 4%

Other Majors, 31%

Most common colleges for pcb designers

Pcb designers often get their degrees at San Jose State University, Northeastern University, and Brevard College. Here are the most common colleges for pcb designers in the US based on their resumes.

Pcb designer common college	Percentages
San Jose State University	14.29%
Northeastern University	7.14%
Brevard College	4.76%
Boise State University	4.76%
SUNY Polytechnic Institute	4.76%

Show more common pcb designer colleges

Best majors for pcb designers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Electrical Engineering	34.2%
2	Drafting And Design	16.7%
3	Electrical Engineering Technology	13.8%
4	Business	4.5%
5	Computer Science	4.5%

Show more common pcb designer majors

Best colleges for pcb designers

The best colleges for pcb designers are Northeastern University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A pcb designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for pcb designers. 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 pcb designers.

1. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

3. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

4. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Enrollment

24,841

5. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,785

Enrollment

7,711

6. Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$8,184

Enrollment

11,675

7. Milwaukee School of Engineering

Milwaukee, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$40,749

Enrollment

2,582

8. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$11,870

Enrollment

53,194

9. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

10. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$19,080

Enrollment

19,127

20 best online courses for pcb designers

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3. PCB Design a Tiny Arduino In Altium CircuitMaker

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4. PCB Designing (with 3D Model) in Orcad [2022]

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5. Cadence OrCAD v17.4 for Beginners & Students - NOT Pro EEs!

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(535)

Learn how to use Or CAD at the basic level. Enroll in another course if you need something advanced...

6. Crash Course Electronics and PCB Design

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Learn Electronics and PCB Design from the Ground up with Altium Circuit Maker and Labcenter Proteus...

7. Altium Designer 16 - Basics (Arduino FIO)

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Walking you through the basics of Altium Designer in schematic and PCB design, component creation and output generation...

8. design PCB using Eagle Cadsoft step by step(Older Version)

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Industrial Datalogger, Electronics circuit design, Embedded System, Eagle PCB Design, Arduino Programming and IOT system...

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17. PCB/Electronics: Thermal Management, Cooling and Derating

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19. CMOS Analog Circuit Design

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20. Construction Site Electrical System Design

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Top 10 most affordable universities for pcb designers

The most affordable schools for pcb designers are California State University - Long Beach, suny farmingdale, and inter american university of puerto rico bayamon.

If the best universities for pcb designers 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 pcb designers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. West Virginia University Institute of Technology

Beckley, WV • Private

In-state tuition

$7,464

Cost of attendance

17,166

9. National University College - Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$6,675

Cost of attendance

12,941

10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for pcb designers

The hardest universities for pcb designers to get into are Northeastern University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for pcb designers 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 pcb designers 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. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

8. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

9. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for pcb designers

The easiest schools for pcb designers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, capitol technology university, and pennsylvania state university - altoona.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a pcb designer 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 pcb designers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

3. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

4. Pennsylvania State University - Berks

Reading, PA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,107

5. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

6. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,068

7. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

8. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

9. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average pcb designer salary by education level

According to our data, pcb designers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $100,447 annually. Pcb designers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $86,196.

Pcb designer education level	Pcb designer salary
Master's Degree	$86,196
Bachelor's Degree	$72,109
Doctorate Degree	$100,447

Pcb designer education FAQs

What is the best college for PCB Designers?

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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