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Pharmaceutical engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a pharmaceutical engineer. Pharmaceutical engineers usually study chemical engineering, business, or mechanical engineering. 75% of pharmaceutical engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 44 real pharmaceutical engineer resumes to see exactly what pharmaceutical engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for pharmaceutical engineers are the Florida State University and the Florida State University.
There are also many online pharmaceutical engineer courses to help get the education required to be a pharmaceutical engineer.
What education do you need to become a pharmaceutical engineer?
What degree do you need to be a pharmaceutical engineer?
- Bachelor's, 75%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 6%
What should I major in to become a pharmaceutical engineer?
- Chemical Engineering, 41%
- Business, 9%
- Pharmacy, 9%
- Other Majors, 32%
Most common colleges for pharmaceutical engineers
| Pharmaceutical engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Florida State University | 8.00% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 8.00% |
| Colorado School of Mines | 8.00% |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | 8.00% |
| Limestone College | 8.00% |
Best majors for pharmaceutical engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chemical Engineering | 41.2% |
| 2 | Business | 8.8% |
| 3 | Mechanical Engineering | 8.8% |
| 4 | Pharmacy | 8.8% |
| 5 | Chemistry | 5.9% |
Best colleges for pharmaceutical engineers
The best colleges for pharmaceutical engineers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
A pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical engineers.
1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
7. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
In-state tuition
$15,374
Enrollment
19,564
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
20 best online courses for pharmaceutical engineers
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12. Advanced Process Control & Safety Instrumented Systems SIS
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13. UX and Interface Design for Embedded Systems
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14. The Pharmaceutical R & D Process in Healthcare
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15. SAP MDG - UI, FPM, Adaptations, Derivations and Validations
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16. Process Flowcharts & Process Mapping - The Advanced Guide
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17. Requirements Engineering: Software Engineering
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18. Operations Management A-Z: Business Processes and Systems
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19. Product Development & Systems Engineering
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Top 10 most affordable universities for pharmaceutical engineers
The most affordable schools for pharmaceutical engineers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and united states merchant marine academy.
If the best universities for pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical engineers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. United States Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$1,080
Cost of attendance
6,646
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for pharmaceutical engineers
The hardest universities for pharmaceutical engineers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for pharmaceutical engineers
The easiest schools for pharmaceutical engineers to get into are D'Youville College, university of the incarnate word, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical engineers.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
5. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
6. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
9. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
10. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
Average pharmaceutical engineer salary by education level
| Pharmaceutical engineer education level | Pharmaceutical engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $102,108 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $88,441 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $71,325 |
Pharmaceutical engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025