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Planning engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a planning engineer. Planning engineers usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or civil engineering. 75% of planning engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,557 real planning engineer resumes to see exactly what planning engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for planning engineers are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.
There are also many online planning engineer courses to help get the education required to be a planning engineer.
There are certain planning engineer certifications that you should consider. These planning engineer certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Engineer In Training Certification (EIT).
What education do you need to become a planning engineer?
What degree do you need to be a planning engineer?
- Bachelor's, 75%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 6%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a planning engineer?
- Civil Engineering, 16%
- Business, 7%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for planning engineers
| Planning engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University | 7.88% |
| Texas A&M University | 7.39% |
| Purdue University | 7.39% |
| University of Phoenix | 5.91% |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 5.91% |
Best majors for planning engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Engineering | 20.7% |
| 2 | Mechanical Engineering | 16.0% |
| 3 | Civil Engineering | 15.7% |
| 4 | Business | 7.4% |
| 5 | Industrial Engineering | 6.7% |
Best colleges for planning engineers
The best colleges for planning engineers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A planning 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 planning 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 planning engineers.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
20 best online courses for planning engineers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for planning engineers
The most affordable schools for planning engineers are University of Florida, united states merchant marine academy, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for planning 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 planning engineers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. United States Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$1,080
Cost of attendance
6,646
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
5. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
8. 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
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
10. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for planning engineers
The hardest universities for planning engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for planning 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 planning 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for planning engineers
The easiest schools for planning engineers to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, oregon institute of technology, and the university of texas at el paso.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a planning 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 planning engineers.
1. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
2. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
3. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
5. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)
Lemont Furnace, PA • Private
Admissions rate
80%
SAT average
1,067
6. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
9. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
10. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
Average planning engineer salary by education level
| Planning engineer education level | Planning engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $96,133 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $85,554 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $71,855 |
Planning engineer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025