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Plant engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a plant engineer. Plant engineers usually study mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or electrical engineering. 74% of plant engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 5,627 real plant engineer resumes to see exactly what plant engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for plant engineers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.
There are also many online plant engineer courses to help get the education required to be a plant engineer.
There are certain plant engineer certifications that you should consider. These plant engineer certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Six Sigma Green Belt.
What education do you need to become a plant engineer?
What degree do you need to be a plant engineer?
- Bachelor's, 74%
- Associate, 10%
- Master's, 10%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a plant engineer?
- Chemical Engineering, 19%
- Business, 7%
- Other Majors, 36%
Most common colleges for plant engineers
| Plant engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Purdue University | 14.40% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 11.49% |
| Clemson University | 5.50% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | 5.34% |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | 5.34% |
Best majors for plant engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical Engineering | 27.4% |
| 2 | Chemical Engineering | 19.0% |
| 3 | Electrical Engineering | 11.1% |
| 4 | Business | 6.9% |
| 5 | Industrial Engineering | 4.6% |
Best colleges for plant engineers
The best colleges for plant engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A plant 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 plant 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 plant engineers.
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. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
7. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$53,880
Enrollment
6,590
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
20 best online courses for plant engineers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for plant engineers
The most affordable schools for plant engineers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for plant 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 plant 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. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. 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
10. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for plant engineers
The hardest universities for plant engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for plant 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 plant 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. 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. 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
10. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for plant engineers
The easiest schools for plant engineers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and the university of texas permian basin.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a plant 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 plant engineers.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
4. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
9. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
10. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
Average plant engineer salary by education level
| Plant engineer education level | Plant engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $116,912 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $84,872 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $102,937 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $90,741 |
Plant engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025