Plant engineering manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a plant engineering manager. Plant engineering managers usually study mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or business. 70% of plant engineering managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,265 real plant engineering manager resumes to see exactly what plant engineering manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for plant engineering managers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

There are also many online plant engineering manager courses to help get the education required to be a plant engineering manager.

There are certain plant engineering manager certifications that you should consider. These plant engineering manager certifications include Six Sigma Green Belt and Engineer In Training Certification (EIT).

What education do you need to become a plant engineering manager?

What degree do you need to be a plant engineering manager?

The most common degree for plant engineering managers is bachelor's degree, with 70% of plant engineering managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 70%

Associate, 13%

Master's, 12%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a plant engineering manager?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a plant engineering manager. 29% of plant engineering managers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a plant engineering manager include electrical engineering and business.

Mechanical Engineering, 29%

Electrical Engineering, 11%

Business, 9%

Chemical Engineering, 8%

Other Majors, 43%

Most common colleges for plant engineering managers

Plant engineering managers often get their degrees at Purdue University, Pennsylvania State University, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Here are the most common colleges for plant engineering managers in the US based on their resumes.

Plant engineering manager common college	Percentages
Purdue University	16.20%
Pennsylvania State University	8.38%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale	7.26%
Clemson University	7.26%
University of Toledo	7.26%

Show more common plant engineering manager colleges

Best majors for plant engineering managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Mechanical Engineering	29.0%
2	Electrical Engineering	11.3%
3	Business	9.1%
4	Chemical Engineering	7.6%
5	Industrial Engineering	6.8%

Show more common plant engineering manager majors

Best colleges for plant engineering managers

The best colleges for plant engineering managers are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

A plant engineering manager 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 engineering managers. 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 engineering managers.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

5. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

20 best online courses for plant engineering managers

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3. Reliability and Maintenance Engineering - FMEA

(533)

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis - A mechanical engineering approach to risk management of plant and machinery...

4. Operations Management: Facilities Planning and Management

4.4

(357)

Operations Management Training Program (Course 8 of 8)...

5. SAP Plant Maintenance(PM) Module Online Classes

4.3

(1,105)

Functional Module SAP Plant Maintenance(PM) with Configuration...

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4.6

(494)

Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...

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4.5

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Practical Project Management worked example using Gantt Charts, PMI, PMP, APM...

16. Project Management Training

4.6

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Project Management Certification Training with 4 Full Practice Tests...

17. Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One

4.6

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Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager...

18. Project Management Professional Certification Program (PMP)

4.2

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Your Guide to the Gold Standard of Project Management Certifications (PMI-PMP) (PMBOK7 updated) (40 PDUs minimum)...

19. OSHA Safety Training: Heat Stress Management

4.6

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A Workplace Safety Management Course for Current and Future Safety Professionals...

20. Agile Project Management Bootcamp: Agile Project Management

4.5

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This Agile Project Management Bootcamp course will allow you to learn the Agile Way! Agile Project Management (Scrum)...

Top 10 most affordable universities for plant engineering managers

The most affordable schools for plant engineering managers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for plant engineering managers 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 engineering managers.

1. United States Merchant Marine Academy

Kings Point, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$1,080

Cost of attendance

6,646

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. 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

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for plant engineering managers

The hardest universities for plant engineering managers to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Some great schools for plant engineering managers 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 engineering managers 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,545

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for plant engineering managers

The easiest schools for plant engineering managers to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, the university of texas permian basin, 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 plant engineering manager 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 engineering managers.

1. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

2. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

3. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

10. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

Average plant engineering manager salary by education level

According to our data, plant engineering managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $106,726 annually. Plant engineering managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $99,671.

Plant engineering manager education level	Plant engineering manager salary
Master's Degree	$99,671
Bachelor's Degree	$93,693
Doctorate Degree	$106,726

Plant engineering manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Plant Engineering Managers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management 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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