Plant maintenance manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a plant maintenance manager. Plant maintenance managers usually study business, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering. 46% of plant maintenance managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 633 real plant maintenance manager resumes to see exactly what plant maintenance manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for plant maintenance managers are the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

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

There are certain plant maintenance manager certifications that you should consider. These plant maintenance manager certifications include Certified Security Supervision & Management (CSS) and Six Sigma Green Belt.

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

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

The most common degree for plant maintenance managers is bachelor's degree, with 46% of plant maintenance managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 25% and associate degree degree at 9%.

Bachelor's, 46%

Associate, 25%

High School Diploma, 9%

Master's, 8%

Other Degrees, 12%

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

You should major in business to become a plant maintenance manager. 18% of plant maintenance managers major in business. Other common majors for a plant maintenance manager include electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.

Business, 18%

Electrical Engineering, 17%

Mechanical Engineering, 13%

Management, 8%

Other Majors, 44%

Most common colleges for plant maintenance managers

Plant maintenance managers often get their degrees at University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University of South Carolina - Columbia, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for plant maintenance managers in the US based on their resumes.

Plant maintenance manager common college	Percentages
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	8.33%
University of South Carolina - Columbia	8.33%
University of Phoenix	8.33%
Drexel University	6.25%
University of Maryland - College Park	6.25%

Show more common plant maintenance manager colleges

Best majors for plant maintenance managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	18.2%
2	Electrical Engineering	17.1%
3	Mechanical Engineering	13.0%
4	Management	7.8%
5	Electrical Engineering Technology	6.7%

Show more common plant maintenance manager majors

Best colleges for plant maintenance managers

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

A plant maintenance 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 maintenance 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 maintenance 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. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

20 best online courses for plant maintenance managers

Advertising disclosure

1. SAP Plant Maintenance(PM) Module Online Classes

4.3

(1,105)

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

2. Maintenance Planning Basics

4.4

(1,042)

Understanding maintenance planning basics of successful maintenance department...

3. Real World SAP - Plant Maintenance Orders and Notifications

4.4

(809)

Learn SAP PM / EAM with a focus on real world scenarios...

4. Maintenance Management Basics

4.4

(632)

Crucial knowledge and practices for successful maintenance department...

5. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers

4.6

(494)

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

6. Reliability and Maintenance Engineering - FMEA

(533)

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

7. Project Management: Cost & Schedule Monitoring using EVM

4.3

(1,114)

Earned Value Management, Project Management, Cost Control & Monitor, Budget, Schedule & Cost Variance, Performance Index...

8. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery

4.5

(82,218)

Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...

9. Operations Management: Inventory Management

(301)

Operations Management Training Program (Course 4 of 8)...

10. IT Project Budget & Cost Management

4.4

(290)

Project Management tips to manage a million dollar IT Project budget from start to finish...

11. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System

4.4

(976)

Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...

12. Project Management With MS Project - Scheduling Master Class

4.5

(4,297)

Managing projects with Microsoft Project? Learn project management, planning, scheduling, and tracking best practices...

13. Projects Cost Management, Estimating, Budgeting and Control.

4.1

(1,381)

Learn how to estimate costs for any project, how to determine budget and how to use Earned Value Management tools. 3 PDU...

14. OSHA Safety Pro: Personal Protective Equipment

4.5

(1,881)

Impress management or get that job with you your ability to display life and dollar saving work place safety practices...

15. Inventory Management A-Z: Supply Chain & Business Operations

4.6

(3,087)

Inventory Management Basics: MBA beginners course to your optimize your Purchasing, Logistics, EOQ and Safety Stock...

16. Project Management: Becoming a Successful Project manager

4.4

(250)

Project Management...

17. Project Management Professional Certification Program (PMP)

4.2

(2,380)

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

18. Project Management Fundamentals - The Art of Scheduling

4.3

(1,807)

Learn How To Schedule Like A Pro From A Pro...

19. Product Management Crash Course; IT Product Management

4.4

(593)

Product Management Essentials & Product Management Fundamentals to kick-start your career in Product Management...

20. Project Management Essentials

4.5

(15,814)

A crash course in the essentials of project management for new project managers...

Top 10 most affordable universities for plant maintenance managers

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

If the best universities for plant maintenance 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 maintenance 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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for plant maintenance managers

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

Some great schools for plant maintenance 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 maintenance 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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

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. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,545

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 maintenance managers

The easiest schools for plant maintenance 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 maintenance 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 maintenance 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. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

5. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

6. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average plant maintenance manager salary by education level

According to our data, plant maintenance managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $115,236 annually. Plant maintenance managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $107,181.

Plant maintenance manager education level	Plant maintenance manager salary
Master's Degree	$107,181
Bachelor's Degree	$100,382
Doctorate Degree	$115,236

Plant maintenance manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Plant Maintenance Managers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

Search for plant maintenance manager jobs

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

Browse executive management jobs