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Plant maintenance supervisor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a plant maintenance supervisor. Plant maintenance supervisors usually study business, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering. 36% of plant maintenance supervisors hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,045 real plant maintenance supervisor resumes to see exactly what plant maintenance supervisor education sections show.

The most common colleges for plant maintenance supervisors are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

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

There are certain plant maintenance supervisor certifications that you should consider. These plant maintenance supervisor certifications include OSHA Safety Certificate and Forklift Safety and Inspector.

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

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

The most common degree for plant maintenance supervisors is bachelor's degree, with 36% of plant maintenance supervisors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 26% and associate degree degree at 21%.
  • Bachelor's, 36%
  • Associate, 26%
  • High School Diploma, 21%
  • Diploma, 8%
  • Other Degrees, 9%

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

You should major in business to become a plant maintenance supervisor. 15% of plant maintenance supervisors major in business. Other common majors for a plant maintenance supervisor include electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.

Most common colleges for plant maintenance supervisors

Plant maintenance supervisors often get their degrees at Purdue University, Excelsior College, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for plant maintenance supervisors in the US based on their resumes.
Plant maintenance supervisor common collegePercentages
Purdue University10.17%
Excelsior College8.47%
Pennsylvania State University6.78%
University of Phoenix6.78%
Troy University5.08%

Best majors for plant maintenance supervisors

Best colleges for plant maintenance supervisors

The best colleges for plant maintenance supervisors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A plant maintenance supervisor 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 supervisors. 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 supervisors.

1. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

2. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

5. Siena Heights University

Adrian, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$27,124

Enrollment

2,035

6. SUNY College of Technology at Canton

Canton, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,389

Enrollment

3,127

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Lewis-Clark State College

Lewiston, ID • Private

In-state tuition

$6,618

Enrollment

2,787

10. Dunwoody College of Technology

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$22,046

Enrollment

1,294

20 best online courses for plant maintenance supervisors

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1. Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows

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For centuries we have collectively marveled at plant diversity and form—from Charles Darwin’s early fascination with stems and flowers to Seymour Krelborn’s distorted doting in Little Shop of Horrors. This course intends to present an intriguing and scientifically valid look at how plants themselves experience the world—from the colors they see to the sensations they feel. Highlighting the latest research in genetics and more, we will delve into the inner lives of plants and draw parallels with...

2. Plant Bioinformatics Capstone

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The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger. In Plant Bioinformatics on Coursera.org, we covered 33 plant-specific...

3. SAP Plant Maintenance(PM) Module Online Classes

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4.3
(1,105)

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

4. Real World SAP - Plant Maintenance Orders and Notifications

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4.4
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Learn SAP PM / EAM with a focus on real world scenarios...

5. Maintenance Planning Basics

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4.4
(1,042)

Understanding maintenance planning basics of successful maintenance department...

6. OSHA Safety Pro: Personal Protective Equipment

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4.5
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Impress management or get that job with you your ability to display life and dollar saving work place safety practices...

7. Rotating Equipment Masterclass: Pumps & Compressors

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4.6
(305)

A compelete understanding of pumps & compressors used in process industries for a successful operation of your facility...

8. Maintenance Management Basics

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4.4
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Crucial knowledge and practices for successful maintenance department...

9. Electrical Power Equipment

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Learn how electrical equipments operate and how they fit together into a network...

10. Reliability and Maintenance Engineering - FMEA

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4
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Failure Mode and Effects Analysis - A mechanical engineering approach to risk management of plant and machinery...

11. Garnett Cross Training in the Maintenance of Oil Hydraulics

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This course will prepare you to work with hydraulic systems, plan maintenance and perform troubleshooting...

12. Heat Exchangers: Design , Operation & Maintenance

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A complete understanding of construction details , functionning and design of heat exchangers for successful operation...

13. Electronic & Electrical Devices Maintenance & Troubleshooting

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4.3
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This course will give you everything you need to start playing with electronics components and fix electronic devices...

14. OSHA Safety Pro: Trenching Excavation & Soil Mechanics

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4.3
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A quick yet detailed certification in OSHA safety with a focus on Trenching, Excavation, & Soil Mechanics...

15. ComputerCavalry: Slow Computer Repair and PC Maintenance

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Is your computer run slow? Take this course and learn how to speed up a slow computer!...

16. Car Maintenance Anyone Can Do

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Learn how to add years of reliable life and service to your car...

17. Functional Safety for Safety Instrumented Systems

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4.1
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The most complete course available on Functional Safety. 2+ hours of videos, case studies, assignments, & more...

18. HVAC Fundamentals and BMS Controls

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4.3
(1,126)

Build your knowledge systematically, from the working principles of HVAC to optimizing a chiller plant operation...

19. Electrical Control & Protection Part 4

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4.5
(293)

This course introduces electrical control & protection systems which are a critical part of any electrical network...

20. Centrifugal compressors: Principles, Operation and design

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4.8
(389)

A complete understanding of construction details and functioning of centrifugal compressors for successful operations...

Top 10 most affordable universities for plant maintenance supervisors

The most affordable schools for plant maintenance supervisors are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for plant maintenance supervisors 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 supervisors.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. University of Alaska Southeast

Juneau, AK • Private

In-state tuition

$7,092

Cost of attendance

16,853

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for plant maintenance supervisors

The hardest universities for plant maintenance supervisors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for plant maintenance supervisors 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 supervisors 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for plant maintenance supervisors

The easiest schools for plant maintenance supervisors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a plant maintenance supervisor 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 supervisors.

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. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

Average plant maintenance supervisor salary by education level

Plant maintenance supervisors with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $57,184 annually. With a Associate degree, plant maintenance supervisors earn a median annual income of $49,269 compared to $47,623 for plant maintenance supervisors with an High School Diploma degree.
Plant maintenance supervisor education levelPlant maintenance supervisor salary
High School Diploma or Less$47,623
Bachelor's Degree$57,184
Some College/ Associate Degree$49,269

Plant maintenance supervisor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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