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Principal consulting engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a principal consulting engineer. Principal consulting engineers usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer science. 65% of principal consulting engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 263 real principal consulting engineer resumes to see exactly what principal consulting engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for principal consulting engineers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online principal consulting engineer courses to help get the education required to be a principal consulting engineer.
What education do you need to become a principal consulting engineer?
What degree do you need to be a principal consulting engineer?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Master's, 25%
- Associate, 4%
- Doctorate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a principal consulting engineer?
- Computer Science, 13%
- Business, 10%
- Other Majors, 41%
Most common colleges for principal consulting engineers
| Principal consulting engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 8.93% |
| University of Massachusetts Boston | 8.93% |
| Texas A&M University | 8.93% |
| Northeastern University | 8.93% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 7.14% |
Best majors for principal consulting engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Engineering | 20.5% |
| 2 | Mechanical Engineering | 16.3% |
| 3 | Computer Science | 13.3% |
| 4 | Business | 9.6% |
| 5 | Civil Engineering | 9.0% |
Best colleges for principal consulting engineers
The best colleges for principal consulting engineers are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A principal consulting 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 principal consulting 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 principal consulting 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. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,646
Enrollment
5,736
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Lincoln, NE • Private
In-state tuition
$9,242
Enrollment
20,592
20 best online courses for principal consulting engineers
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How to manage successfully a consulting project - a practical guide for Project Managers...
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12. Database Management System (DBMS) & SQL: Complete Pack-2023
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13. Database Engineer/DBA - (PostgreSQL, IBM-DB2, MariaDB,NoSQL)
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Top 10 most affordable universities for principal consulting engineers
The most affordable schools for principal consulting engineers are California State University - Long Beach, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.
If the best universities for principal consulting 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 principal consulting engineers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
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 principal consulting engineers
The hardest universities for principal consulting engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for principal consulting 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 principal consulting 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for principal consulting engineers
The easiest schools for principal consulting engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, oklahoma wesleyan university, and capitol technology university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a principal consulting 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 principal consulting engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
10. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
Average principal consulting engineer salary by education level
| Principal consulting engineer education level | Principal consulting engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $130,486 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $117,856 |
| Doctorate Degree | $139,402 |
Principal consulting engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025