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Principal design engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a principal design engineer. Principal design engineers usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer engineering. 65% of principal design engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 666 real principal design engineer resumes to see exactly what principal design engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for principal design engineers are the Northeastern University and the Northeastern University.
There are also many online principal design engineer courses to help get the education required to be a principal design engineer.
What education do you need to become a principal design engineer?
What degree do you need to be a principal design engineer?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Master's, 25%
- Associate, 5%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a principal design engineer?
- Engineering, 5%
- Other Majors, 27%
Most common colleges for principal design engineers
| Principal design engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Northeastern University | 10.92% |
| Arizona State University | 9.24% |
| San Jose State University | 5.88% |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 5.88% |
| Indiana Institute of Technology | 5.88% |
Best majors for principal design engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Engineering | 47.6% |
| 2 | Mechanical Engineering | 13.2% |
| 3 | Computer Engineering | 7.3% |
| 4 | Engineering | 5.1% |
| 5 | Physics | 3.5% |
Best colleges for principal design engineers
The best colleges for principal design engineers are Northwestern University, California Institute of Technology, and Johns Hopkins University.
A principal design 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 design 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 design engineers.
1. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
2. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
7. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
8. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,646
Enrollment
5,736
20 best online courses for principal design engineers
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16. Basics of Material selection for mechanical design engineers
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18. PCB Design for everyone with EasyEDA a free and online tool
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19. Arduino: Electronics circuit, PCB Design & IOT Programming
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20. Electrical, Electronics and PCB Design Safety & Compliance
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Top 10 most affordable universities for principal design engineers
The most affordable schools for principal design engineers are California State University - Long Beach, brigham young university, and university of puerto rico - mayaguez.
If the best universities for principal design 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 design engineers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
3. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
4. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Cost of attendance
13,508
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
8. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
9. West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Beckley, WV • Private
In-state tuition
$7,464
Cost of attendance
17,166
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for principal design engineers
The hardest universities for principal design engineers to get into are Northwestern University, California Institute of Technology, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for principal design 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 design 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. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
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. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for principal design engineers
The easiest schools for principal design engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, capitol technology university, and pennsylvania state university - berks.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a principal design 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 design engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
3. Pennsylvania State University - Berks
Reading, PA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,107
4. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,068
5. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
6. South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,149
7. Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,080
8. Alabama A & M University
Normal, AL • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
957
9. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona
Altoona, PA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,094
10. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,093
Average principal design engineer salary by education level
| Principal design engineer education level | Principal design engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $147,573 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $131,008 |
| Doctorate Degree | $163,434 |
Principal design engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025