Principal firmware engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a principal firmware engineer. Principal firmware engineers usually study electrical engineering, computer science, or computer engineering. 69% of principal firmware engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 160 real principal firmware engineer resumes to see exactly what principal firmware engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for principal firmware engineers are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

There are also many online principal firmware engineer courses to help get the education required to be a principal firmware engineer.

What education do you need to become a principal firmware engineer?

What degree do you need to be a principal firmware engineer?

The most common degree for principal firmware engineers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of principal firmware engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 6%.

Bachelor's, 69%

Master's, 21%

Doctorate, 6%

Associate, 4%

Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a principal firmware engineer?

You should major in electrical engineering to become a principal firmware engineer. 34% of principal firmware engineers major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for a principal firmware engineer include computer science and computer engineering.

Electrical Engineering, 34%

Computer Science, 22%

Computer Engineering, 15%

Physics, 5%

Other Majors, 24%

Most common colleges for principal firmware engineers

Principal firmware engineers often get their degrees at University of California, Santa Barbara, Northeastern University, and California State University - San Bernardino. Here are the most common colleges for principal firmware engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Principal firmware engineer common college	Percentages
University of California, Santa Barbara	11.63%
Northeastern University	11.63%
California State University - San Bernardino	9.30%
University of Colorado at Boulder	6.98%
Indiana Institute of Technology	4.65%

Show more common principal firmware engineer colleges

Best majors for principal firmware engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Electrical Engineering	33.9%
2	Computer Science	22.0%
3	Computer Engineering	14.7%
4	Physics	4.6%
5	Business	2.8%

Show more common principal firmware engineer majors

Best colleges for principal firmware engineers

The best colleges for principal firmware engineers are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Harvard University.

A principal firmware 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 firmware 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 firmware engineers.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Enrollment

24,841

10. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

20 best online courses for principal firmware engineers

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The #1 video course that explains programming bare-metal firmware for USB human interface devices (HID) step by step...

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modern c++ concurrency features including memory model, lock free data structure, thread pools, coroutines...

19. Arduino Embedded C With Electronics/Schematics/PCB

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Learn all about schematics, Printed Circuit Boards and Firmware Programming With Embedded C...

20. Master CMake for Cross-Platform C++ Project Building

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Top 10 most affordable universities for principal firmware engineers

The most affordable schools for principal firmware engineers are California State University - Long Beach, california state university - bakersfield, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for principal firmware 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 firmware engineers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

5. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

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. 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

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for principal firmware engineers

The hardest universities for principal firmware engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for principal firmware 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 firmware 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

SAT average

1,508

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

9. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for principal firmware engineers

The easiest schools for principal firmware engineers to get into are Capitol Technology University, oregon institute of technology, and san francisco state university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a principal firmware 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 firmware engineers.

1. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

2. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

3. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

4. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

5. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

6. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

7. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

8. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

9. Suffolk University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,131

10. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

Average principal firmware engineer salary by education level

Principal firmware engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $151,239 annually. With a Master's degree, principal firmware engineers earn a median annual income of $141,859 compared to $131,857 for principal firmware engineers with an Bachelor's degree.

Principal firmware engineer education level	Principal firmware engineer salary
Master's Degree	$141,859
Bachelor's Degree	$131,857
Doctorate Degree	$151,239

Principal firmware engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Principal Firmware Engineers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.

Search for principal firmware engineer 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

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