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Principal project engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a principal project engineer. Principal project engineers usually study mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or civil engineering. 69% of principal project engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 660 real principal project engineer resumes to see exactly what principal project engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for principal project engineers are the Texas A&M; University and the Texas A&M; University.
There are also many online principal project engineer courses to help get the education required to be a principal project engineer.
There are certain principal project engineer certifications that you should consider. These principal project engineer certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Six Sigma Green Belt.
What education do you need to become a principal project engineer?
What degree do you need to be a principal project engineer?
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 6%
- Doctorate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a principal project engineer?
- Civil Engineering, 12%
- Business, 10%
- Other Majors, 39%
Most common colleges for principal project engineers
| Principal project engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Texas A&M University | 9.09% |
| Northeastern University | 8.08% |
| Arizona State University | 6.06% |
| University of Pittsburgh | 6.06% |
| Drexel University | 6.06% |
Best majors for principal project engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical Engineering | 22.2% |
| 2 | Electrical Engineering | 16.6% |
| 3 | Civil Engineering | 11.7% |
| 4 | Business | 9.8% |
| 5 | Chemical Engineering | 6.8% |
Best colleges for principal project engineers
The best colleges for principal project engineers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A principal project 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 project 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 project engineers.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
8. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
20 best online courses for principal project engineers
Advertising disclosure
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Accelerate your career by improving your project management skills. This Specialization delivers a rigorous exploration of the best practices for planning and delivering these major engineering projects. You’ll learn about the measures of success, how to resolve challenges of governance and typical financing approaches of these projects.\n\nIf you are an engineer or a project manager and you aspire to get involved with major engineering projects, or you are already working on one, then this...
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Learn how to estimate costs for any project, how to determine budget and how to use Earned Value Management tools. 3 PDU...
4. Construction Cost Estimating and Management
Learn the tools used by construction management professionals to ensure their projects finish under budget...
5. Project Management: Simple Software Project Management
Project Management for NEW Project Managers - knowledge, tools, techniques, skills, checklists, guidelines, pitfalls...
6. IT Project Budget & Cost Management
Project Management tips to manage a million dollar IT Project budget from start to finish...
7. Mastering Agile Scrum Project Management
Review and master agile development & scrum methodologies for your career...
8. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery
Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...
9. Construction Project Scheduling
Learn the tools and techniques used by construction management professionals to ensure projects finish on time...
10. Project Management Essentials
A crash course in the essentials of project management for new project managers...
11. Mastering Construction/Project Management
Mastering Construction-Project Management in less than 10 Hours...
12. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers
Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...
13. Product Development & Systems Engineering
The complete Product Development & Systems Engineering course! Earn 25 contact hours AND prepare to take the INCOSE Exam...
14. Software Project Management - The complete course
Project management in software development in traditional and agile projects...
15. CompTIA Project+ Exam Prep
How to pass the Comp TIA Project+ Exam...
16. Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One
Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager...
17. Microsoft Project ADVANCED: Project Management Technics 3PDU
MS PROJECT 2016 ADVANCED Project Management Techniques -incl Enterprise level. HANDS-ON from #1 BESTSELLING INSTRUCTOR...
18. Project Management: Becoming a Successful Project manager
Project Management...
19. Professional Diploma in Project Management
Introduction to main areas and tools of project management...
20. Project Management Training
Project Management Certification Training with 4 Full Practice Tests...
Top 10 most affordable universities for principal project engineers
The most affordable schools for principal project engineers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for principal project 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 project engineers.
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. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
10. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for principal project engineers
The hardest universities for principal project engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for principal project 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 project 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for principal project engineers
The easiest schools for principal project engineers to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, oregon institute of technology, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a principal project 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 project engineers.
1. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
2. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
5. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)
Lemont Furnace, PA • Private
Admissions rate
80%
SAT average
1,067
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
8. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
9. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
10. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
Average principal project engineer salary by education level
| Principal project engineer education level | Principal project engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $157,939 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $129,753 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $96,679 |
Principal project engineer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025