Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Principle engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a principle engineer. Principle engineers usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer science. 67% of principle engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 790 real principle engineer resumes to see exactly what principle engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for principle engineers are the University of Southern California and the University of Southern California.
There are also many online principle engineer courses to help get the education required to be a principle engineer.
What education do you need to become a principle engineer?
What degree do you need to be a principle engineer?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Master's, 17%
- Associate, 8%
- Doctorate, 5%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a principle engineer?
- Computer Science, 12%
- Business, 5%
- Other Majors, 38%
Most common colleges for principle engineers
| Principle engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Southern California | 6.80% |
| Northeastern University | 6.80% |
| Purdue University | 6.80% |
| Auburn University Main Campus | 5.83% |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 5.83% |
Best majors for principle engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Engineering | 29.8% |
| 2 | Mechanical Engineering | 15.0% |
| 3 | Computer Science | 12.2% |
| 4 | Business | 4.7% |
| 5 | Computer Engineering | 4.3% |
Best colleges for principle engineers
The best colleges for principle engineers are Northwestern University, California Institute of Technology, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A principle 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 principle 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 principle engineers.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
2. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
8. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
9. Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,646
Enrollment
5,736
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
20 best online courses for principle engineers
Advertising disclosure
1. Introduction to FPGA Design for Embedded Systems
This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5360, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. Programmable Logic has become more and more common as a core technology used to build electronic systems. By integrating soft-core or hardcore processors, these devices have become complete systems on a chip, steadily displacing general purpose processors and ASICs. In particular, high performance systems are now almost always implemented with FPGAs. This...
2. FPGA Design for Embedded Systems
The objective of this course is to acquire proficiency with Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA)s for the purpose of creating prototypes or products for a variety of applications. Although FPGA design can be a complex topic, we will introduce it so that, with a little bit of effort, the basic concepts will be easily learned, while also providing a challenge for the more experienced designer. We will explore complexities, capabilities and trends of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) and...
3. Software Architecture & System Design Practical Case Studies
Design Real-life Large Scale Systems, Practice Modern Software Architecture & Prepare for a System Design Interview...
4. Solid Principles (2023) for Software Design & Architecture
Master SOLID Principles of software design and software Architecture and write clean code in C# object oriented design...
5. The Need for Systems Engineering
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach to designing, realizing, and managing complex systems. In this course, you will be introduced to principles of systems engineering and its importance to the development of complex systems. You will learn to identify and define systems, manage their complexity, and describe their life cycle. The course uses real-world engineering examples to address how the systems engineering approach can address challenges. This course can be taken for...
6. Design Microservices Architecture with Patterns & Principles
Evolve from Monolithic to Event-driven Microservices Architecture with designing High Scalable and High Available system...
7. Software Architecture & Design of Modern Large Scale Systems
Become a Software Architect or Technical Lead by Mastering Software Architecture, System Design & Big Data Processing...
8. Product Development & Systems Engineering
The complete Product Development & Systems Engineering course! Earn 25 contact hours AND prepare to take the INCOSE Exam...
9. Software Architecture: Meta and SOLID Principles in C#
Learn how to develop maintainable software systems applying Design Patterns based on Meta and SOLID Principles...
10. Electrical Power Engineering Principles
Learn all the basic theories and principles of electrical engineering...
11. Control Systems: From Mathematical Modelling to PID Control
Learn the mathematics that will allow you to model and control any engineering system. Make machines do what you want!...
12. System Design Interview Guide for Software Architecture
Mastering High Level System Design Interview Software Architecture case studies Design patterns Microservices...
13. Rocking System Design
Learn system design, from building blocks to complex architectures for interviews and real world projects...
14. SOLID Principles: Introducing Software Architecture & Design
Gain mastery over SOLID Principles and write clean and well-designed code in Object Oriented Languages like Java etc...
15. SOLID Principles of Object-Oriented Design and Architecture
Master SOLID principles and deep dive into advanced topics in software architecture...
16. Linux System Programming using C and C++(Practical Approach)
Practical approach to Linux c-system programming for fork, thread, semaphore IPC, etc...
17. Mastering the System Design Interview
Insider tips for your system design interview from a former Amazon hiring manager – plus 6 mock interviews for practice!...
18. Pragmatic System Design
Master System Design Interviews: Learn Practical Approaches and Boost Your Career...
19. System Design using Verilog
FPGA Based Design...
20. TCP/IP Training Video A Definitive & Easy To Follow Course
Essential TCP/IP Training Course For Professionals Who Manages Servers, Networks Or Any Other Network Connected Device...
Top 10 most affordable universities for principle engineers
The most affordable schools for principle engineers are California State University - Long Beach, brigham young university, and california state university - los angeles.
If the best universities for principle 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 principle 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. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
4. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
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 principle engineers
The hardest universities for principle engineers to get into are Northwestern University, California Institute of Technology, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for principle 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 principle 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for principle engineers
The easiest schools for principle engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, san francisco state university, and texas a&m; university - kingsville.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a principle 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 principle engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
3. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
4. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
5. Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
1,086
6. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
7. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
8. Portland State University
Portland, OR • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,111
9. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
10. Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,080
Average principle engineer salary by education level
| Principle engineer education level | Principle engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $140,946 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $124,868 |
| Doctorate Degree | $152,477 |
Principle engineer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
Search for principle engineer jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025