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Process safety engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a process safety engineer. Process safety engineers usually study chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, or business. 73% of process safety engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 336 real process safety engineer resumes to see exactly what process safety engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for process safety engineers are the University of Houston and the University of Houston.
There are also many online process safety engineer courses to help get the education required to be a process safety engineer.
There are certain process safety engineer certifications that you should consider. These process safety engineer certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Certified Chemical Engineer (CCE).
What education do you need to become a process safety engineer?
What degree do you need to be a process safety engineer?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Master's, 14%
- Associate, 4%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a process safety engineer?
- Chemical Engineering, 59%
- Business, 6%
- Chemistry, 4%
- Other Majors, 24%
Most common colleges for process safety engineers
| Process safety engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Houston | 11.11% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 9.72% |
| Texas A&M University | 8.33% |
| Purdue University | 6.94% |
| University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus | 5.56% |
Best majors for process safety engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chemical Engineering | 58.6% |
| 2 | Mechanical Engineering | 7.4% |
| 3 | Business | 6.0% |
| 4 | Chemistry | 4.2% |
| 5 | Electrical Engineering | 3.7% |
Best colleges for process safety engineers
The best colleges for process safety engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A process safety 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 process safety 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 process safety engineers.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,530
Enrollment
4,571
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
20 best online courses for process safety engineers
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4. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System
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OSHA's General, Construction, and Maritime Industries Hazard Prevention and Safety Standard...
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Learn the requirements and standards associated with OSHA and workplace safety. Safety best practices for the workplace...
10. ISO 45001. Occupational health & safety management system
Upgrate your health and safety career by understanding the requriements for an OH & S management system from ISO 45001...
11. Refresher course of Safety Management Systems
A quick overview for aviation managers and safety professionals about basic concepts and philosophy of SMS...
12. Functional Safety for Safety Instrumented Systems
The most complete course available on Functional Safety. 2+ hours of videos, case studies, assignments, & more...
13. OSHA Safety Pro: Trenching Excavation & Soil Mechanics
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16. Food Safety for Managers and Supervisors
The Highfield Food Safety Level 3 syllabus presented in two hours of video tutorials. Boost your food safety knowledge...
17. Occupational Health & Safety Training
Workplace Health and Safety Course For Employees & Managers...
18. Advanced Process Control & Safety Instrumented Systems SIS
Learn how the main process equipment such as chemical reactors , pumps , compressors & heat exchangers are controlled...
19. Complete Health and Safety Auditor Course. OHSAS 18001.
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20. Fire Safety: Become A Fire Safety Expert
Become an expert in Fire Safety, Fire Hazards Control, Fire Evacuation Plans, and Fire Risk Assessment...
Top 10 most affordable universities for process safety engineers
The most affordable schools for process safety engineers are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for process safety 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 process safety engineers.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
8. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. 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
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for process safety engineers
The hardest universities for process safety engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for process safety 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 process safety 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
9. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for process safety engineers
The easiest schools for process safety engineers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a process safety 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 process safety engineers.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
6. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
7. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
8. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
9. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average process safety engineer salary by education level
| Process safety engineer education level | Process safety engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $105,097 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $88,925 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $69,530 |
Process safety 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