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Product support engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a product support engineer. Product support engineers usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer science. 66% of product support engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,846 real product support engineer resumes to see exactly what product support engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for product support engineers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain product support engineer certifications that you should consider. These product support engineer certifications include Six Sigma Green Belt and Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma).

What education do you need to become a product support engineer?

What degree do you need to be a product support engineer?

The most common degree for product support engineers is bachelor's degree, with 66% of product support engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 66%
  • Associate, 17%
  • Master's, 10%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a product support engineer?

You should major in electrical engineering to become a product support engineer. 27% of product support engineers major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for a product support engineer include mechanical engineering and computer science.

Most common colleges for product support engineers

Product support engineers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and San Jose State University. Here are the most common colleges for product support engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Product support engineer common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix12.26%
DeVry University11.94%
San Jose State University7.74%
Northeastern University7.10%
Purdue University5.81%

Best majors for product support engineers

Best colleges for product support engineers

The best colleges for product support engineers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A product support 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 product support 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 product support 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 product support engineers

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12. Mechanical design and Product development process

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13. Insightful Customer Interviews for Product Managers

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14. IT & Technical Support Guide to Helpdesk, Desktop & Servers

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Learn how the different levels of IT technical support work, from service desk to infrastructure and server support...

15. Manufacturing Guide for Mechanical Product Development

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16. Comprehensive Product management for Product managers

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17. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners

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18. Product Management Crash Course; IT Product Management

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Product Management Essentials & Product Management Fundamentals to kick-start your career in Product Management...

19. Product and Service Management

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20. Product Management: Mastering Product Roadmaps 2023

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A complete guide to building a roadmap that works for both your product team and your stakeholders...

Top 10 most affordable universities for product support engineers

The most affordable schools for product support engineers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for product support 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 product support 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 product support engineers

The hardest universities for product support engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for product support 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 product support 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 product support engineers

The easiest schools for product support 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 product support 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 product support 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 product support engineer salary by education level

Product support engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $108,176 annually. With a Master's degree, product support engineers earn a median annual income of $100,405 compared to $89,513 for product support engineers with an Bachelor's degree.
Product support engineer education levelProduct support engineer salary
Master's Degree$100,405
Bachelor's Degree$89,513
Doctorate Degree$108,176

Product support engineer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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