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Project designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a project designer. Project designers usually study architecture, interior design, or mechanical engineering. 69% of project designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,088 real project designer resumes to see exactly what project designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for project designers are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
There are also many online project designer courses to help get the education required to be a project designer.
There are certain project designer certifications that you should consider. These project designer certifications include Certified Interior Designer (NCIDQ) and Engineer In Training Certification (EIT).
What education do you need to become a project designer?
What degree do you need to be a project designer?
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Associate, 15%
- Master's, 11%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a project designer?
- Architecture, 22%
- Interior Design, 15%
- Drafting And Design, 10%
- Other Majors, 43%
Most common colleges for project designers
| Project designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 6.61% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.31% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.01% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.01% |
| University of Houston | 6.01% |
Best majors for project designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Architecture | 22.4% |
| 2 | Interior Design | 14.9% |
| 3 | Mechanical Engineering | 9.7% |
| 4 | Drafting And Design | 9.6% |
| 5 | Graphic Design | 6.4% |
Best colleges for project designers
The best colleges for project designers are Cornell University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Yale University.
A project designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for project designers. 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 project designers.
1. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
2. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
3. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
4. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
7. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
8. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
20 best online courses for project designers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for project designers
The most affordable schools for project designers are University of Florida, florida international university, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for project designers 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 project designers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
8. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for project designers
The hardest universities for project designers to get into are Cornell University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Yale University.
Some great schools for project designers 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 project designers 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. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
2. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
3. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for project designers
The easiest schools for project designers to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, notre dame de namur university, and la roche college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a project designer 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 project designers.
1. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
4. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
5. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
6. Lamar University
Beaumont, TX • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,043
7. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
8. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
9. Portland State University
Portland, OR • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,111
10. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
Average project designer salary by education level
| Project designer education level | Project designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $70,735 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $66,784 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $60,308 |
Project designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025