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Project management engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a project management engineer. Project management engineers usually study mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or civil engineering. 73% of project management engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,255 real project management engineer resumes to see exactly what project management engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for project management engineers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.
There are also many online project management engineer courses to help get the education required to be a project management engineer.
There are certain project management engineer certifications that you should consider. These project management engineer certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Engineer In Training Certification (EIT).
What education do you need to become a project management engineer?
What degree do you need to be a project management engineer?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Master's, 15%
- Associate, 9%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a project management engineer?
- Civil Engineering, 11%
- Business, 10%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for project management engineers
| Project management engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Purdue University | 10.20% |
| University of Houston | 8.16% |
| Villanova University | 6.12% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.12% |
| Texas A&M University | 5.44% |
Best majors for project management engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical Engineering | 22.5% |
| 2 | Electrical Engineering | 15.8% |
| 3 | Civil Engineering | 11.3% |
| 4 | Business | 9.9% |
| 5 | Industrial Engineering | 4.3% |
Best colleges for project management engineers
The best colleges for project management engineers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A project management 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 project management 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 project management 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 project management engineers
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7. IT Project Budget & Cost Management
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8. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers
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9. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery
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10. Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One
Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager...
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Project Management for NEW Project Managers - knowledge, tools, techniques, skills, checklists, guidelines, pitfalls...
13. Construction Project Scheduling
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14. Project Management Training
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16. Project Management: Cost & Schedule Monitoring using EVM
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18. Project Management Fundamentals
Practical Project Management worked example using Gantt Charts, PMI, PMP, APM...
19. Project Management Course: Master Project Scope Management
Practical guide to scope development and management - Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM) Training [Earn 11PDU]...
20. Microsoft Project ADVANCED: Project Management Technics 3PDU
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Top 10 most affordable universities for project management engineers
The most affordable schools for project management engineers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for project management 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 project management 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 project management engineers
The hardest universities for project management engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for project management 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 project management 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 project management engineers
The easiest schools for project management 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 project management 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 project management 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 project management engineer salary by education level
| Project management engineer education level | Project management engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $97,397 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $84,079 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $67,469 |
Project management engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025