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Quality control technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a quality control technician. Quality control technicians usually study biology, business, or chemistry. 52% of quality control technicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 23,023 real quality control technician resumes to see exactly what quality control technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for quality control technicians are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online quality control technician courses to help get the education required to be a quality control technician.

There are certain quality control technician certifications that you should consider. These quality control technician certifications include Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) and OSHA Safety Certificate .

What education do you need to become a quality control technician?

What degree do you need to be a quality control technician?

The most common degree for quality control technicians is bachelor's degree, with 52% of quality control technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 22% and associate degree degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 52%
  • Associate, 22%
  • High School Diploma, 14%
  • Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a quality control technician?

You should major in biology to become a quality control technician. 21% of quality control technicians major in biology. Other common majors for a quality control technician include business and chemistry.

Most common colleges for quality control technicians

Quality control technicians often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Pennsylvania State University, and University of California - Davis. Here are the most common colleges for quality control technicians in the US based on their resumes.
Quality control technician common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix12.24%
Pennsylvania State University7.36%
University of California - Davis5.97%
University of California, Santa Barbara5.77%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro5.47%

Best majors for quality control technicians

RankMajorPercentages
1Biology20.7%
2Business15.3%
3Chemistry14.7%
4Electrical Engineering6.5%
5General Studies4.1%

Best colleges for quality control technicians

The best colleges for quality control technicians are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A quality control technician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for quality control technicians. 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 quality control technicians.

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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

8. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

9. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

20 best online courses for quality control technicians

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Top 10 most affordable universities for quality control technicians

The most affordable schools for quality control technicians are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for quality control technicians 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 quality control technicians.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

6. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for quality control technicians

The hardest universities for quality control technicians to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for quality control technicians 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 quality control technicians 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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for quality control technicians

The easiest schools for quality control technicians to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a quality control technician 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 quality control technicians.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

6. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

9. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

10. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

Average quality control technician salary by education level

According to our data, quality control technicians with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $43,131 annually. Quality control technicians with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $41,989.
Quality control technician education levelQuality control technician salary
Master's Degree$43,131
High School Diploma or Less$40,155
Bachelor's Degree$41,524
Some College/ Associate Degree$41,989

Quality control technician 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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