Do you need a degree to be a quality engineer?

Yes, you typically need a degree to be a quality engineer. Quality engineers usually study mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or industrial engineering. The higher the degree, the more pay you may be offered. A master's degree can make an average salary of about $90,000 compared to a bachelor's degree that makes about $81,000.

Is a quality engineer a real engineer?

Yes, a quality engineer is a real engineer. There is the misconception that quality engineers are simply inspecting products to see if it works or not. However, quality engineers do more than just check work.

Is quality engineering a good career?

Yes, quality engineering is typically a good career. This evaluation is due to its high salary range and general demand for employment. A quality engineer usually makes about $74,328 a year or $35.73 per hour. As most jobs go, location, industry, and experience can factor into your salary.

How To Become A Quality Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a quality engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Quality engineers are individuals responsible for ensuring that products and services meet specific standards of quality. They typically hold a degree in engineering or a related field, and work with design teams to develop and implement quality control procedures, including testing, inspection, and documentation. They must have strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate effectively with team members and clients.

What general advice would you give to a quality engineer?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.

ScoreQuality EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.2

Avg. Salary $79,672

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 13.91%

Black or African American 4.68%

Hispanic or Latino 11.51%

Unknown 3.94%

White 65.79%

Gender

female 21.81%

male 78.19%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a quality engineer?

Pros

High demand for quality engineers in various industries
Ability to improve processes and make a positive impact on product quality
Opportunity to work with cross-functional teams
Exposure to different manufacturing processes and technologies
Chance to travel for work or attend conferences and training sessions

Cons

High pressure to meet deadlines and deliver quality products
Responsibility for product recalls or failures can be stressful
Need to stay up-to-date with changing regulations and standards
Can be repetitive work, especially in a large manufacturing setting
Can involve conflict resolution between departments or suppliers

Key steps to become a quality engineer

Explore quality engineer education requirements

Most common quality engineer degrees

Bachelor's

70.3 %

Associate

13.0 %

Master's

12.7 %

Start to develop specific quality engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Corrective Action	6.70%
Continuous Improvement	5.95%
ISO	5.35%
Quality Standards	4.80%
Sigma	4.27%

Complete relevant quality engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New quality engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a quality engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real quality engineer resumes.

Research quality engineer duties and responsibilities

Lead internal and customer 8D iniatives using the 6-Sigma DMAIC approach to problem solving.
Manage and develop QA lab personnel, ensuring reliable food safety and manufacturing quality support.
Give guidance to Apple/Asian SQE's and supplier QA, insuring that all quality requirements are being addressed and achieve.
Lead interdisciplinary teams in addressing and resolving problems utilizing Kaizen event , 8D, and 5-why to arrive at root cause.

Prepare your quality engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your quality engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a quality engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable quality engineer resume templates

Build a professional quality engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your quality engineer resume.

Apply for quality engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a quality engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first quality engineer job

Greg Burgess

Quality Engineer

I began my healthcare career by earning my Masters in Public Health, specializing in Environmental Health and Infectious Disease Control at the University of Minnesota. I earned honors in my major. I earned my Master's degree while working as a student hire for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a student hire Quarantine Public Health Officer for two years. I was not converted as when I graduated as there was the transfer of power from George W Bush To Barack Obama as president and Obama put on a hiring freeze when he entered office in 2010.

I worked many odd jobs between 2010 and 2021: US Post Office as a carrier, School Bus Driver, Teaching Assistant for a Behavioral Health clinic for adolescent individuals with behavioral issues, Homeward Bound Homeless Shelter as a counsellor, amongst other job positions.

In 2021 I applied for and was accepted as the Operations Supervisor position with Gauss Surgical, a medical device tech start up that created an Artificial Intelligence algorithm that helps nursing staff determine patient blood loss in Labor and Delivery using the iPhone and iPad cameras. I was in charge of manufacturing the supplemental medical devices that accompanied the iPhone and iPads as well as shipping out iPhones and iPads along with inserts and scanning labels to the customers and replacing broken or malfunctioning equipment as needed. This was where I was introduced to a medical device Quality Management System and was in charge of inspecting parts for defects before entering them into the active system.

While working for Gauss Surgical, Stryker merged with Gauss and I applied for and was accepted as a Quality Engineer to continue training and testing the Gauss Algorithm on Stryker products. I was also made the lab equipment manager and work to enter and maintain the lab equipment in the Stryker Quality Management System. I make sure the equipment is calibrated and the documentation of the preventative maintenance required for the equipment is performed and monitored. I also purchase new equipment and work to enter such equipment into the Stryker QMS system. Finally I help write protocols for the Verification and Validation of any new Stryker materials used by the Gauss algorithm as well as execute the data collection for the Artificial Intelligence algorithm.

That, so far, is my journey as a Quality Engineer.

How do quality engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Quality engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2021

Pros

Defined Quality test procedure validated test components and planned integration tests for leading parts manufacture for industry. • Prepares and maintained important company quality control documentations such as quality manuals quality procedure, quality standards and quality assurance • Prepared the final inspection report before the dispatched for the machining process • Resolved machining department complaints, took preventive measure to prevent future complaints and clearly, documented all feedback, Mechanical Engineer for Third Party Inspection jobs in Baroda • Typically deals with several problems of the same time

Cons

Yes

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Cons

Undone job, when we're unable to discover certain fault on time.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019

Cons

HR compliance and accounting auditing , quarterly budgeting rather than Annual as previously accepted. Wallstreet insistence on more frequent projections

What is a quality engineer and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a quality engineer?

What are the pros and cons of being a quality engineer?

Quality engineer career paths

Key steps to become a quality engineer

Explore quality engineer education requirements

Most common quality engineer degrees

Start to develop specific quality engineer skills

Complete relevant quality engineer training and internships

Research quality engineer duties and responsibilities

Prepare your quality engineer resume

Choose from 10+ customizable quality engineer resume templates

Apply for quality engineer jobs

How did you land your first quality engineer job

Average quality engineer salary

How do quality engineers rate their job?

Quality engineer reviews

Quality engineer FAQs

Do you need a degree to be a quality engineer?

Is a quality engineer a real engineer?

Is quality engineering a good career?

Search for quality engineer jobs

Quality engineer jobs by state