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Quality engineer/process engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a quality engineer/process engineer. Quality engineer/process engineers usually study mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or business. 70% of quality engineer/process engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,490 real quality engineer/process engineer resumes to see exactly what quality engineer/process engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for quality engineer/process engineers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

There are also many online quality engineer/process engineer courses to help get the education required to be a quality engineer/process engineer.

There are certain quality engineer/process engineer certifications that you should consider. These quality engineer/process engineer certifications include Six Sigma Green Belt and Certified Quality Engineer (CQE).

What education do you need to become a quality engineer/process engineer?

What degree do you need to be a quality engineer/process engineer?

The most common degree for quality engineer/process engineers is bachelor's degree, with 70% of quality engineer/process engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Master's, 13%
  • Associate, 12%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a quality engineer/process engineer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a quality engineer/process engineer. 18% of quality engineer/process engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a quality engineer/process engineer include chemical engineering and business.

Most common colleges for quality engineer/process engineers

Quality engineer/process engineers often get their degrees at Purdue University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Here are the most common colleges for quality engineer/process engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Quality engineer/process engineer common collegePercentages
Purdue University12.50%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro9.38%
Rochester Institute of Technology6.77%
Georgia Institute of Technology6.25%
Clemson University6.25%

Best majors for quality engineer/process engineers

Best colleges for quality engineer/process engineers

The best colleges for quality engineer/process engineers are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A quality engineer/process 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 quality engineer/process 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 quality engineer/process 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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

20 best online courses for quality engineer/process engineers

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15. 7 Quality Tools for Quality Management and Improvements.

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A complete Crash Course on the 7 Basic Tools for Quality Management and its Implementation using MS Excel...

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18. Process Capability Analysis

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20. Quality Management for Business Excellence

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Lead Quality Management in the Organization • Transform the Organization to Become the Best-in-Class...

Top 10 most affordable universities for quality engineer/process engineers

The most affordable schools for quality engineer/process engineers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for quality engineer/process 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 quality engineer/process 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. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

9. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for quality engineer/process engineers

The hardest universities for quality engineer/process engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for quality engineer/process 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 quality engineer/process 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for quality engineer/process engineers

The easiest schools for quality engineer/process engineers to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, oklahoma wesleyan university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a quality engineer/process 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 quality engineer/process engineers.

1. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average quality engineer/process engineer salary by education level

According to our data, quality engineer/process engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $82,971 annually. Quality engineer/process engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $75,422.
Quality engineer/process engineer education levelQuality engineer/process engineer salary
Master's Degree$82,971
Bachelor's Degree$75,422
Some College/ Associate Degree$65,386

Quality engineer/process 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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