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Rehabilitation engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a rehabilitation engineer. Rehabilitation engineers usually study mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, or civil engineering. 66% of rehabilitation engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 46 real rehabilitation engineer resumes to see exactly what rehabilitation engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for rehabilitation engineers are the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

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

What education do you need to become a rehabilitation engineer?

What degree do you need to be a rehabilitation engineer?

The most common degree for rehabilitation engineers is bachelor's degree, with 66% of rehabilitation engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 66%
  • Master's, 11%
  • Diploma, 9%
  • Doctorate, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a rehabilitation engineer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a rehabilitation engineer. 15% of rehabilitation engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a rehabilitation engineer include biomedical engineering and civil engineering.

Most common colleges for rehabilitation engineers

Rehabilitation engineers often get their degrees at University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Wright State University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Here are the most common colleges for rehabilitation engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Rehabilitation engineer common collegePercentages
University of North Carolina at Greensboro12.00%
Wright State University12.00%
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University8.00%
Lebanon Valley College4.00%
Florida State University4.00%

Best majors for rehabilitation engineers

Best colleges for rehabilitation engineers

The best colleges for rehabilitation engineers are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A rehabilitation 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 rehabilitation 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 rehabilitation engineers.

1. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

3. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

6. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Enrollment

32,072

20 best online courses for rehabilitation engineers

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5. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

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COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...

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9. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

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Top 10 most affordable universities for rehabilitation engineers

The most affordable schools for rehabilitation engineers are University of Florida, florida state university, and florida international university.

If the best universities for rehabilitation 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 rehabilitation engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for rehabilitation engineers

The hardest universities for rehabilitation engineers to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for rehabilitation 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 rehabilitation 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for rehabilitation engineers

The easiest schools for rehabilitation engineers to get into are AdventHealth University, notre dame de namur university, and d'youville college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a rehabilitation 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 rehabilitation engineers.

1. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

5. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

10. Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,093

Average rehabilitation engineer salary by education level

According to our data, rehabilitation engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $43,203 annually. Rehabilitation engineers with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $39,652.
Rehabilitation engineer education levelRehabilitation engineer salary
Master's Degree$43,203
Bachelor's Degree$37,028
Some College/ Associate Degree$39,652

Rehabilitation 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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