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Requirements engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a requirements engineer. Requirements engineers usually study electrical engineering, business, or mechanical engineering. 64% of requirements engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 226 real requirements engineer resumes to see exactly what requirements engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for requirements engineers are the Wayne State University and the Wayne State University.
There are also many online requirements engineer courses to help get the education required to be a requirements engineer.
What education do you need to become a requirements engineer?
What degree do you need to be a requirements engineer?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Master's, 24%
- Associate, 6%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a requirements engineer?
- Business, 11%
- Computer Science, 8%
- Other Majors, 50%
Most common colleges for requirements engineers
| Requirements engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Wayne State University | 10.20% |
| Johns Hopkins University | 10.20% |
| George Mason University | 10.20% |
| Michigan Technological University | 4.08% |
| University of Connecticut | 4.08% |
Best majors for requirements engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Engineering | 21.3% |
| 2 | Business | 11.0% |
| 3 | Mechanical Engineering | 9.6% |
| 4 | Computer Science | 8.1% |
| 5 | Management Information Systems | 6.6% |
Best colleges for requirements engineers
The best colleges for requirements engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A requirements 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 requirements 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 requirements engineers.
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. Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$3,926
Enrollment
9,835
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
20 best online courses for requirements engineers
Advertising disclosure
1. Software Engineering Immersive (Full-time)
Meet the global demand for technical problem-solvers by developing your coding skills to create full-stack web applications across multiple frameworks, incorporating functionality from third-party APIs, executing software engineering projects in an Agile development workflow, and more...
2. Data Science Immersive (Full-time)
Harness the power of data science to solve the world’s most challenging problems by developing your skills in predictive modeling, pattern recognition, data visualization, wrangling massive data sets, forecasting trends, and informing strategy across diverse industries like public policy, robotics, and FinTech...
3. Programming for Data Science with R
Prepare for a data science career by learning the fundamental data programming tools: R, SQL, command line, and git...
4. Full Stack Web Developer
Design and develop modern web applications.Students will also learn how to deploy a Flask-based web application to the cloud using Docker and Kubernetes...
5. Requirements Engineering: Secure Software Specifications
This specialization is intended for software engineers, development and product managers, testers, QA analysts, product analysts, tech writers, and security engineers. Even if you have experience in the requirements realm, this course will expand your knowledge to include new viewpoints, development styles, techniques and tools.\n\nFor anyone seeking a graduate degree, certificate, or professional degree in computer science, these courses will additionally give you a broad understanding of how...
6. Requirements Writing
Welcome to "Requirements Writing". As the title indicates, over the next four weeks, we will be looking at the important task of writing of text-based requirement statements. The course takes you step by step through the rules for writing requirements statements in accordance with the "Guide for Writing Requirements" published by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). This course welcomes anyone who wants to find out how to write requirements. It is relevant to anyone in...
7. Requirements Engineering: Software Engineering
Everything you need to know about software requirements: elicitation, analysis, documentation, validation and management...
8. Business Analysis: Functional & Non-Functional Requirements
Simple Requirements Decomposition / Drill-Down Techniques for Defining Product Behaviors and Qualities (Now with AI)...
9. Data Science (Part Time)
Create robust predictive models with statistics and Python programming. Build confidence and credibility to tackle complex machine learning problems on the job. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
10. Python Programming (Part Time)
Gain fluency in Python — the world's fastest-growing major programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build web and data science applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
11. Android Kotlin Developer
Master Android app development with Kotlin, a modern programming language that enables developers to be more concise and productive. Build professional apps for the world's most popular mobile platform using Android Studio and Kotlin...
12. Artificial Intelligence for Trading
Complete real-world projects designed by industry experts, covering topics from asset management to trading signal generation. Master AI algorithms for trading, and build your career-ready portfolio...
13. Requirements Gathering for Secure Software Development
In Software Requirements Elicitation for Secure Software Development, we're going to discuss the overall software requirements process as it applies in waterfall, spiral, and agile models. You'll learn about each of these processes and your goals as a software requirements analyst. This is not an easy task! Who do you talk to, when, and what kind of knowledge are you trying to obtain, in any software life cycle? How do you handle obstacles as you go? These are the questions we will focus on...
14. Business Analysis: Developing Requirements
Master the methods involved in planning and gathering requirements and framing input into requirements documents...
15. Agile Business Analysis: Getting / Writing Lean Requirements
How to Discover Requirements, User Stories, Features, and Gherkin (G-W-T) Tests - Now with Chat GPT!...
16. Front-End Web Development (Part Time)
Start building responsive websites with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — a versatile skill set with powerful applications in a variety of design, marketing, and other tech-adjacent roles. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
17. JavaScript Development (Part Time)
Gain fluency in JavaScript — the world's most popular programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build rich, interactive websites and applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
18. Data Engineer
Learn to design data models, build data warehouses and data lakes, automate data pipelines, and work with massive datasets...
19. iOS Developer
Master the Swift programming language, and create a portfolio of iOS apps for iPhone and iPad to showcase your skills!...
20. Product Management+Agile Requirements using Product Backlog
Learn to manage requirements as professional scrum product owner using user stories ( Business Analysis ,Scrum Master)...
Top 10 most affordable universities for requirements engineers
The most affordable schools for requirements engineers are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for requirements 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 requirements engineers.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
5. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. 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
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for requirements engineers
The hardest universities for requirements engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for requirements 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 requirements 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. 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. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for requirements engineers
The easiest schools for requirements engineers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and oregon institute of technology.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a requirements 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 requirements engineers.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
4. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
5. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
6. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
7. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
8. Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,072
9. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
10. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
Average requirements engineer salary by education level
| Requirements engineer education level | Requirements engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $93,570 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $85,321 |
| Doctorate Degree | $101,978 |
Requirements engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025