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Research engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a research engineer. Research engineers usually study mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or chemical engineering. 65% of research engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 6,303 real research engineer resumes to see exactly what research engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for research engineers are the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
There are also many online research engineer courses to help get the education required to be a research engineer.
There are certain research engineer certifications that you should consider. These research engineer certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Certified Chemical Engineer (CCE).
What education do you need to become a research engineer?
What degree do you need to be a research engineer?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Master's, 23%
- Doctorate, 9%
- Associate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a research engineer?
- Chemical Engineering, 14%
- Other Majors, 41%
Most common colleges for research engineers
| Research engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Georgia Institute of Technology | 10.60% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 6.49% |
| Texas A&M University | 5.96% |
| Purdue University | 5.83% |
| National University | 5.56% |
Best majors for research engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical Engineering | 21.3% |
| 2 | Electrical Engineering | 17.5% |
| 3 | Chemical Engineering | 14.1% |
| 4 | Biomedical Engineering | 5.9% |
| 5 | Physics | 5.4% |
Best colleges for research engineers
The best colleges for research engineers are Northwestern University, California Institute of Technology, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A research 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 research 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 research engineers.
1. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
3. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
8. Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,646
Enrollment
5,736
9. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
20 best online courses for research engineers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for research engineers
The most affordable schools for research engineers are California State University - Long Beach, university of florida, and florida state university.
If the best universities for research 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 research engineers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
4. 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
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for research engineers
The hardest universities for research engineers to get into are Northwestern University, California Institute of Technology, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for research 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 research 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. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
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. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,545
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for research engineers
The easiest schools for research engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, cleveland state university, and purdue university fort wayne.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a research 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 research engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
3. Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,080
4. Washington State University
Pullman, WA • Private
Admissions rate
77%
SAT average
1,123
5. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,093
6. Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
1,086
7. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
8. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
9. Widener University
Chester, PA • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,115
10. Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,111
Average research engineer salary by education level
| Research engineer education level | Research engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $110,069 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $95,824 |
| Doctorate Degree | $120,432 |
Research engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025