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Roller coaster engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a roller coaster engineer. Roller coaster engineers usually study business, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering. 66% of roller coaster engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 63 real roller coaster engineer resumes to see exactly what roller coaster engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for roller coaster engineers are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

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

What education do you need to become a roller coaster engineer?

What degree do you need to be a roller coaster engineer?

The most common degree for roller coaster engineers is bachelor's degree, with 66% of roller coaster engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 66%
  • Master's, 14%
  • High School Diploma, 7%
  • Diploma, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a roller coaster engineer?

You should major in business to become a roller coaster engineer. 13% of roller coaster engineers major in business. Other common majors for a roller coaster engineer include mechanical engineering and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for roller coaster engineers

Roller coaster engineers often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, Bradley University, and Florida State University. Here are the most common colleges for roller coaster engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Roller coaster engineer common collegePercentages
Pennsylvania State University5.00%
Bradley University5.00%
Florida State University5.00%
New York University5.00%
Maine Maritime Academy5.00%

Best majors for roller coaster engineers

Best colleges for roller coaster engineers

The best colleges for roller coaster engineers are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Northeastern University.

A roller coaster 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 roller coaster 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 roller coaster engineers.

1. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

7. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. University of Dayton

Dayton, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$42,900

Enrollment

8,508

20 best online courses for roller coaster engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for roller coaster engineers

The most affordable schools for roller coaster engineers are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for roller coaster 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 roller coaster engineers.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

6. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for roller coaster engineers

The hardest universities for roller coaster engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Northeastern University.

Some great schools for roller coaster 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 roller coaster 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. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

9. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for roller coaster engineers

The easiest schools for roller coaster engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, the university of texas permian basin, and notre dame college.

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

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

7. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

10. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

Average roller coaster engineer salary by education level

According to our data, roller coaster engineers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $129,011 annually. Roller coaster engineers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $109,815.
Roller coaster engineer education levelRoller coaster engineer salary
Master's Degree$109,815
Bachelor's Degree$85,684
Doctorate Degree$129,011

Roller coaster 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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