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Senior engineer/scientist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a senior engineer/scientist. Senior engineers/scientist usually study electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or chemical engineering. 62% of senior engineers/scientist hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 378 real senior engineer/scientist resumes to see exactly what senior engineer/scientist education sections show.
The most common colleges for senior engineers/scientist are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
There are also many online senior engineer/scientist courses to help get the education required to be a senior engineer/scientist.
There are certain senior engineer/scientist certifications that you should consider. These senior engineer/scientist certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Engineer In Training Certification (EIT).
What education do you need to become a senior engineer/scientist?
What degree do you need to be a senior engineer/scientist?
- Bachelor's, 62%
- Master's, 18%
- Doctorate, 14%
- Associate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a senior engineer/scientist?
- Physics, 7%
- Other Majors, 48%
Most common colleges for senior engineers/scientist
| Senior engineer/scientist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 8.82% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 8.82% |
| Brigham Young University | 5.88% |
| University of Texas at Austin | 5.88% |
| Florida State University | 5.88% |
Best majors for senior engineers/scientist
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Engineering | 24.1% |
| 2 | Mechanical Engineering | 14.3% |
| 3 | Chemical Engineering | 7.2% |
| 4 | Physics | 6.8% |
| 5 | Chemistry | 5.9% |
Best colleges for senior engineers/scientist
The best colleges for senior engineers/scientist are Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, and California Institute of Technology.
A senior engineer/scientist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for senior engineers/scientist. 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 senior engineers/scientist.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
4. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
8. Rice University
Houston, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$47,350
Enrollment
3,962
9. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$53,391
Enrollment
8,568
10. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Enrollment
24,841
20 best online courses for senior engineers/scientist
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6. Requirements Engineering: Software Engineering
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8. Control Systems: From Mathematical Modelling to PID Control
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9. Railway Systems Engineering (Equivalent to Micro MSc )
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15. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System
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16. ISO 45001. Occupational health & safety management system
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17. Microsoft Excel for Scientists and Engineers
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18. Complete Field Instrumentation Engineering Course
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19. Internal Combustion Engine Basics (Mechanical Engineering)
Learn how internal combustion engines work! Learn all of a combustion engine's main components and how they work!...
20. Model a Car and Design a PID Controller in MATLAB/SIMULINK
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Top 10 most affordable universities for senior engineers/scientist
The most affordable schools for senior engineers/scientist are California State University - Long Beach, university of florida, and california state polytechnic university, pomona.
If the best universities for senior engineers/scientist 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 senior engineers/scientist.
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. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Cost of attendance
13,508
6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
7. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,368
Cost of attendance
21,034
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior engineers/scientist
The hardest universities for senior engineers/scientist to get into are Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, and California Institute of Technology.
Some great schools for senior engineers/scientist 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 senior engineers/scientist 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,545
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
6. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
Admissions rate
18%
SAT average
1,502
7. Rice University
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
9. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior engineers/scientist
The easiest schools for senior engineers/scientist to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, capitol technology university, and pennsylvania state university - berks.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior engineer/scientist 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 senior engineers/scientist.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
3. Pennsylvania State University - Berks
Reading, PA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,107
4. Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,080
5. Alabama A & M University
Normal, AL • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
957
6. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
7. South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,149
8. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,068
9. Wichita State University
Wichita, KS • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,152
10. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona
Altoona, PA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,094
Average senior engineer/scientist salary by education level
| Senior engineer/scientist education level | Senior engineer/scientist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $112,927 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $105,650 |
| Doctorate Degree | $117,280 |
Senior engineer/scientist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025