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Senior operations engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior operations engineer. Senior operations engineers usually study mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or business. 68% of senior operations engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 948 real senior operations engineer resumes to see exactly what senior operations engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior operations engineers are the Texas A&M; University and the Texas A&M; University.

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

There are certain senior operations engineer certifications that you should consider. These senior operations engineer certifications include Six Sigma Green Belt and Project Management Professional (PMP).

What education do you need to become a senior operations engineer?

What degree do you need to be a senior operations engineer?

The most common degree for senior operations engineers is bachelor's degree, with 68% of senior operations engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 68%
  • Master's, 16%
  • Associate, 11%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a senior operations engineer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a senior operations engineer. 17% of senior operations engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a senior operations engineer include electrical engineering and business.

Most common colleges for senior operations engineers

Senior operations engineers often get their degrees at Texas A&M; University, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for senior operations engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Senior operations engineer common collegePercentages
Texas A&M University11.02%
Pennsylvania State University7.87%
University of Phoenix7.87%
Purdue University6.30%
Texas Tech University5.51%

Best majors for senior operations engineers

Best colleges for senior operations engineers

The best colleges for senior operations engineers are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A senior operations 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 senior operations 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 senior operations engineers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for senior operations engineers

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1. Cloud Operations on AWS

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Operations Management: Supply Chain & Business Processes in Industry for Manufacturing and Services Organizations...

5. Introduction to Hardware and Operating Systems

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6. Navigating Healthcare Supply Chain Operations

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11. Operations Management in small businesses: key techniques

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12. The Operations Management Training Program

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Learn how to design, plan, direct, and improve all the activities that transform resources into goods or services...

13. Desktop IT Support Level 1 & 2 in real life (Troubleshooting

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14. Operations Management: Inventory Management

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Operations Management Training Program (Course 4 of 8)...

15. Continuous Improvement Tools

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Essential Lean Tools and Techniques for Business Process Improvement, Operational Excellence, and Customer Satisfaction...

16. Lean Manufacturing A-Z: Lean Operations Management

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17. IT service operations and Service Desk management

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Improve Service Desk and IT support processes and service functions. Better preparation for the professional exam...

18. Unit Operations in Chemical Engineering

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Learn the most important Unit Operations in Chemical Plants...

19. Operations and Supply Chain Management

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Master Supply Chain Management in Manufacturing and Service Organizations...

20. IT Support Technical Skills Helpdesk

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Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Learners...

Top 10 most affordable universities for senior operations engineers

The most affordable schools for senior operations engineers are California State University - Long Beach, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for senior operations 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 senior operations engineers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior operations engineers

The hardest universities for senior operations engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for senior operations 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 senior operations 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. 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior operations engineers

The easiest schools for senior operations engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, oklahoma wesleyan university, and capitol technology university.

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

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average senior operations engineer salary by education level

According to our data, senior operations engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $126,023 annually. Senior operations engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $121,767.
Senior operations engineer education levelSenior operations engineer salary
Master's Degree$126,023
High School Diploma or Less$109,276
Bachelor's Degree$121,767
Some College/ Associate Degree$110,640

Senior operations 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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