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Senior pre-sales engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior pre-sales engineer. Senior pre-sales engineers usually study computer science, business, or electrical engineering. 75% of senior pre-sales engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 238 real senior pre-sales engineer resumes to see exactly what senior pre-sales engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior pre-sales engineers are the Arizona State University and the Arizona State University.

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

What education do you need to become a senior pre-sales engineer?

What degree do you need to be a senior pre-sales engineer?

The most common degree for senior pre-sales engineers is bachelor's degree, with 75% of senior pre-sales engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 75%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Master's, 8%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a senior pre-sales engineer?

You should major in computer science to become a senior pre-sales engineer. 24% of senior pre-sales engineers major in computer science. Other common majors for a senior pre-sales engineer include business and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for senior pre-sales engineers

Senior pre-sales engineers often get their degrees at Arizona State University, University of South Carolina - Columbia, and Temple University. Here are the most common colleges for senior pre-sales engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Senior pre-sales engineer common collegePercentages
Arizona State University8.57%
University of South Carolina - Columbia5.71%
Temple University5.71%
Boston University5.71%
University of Illinois at Chicago5.71%

Best majors for senior pre-sales engineers

Best colleges for senior pre-sales engineers

The best colleges for senior pre-sales engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A senior pre-sales 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 pre-sales 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 pre-sales 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

20 best online courses for senior pre-sales engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for senior pre-sales engineers

The most affordable schools for senior pre-sales engineers are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for senior pre-sales 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 pre-sales 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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior pre-sales engineers

The hardest universities for senior pre-sales engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for senior pre-sales 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 pre-sales 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,415

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior pre-sales engineers

The easiest schools for senior pre-sales engineers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and nyack college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior pre-sales 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 pre-sales 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. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

4. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average senior pre-sales engineer salary by education level

According to our data, senior pre-sales engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $127,158 annually. Senior pre-sales engineers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $123,369.
Senior pre-sales engineer education levelSenior pre-sales engineer salary
Master's Degree$127,158
High School Diploma or Less$107,711
Bachelor's Degree$123,369
Doctorate Degree$123,369
Some College/ Associate Degree$110,630

Senior pre-sales 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.