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Senior production engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior production engineer. Senior production engineers usually study mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or petroleum engineering. 78% of senior production engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 761 real senior production engineer resumes to see exactly what senior production engineer education sections show.

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

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

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

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

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

The most common degree for senior production engineers is bachelor's degree, with 78% of senior production engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 10% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 78%
  • Master's, 10%
  • Associate, 8%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

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

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a senior production engineer. 19% of senior production engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a senior production engineer include chemical engineering and petroleum engineering.

Most common colleges for senior production engineers

Senior production engineers often get their degrees at Texas A&M; University, Pennsylvania State University, and Mississippi State University. Here are the most common colleges for senior production engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Senior production engineer common collegePercentages
Texas A&M University12.28%
Pennsylvania State University10.53%
Mississippi State University7.89%
Texas Tech University7.02%
Louisiana State University and A&M College5.26%

Best majors for senior production engineers

Best colleges for senior production engineers

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

A senior production 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 production 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 production 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for senior production engineers

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1. Engineering and Product Design Processes

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Welcome to “Engineering and Product Design Processes!” In this short course, you will learn how engineering design processes and product design processes are carried out. After the course, you will be familiar with the steps in both design processes. You will also be familiar with the main goal of each design process, as well as their similarities and differences...

2. Machine Learning Engineering for Production (MLOps)

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Understanding machine learning and deep learning concepts is essential, but if you’re looking to build an effective AI career, you need production engineering capabilities as well.\n\nEffectively deploying machine learning models requires competencies more commonly found in technical fields such as software engineering and DevOps. Machine learning engineering for production combines the foundational concepts of machine learning with the functional expertise of modern software development and...

3. Product Development & Systems Engineering

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4.6
(3,086)

The complete Product Development & Systems Engineering course! Earn 25 contact hours AND prepare to take the INCOSE Exam...

4. Mechanical design and Product development process

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4.2
(604)

Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...

5. Great Product Manager: Product Management by a Big Tech's PM

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(2,976)

Become a Great Product Manager! Land your dream job with Big Tech's Senior Product Manager...

6. Product Management Crash Course; IT Product Management

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4.4
(593)

Product Management Essentials & Product Management Fundamentals to kick-start your career in Product Management...

7. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners

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4.5
(1,111)

Application of product design management principles, concepts, tools and techniques in agile product management...

8. Product Management Fundamentals

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4.4
(4,918)

Case-based practical course on product management to build strong foundations in product concepts, process & frameworks...

9. Technical Product Management: learn on 4 real industry cases

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Boost your technicality (as a PM) or tech product skills (as an engineer) to grow in your current role...

10. Comprehensive Product management for Product managers

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11. Product Management Marketing: Dekker's Product Marketing MBA

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12. The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)

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13. Introduction Agile & Scrum for Product Owners

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14. Get Hired as a Product Manager Applying & Interviewing

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15. The Product Management for AI & Data Science Course

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The Complete Course for Becoming a Successful Product Manager in the Field of AI & Data Science...

16. Product Management: Mastering Product Roadmaps 2023

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4.5
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A complete guide to building a roadmap that works for both your product team and your stakeholders...

17. Product Management+Agile Requirements using Product Backlog

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4
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Learn to manage requirements as professional scrum product owner using user stories ( Business Analysis ,Scrum Master)...

18. Manufacturing Guide for Mechanical Product Development

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4.9
(491)

Learn how everyday physical products are manufactured with no prior experience in engineering...

19. Productivity and Time Management Masterclass

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4.5
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The Productivity Course: You = Super Productive. Daily Routines. Organization. Time Management. Task Management...

20. Product Management for Absolute Beginners

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Master the Frameworks used by the best Product Managers to Make Great Product Decisions...

Top 10 most affordable universities for senior production engineers

The most affordable schools for senior production engineers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for senior production 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 production engineers.

1. United States Merchant Marine Academy

Kings Point, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$1,080

Cost of attendance

6,646

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. 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

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

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 senior production engineers

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

Some great schools for senior production 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 production 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

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

The easiest schools for senior production engineers to get into are The University of Texas Permian Basin, texas a&m; university - kingsville, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

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

1. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

2. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average senior production engineer salary by education level

According to our data, senior production engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $134,199 annually. Senior production engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $119,335.
Senior production engineer education levelSenior production engineer salary
Master's Degree$134,199
Bachelor's Degree$119,335
Some College/ Associate Degree$100,106

Senior production 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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