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Sewage plant operator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a sewage plant operator. Sewage plant operators usually study business, environmental control technologies/technicians, or mechanical engineering. 33% of sewage plant operators hold a bachelor's degree, and 29% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 57 real sewage plant operator resumes to see exactly what sewage plant operator education sections show.

The most common colleges for sewage plant operators are the Henry Ford College and the Henry Ford College.

There are also many online sewage plant operator courses to help get the education required to be a sewage plant operator.

What education do you need to become a sewage plant operator?

What degree do you need to be a sewage plant operator?

The most common degree for sewage plant operators is bachelor's degree, with 33% of sewage plant operators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 29% and high school diploma degree at 21%.
  • Bachelor's, 33%
  • High School Diploma, 29%
  • Associate, 21%
  • Master's, 17%

What should I major in to become a sewage plant operator?

You should major in business to become a sewage plant operator. 14% of sewage plant operators major in business. Other common majors for a sewage plant operator include environmental control technologies/technicians and mechanical engineering.

Most common colleges for sewage plant operators

Sewage plant operators often get their degrees at Henry Ford College, University of Detroit Mercy, and California University of Pennsylvania. Here are the most common colleges for sewage plant operators in the US based on their resumes.
Sewage plant operator common collegePercentages
Henry Ford College23.08%
University of Detroit Mercy15.38%
California University of Pennsylvania15.38%
Saint Louis University7.69%
University of Miami7.69%

Best majors for sewage plant operators

Best colleges for sewage plant operators

The best colleges for sewage plant operators are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Duke University.

A sewage plant operator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for sewage plant operators. 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 sewage plant operators.

1. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$53,880

Enrollment

6,590

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

4. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Lafayette, LA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,912

Enrollment

14,245

5. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

7. Sacred Heart University

Fairfield, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$41,420

Enrollment

5,907

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

10. Siena Heights University

Adrian, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$27,124

Enrollment

2,035

20 best online courses for sewage plant operators

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1. Plant Bioinformatics Capstone

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The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger. In Plant Bioinformatics on Coursera.org, we covered 33 plant-specific...

2. Plant Bioinformatics

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The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse. For instance, knowing where and when a gene is expressed can help us narrow down the...

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4. Design of Water Treatment Systems for Beginners

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5. Plant Bioinformatic Methods

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The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger.The Plant Bioinformatics Specialization on Coursera introduces core...

6. Curanderismo: Traditional Healing Using Plants

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COURSE DESCRIPTION As one of four courses on Curanderismo, the art of Hispanic/Latino traditional medicine, this course focuses specifically on the use of plants in traditional healing. As an educational and cultural platform, this course will share the history, influences, and contributions of traditional medicine. Trained traditional healers will share their knowledge of the healing properties of plants commonly found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico through practical applications...

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9. Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows

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For centuries we have collectively marveled at plant diversity and form—from Charles Darwin’s early fascination with stems and flowers to Seymour Krelborn’s distorted doting in Little Shop of Horrors. This course intends to present an intriguing and scientifically valid look at how plants themselves experience the world—from the colors they see to the sensations they feel. Highlighting the latest research in genetics and more, we will delve into the inner lives of plants and draw parallels with...

10. Centrifugal pumps: Principles , Operation and Design

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14. Functional Safety for Safety Instrumented Systems

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Top 10 most affordable universities for sewage plant operators

The most affordable schools for sewage plant operators are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for sewage plant operators 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 sewage plant operators.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

7. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Cost of attendance

24,718

10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sewage plant operators

The hardest universities for sewage plant operators to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Duke University.

Some great schools for sewage plant operators 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 sewage plant operators 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. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,415

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sewage plant operators

The easiest schools for sewage plant operators to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a sewage plant operator 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 sewage plant operators.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

7. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

10. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

Average sewage plant operator salary by education level

According to our data, sewage plant operators with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $49,482 annually. Sewage plant operators with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $49,022.
Sewage plant operator education levelSewage plant operator salary
High School Diploma or Less$45,193
Bachelor's Degree$49,482
Some College/ Associate Degree$49,022

Sewage plant operator 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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