Solid waste engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a solid waste engineer. Solid waste engineers usually study business, chemical engineering, or management. 36% of solid waste engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 35% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 239 real solid waste engineer resumes to see exactly what solid waste engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for solid waste engineers are the The University of Findlay and the The University of Findlay.

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

What education do you need to become a solid waste engineer?

What degree do you need to be a solid waste engineer?

The most common degree for solid waste engineers is bachelor's degree, with 36% of solid waste engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 35% and high school diploma degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 36%

High School Diploma, 35%

Associate, 13%

Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a solid waste engineer?

You should major in business to become a solid waste engineer. 18% of solid waste engineers major in business. Other common majors for a solid waste engineer include chemical engineering and management.

Business, 18%

Chemical Engineering, 8%

Management, 7%

Mechanical Engineering, 7%

Other Majors, 60%

Most common colleges for solid waste engineers

Solid waste engineers often get their degrees at The University of Findlay, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and New Mexico State University. Here are the most common colleges for solid waste engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Solid waste engineer common college	Percentages
The University of Findlay	8.33%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey	8.33%
New Mexico State University	8.33%
Christian Brothers University	8.33%
Missouri State University	4.17%

Show more common solid waste engineer colleges

Best majors for solid waste engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	17.8%
2	Chemical Engineering	8.2%
3	Management	6.8%
4	Mechanical Engineering	6.8%
5	Environmental Science	6.8%

Show more common solid waste engineer majors

Best colleges for solid waste engineers

The best colleges for solid waste engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A solid waste 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 solid waste 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 solid waste engineers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

10. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

20 best online courses for solid waste engineers

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3. Solid Waste Mangement

4.5

(398)

A primer on the best practices for managing solid waste...

4. Lean Management: Reduce waste and boost efficiency

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Use Ethereum, Solidity, and Smart Contracts to build production-ready apps based on the blockchain...

20. From Engineer to Technical Manager: A Survival Guide

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New manager training for engineers - smooth the transition from individual contributor to manager or team lead...

Top 10 most affordable universities for solid waste engineers

The most affordable schools for solid waste engineers are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and california state university - fullerton.

If the best universities for solid waste 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 solid waste engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

4. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. 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

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for solid waste engineers

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

Some great schools for solid waste 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 solid waste 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

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Rice University

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

Admissions rate

18%

SAT average

1,502

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for solid waste engineers

The easiest schools for solid waste engineers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

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

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. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

7. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

10. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

Average solid waste engineer salary by education level

According to our data, solid waste engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $67,707 annually. Solid waste engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $65,960.

Solid waste engineer education level	Solid waste engineer salary
Master's Degree	$67,707
Bachelor's Degree	$65,960

Solid waste engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Solid Waste Engineers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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