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Technical design engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a technical design engineer. Technical design engineers usually study drafting and design, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering. 48% of technical design engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 39% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,067 real technical design engineer resumes to see exactly what technical design engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for technical design engineers are the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Rochester Institute of Technology.
There are also many online technical design engineer courses to help get the education required to be a technical design engineer.
There are certain technical design engineer certifications that you should consider. These technical design engineer certifications include Certified Agile Developer (CAD) and Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE).
What education do you need to become a technical design engineer?
What degree do you need to be a technical design engineer?
- Bachelor's, 48%
- Associate, 39%
- Master's, 5%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a technical design engineer?
- Drafting And Design, 21%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for technical design engineers
| Technical design engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Rochester Institute of Technology | 9.88% |
| San Jose State University | 7.41% |
| New England Institute of Technology | 7.41% |
| Purdue University | 7.41% |
| Oregon Institute of Technology | 6.17% |
Best majors for technical design engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drafting And Design | 20.7% |
| 2 | Electrical Engineering | 16.2% |
| 3 | Mechanical Engineering | 13.4% |
| 4 | Civil Engineering | 5.4% |
| 5 | Graphic Design | 4.7% |
Best colleges for technical design engineers
The best colleges for technical design engineers are Carnegie Mellon University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A technical design 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 technical design 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 technical design engineers.
1. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
2. Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,646
Enrollment
5,736
3. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
20 best online courses for technical design engineers
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5. Product Development & Systems Engineering
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6. Basics of Material selection for mechanical design engineers
Learn about the fundamentals of materials and their selection for mechanical engineering design for design engineers...
7. Electrical Power Engineering Principles
Learn all the basic theories and principles of electrical engineering...
8. From Engineer to Technical Manager: A Survival Guide
New manager training for engineers - smooth the transition from individual contributor to manager or team lead...
9. Learning SOLIDWORKS: For Students, Engineers, and Designers
For Basic and Intermediate Users...
10. Diesel Engine Fundamentals (Mechanical Engineering)
Learn about the diesel engine! Ideal for Automotive Engineering and Automobile Engineering!...
11. Complete Field Instrumentation Engineering Course
Flow, Level, Temperature and Pressure Instrument - Selection, Sizing, Calculation and Detail Engineering...
12. Engineering Drawing / Graphics: Hands-on Training
Master Technical Drawing with Orthographic & Isometric Projections, Engineering curves, Projection of Solids and DLS...
13. Basics of Sheet metal design for Mechanical design engineers
Learn Sheet metal design, processes and practical design considerations along with Design projects...
14. Automotive Engineering: Automobile Fundamentals and Advanced
Automotive & Vehicle Engineering: Master the Mechanics of Cars including Engine, Dynamics, Transmission, Chassis & More...
15. Construction Methodology Basics in Civil Engineering
New Home Construction & Building construction along with Home Repair ,Estimation & Plumbing With Video Step By Step...
16. Introduction to SOLIDWORKS
Learn the fundamentals of SOLIDWORKS engineering and design software including parts, drawings, and assemblies...
17. Introduction to Automotive Product Design & development
Learn about the process, milestones and activities from idea to complete design of cars for Automotive engineers...
18. Mechanical design and Product development process
Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...
19. Construction Procurement Management
A course on procurement designed for engineers new to the infrastructure/construction industry...
20. Mechanics / Statics - Introduction to Mechanical Engineering
Engineering Solid Mechanics / Engineering Statics...
Top 10 most affordable universities for technical design engineers
The most affordable schools for technical design engineers are California State University - Long Beach, brigham young university, and university of puerto rico - mayaguez.
If the best universities for technical design 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 technical design engineers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
3. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
4. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Cost of attendance
13,508
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
8. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
9. West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Beckley, WV • Private
In-state tuition
$7,464
Cost of attendance
17,166
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for technical design engineers
The hardest universities for technical design engineers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for technical design 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 technical design 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. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
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. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for technical design engineers
The easiest schools for technical design engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, south dakota state university, and capitol technology university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a technical design 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 technical design engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,149
3. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
4. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
5. Pennsylvania State University - Berks
Reading, PA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,107
6. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,068
7. Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,080
8. Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,111
9. Alabama A & M University
Normal, AL • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
957
10. Suffolk University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,131
Average technical design engineer salary by education level
| Technical design engineer education level | Technical design engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $88,262 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $74,535 |
| Doctorate Degree | $98,501 |
Technical design engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025