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Test project engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a test project engineer. Test project engineers usually study mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or aerospace engineering. 75% of test project engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 460 real test project engineer resumes to see exactly what test project engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for test project engineers are the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

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

What education do you need to become a test project engineer?

What degree do you need to be a test project engineer?

The most common degree for test project engineers is bachelor's degree, with 75% of test project engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 75%
  • Master's, 13%
  • Associate, 9%
  • Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a test project engineer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a test project engineer. 28% of test project engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a test project engineer include electrical engineering and aerospace engineering.

Most common colleges for test project engineers

Test project engineers often get their degrees at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Purdue University, and Texas A&M; University. Here are the most common colleges for test project engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Test project engineer common collegePercentages
New Jersey Institute of Technology11.43%
Purdue University8.57%
Texas A&M University7.14%
University of Florida5.71%
Michigan State University5.71%

Best majors for test project engineers

Best colleges for test project engineers

The best colleges for test project engineers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and California Institute of Technology.

A test project 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 test project 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 test project engineers.

1. Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,646

Enrollment

5,736

2. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

3. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

20 best online courses for test project engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for test project engineers

The most affordable schools for test project engineers are California State University - Long Beach, brigham young university, and university of puerto rico - mayaguez.

If the best universities for test project 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 test project 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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

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 test project engineers

The hardest universities for test project engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and California Institute of Technology.

Some great schools for test project 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 test project 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,566

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

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. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

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 test project engineers

The easiest schools for test project engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, capitol technology university, and pennsylvania state university - berks.

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

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

3. Pennsylvania State University - Berks

Reading, PA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,107

4. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,068

5. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

6. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

7. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

8. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

9. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

10. Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,093

Average test project engineer salary by education level

Test project engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $99,448 annually. With a Master's degree, test project engineers earn a median annual income of $93,046 compared to $83,982 for test project engineers with an Bachelor's degree.
Test project engineer education levelTest project engineer salary
Master's Degree$93,046
Bachelor's Degree$83,982
Doctorate Degree$99,448

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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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