Traffic engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a traffic engineer. Traffic engineers usually study civil engineering, business, or electrical engineering. 67% of traffic engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 546 real traffic engineer resumes to see exactly what traffic engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for traffic engineers are the Auburn University Main Campus and the Auburn University Main Campus.

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

There are certain traffic engineer certifications that you should consider. These traffic engineer certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and OSHA Safety Certificate .

What education do you need to become a traffic engineer?

What degree do you need to be a traffic engineer?

The most common degree for traffic engineers is bachelor's degree, with 67% of traffic engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 19% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 67%

Master's, 19%

Associate, 8%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a traffic engineer?

You should major in civil engineering to become a traffic engineer. 58% of traffic engineers major in civil engineering. Other common majors for a traffic engineer include business and electrical engineering.

Civil Engineering, 58%

Business, 8%

Electrical Engineering, 6%

Engineering, 5%

Other Majors, 23%

Most common colleges for traffic engineers

Traffic engineers often get their degrees at Auburn University Main Campus, University of South Florida, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for traffic engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Traffic engineer common college	Percentages
Auburn University Main Campus	7.50%
University of South Florida	6.25%
Pennsylvania State University	6.25%
University of Delaware	6.25%
George Mason University	6.25%

Show more common traffic engineer colleges

Best majors for traffic engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Civil Engineering	57.8%
2	Business	7.5%
3	Electrical Engineering	6.0%
4	Engineering	5.1%
5	Mechanical Engineering	3.6%

Show more common traffic engineer majors

Best colleges for traffic engineers

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

A traffic 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 traffic 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 traffic engineers.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

7. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

8. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

20 best online courses for traffic engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for traffic engineers

The most affordable schools for traffic engineers are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for traffic 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 traffic 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 - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. 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

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for traffic engineers

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

Some great schools for traffic 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 traffic 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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for traffic engineers

The easiest schools for traffic 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 traffic 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 traffic 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. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

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. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

Average traffic engineer salary by education level

Traffic engineers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $98,826 annually. With a Doctorate degree, traffic engineers earn a median annual income of $98,247 compared to $85,347 for traffic engineers with an Bachelor's degree.

Traffic engineer education level	Traffic engineer salary
Master's Degree	$98,826
Bachelor's Degree	$85,347
Doctorate Degree	$98,247

Traffic engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Traffic 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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