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Transportation design engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a transportation design engineer. Transportation design engineers usually study civil engineering, electrical engineering, or business. 64% of transportation design engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 145 real transportation design engineer resumes to see exactly what transportation design engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for transportation design engineers are the University of Florida and the University of Florida.

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

What education do you need to become a transportation design engineer?

What degree do you need to be a transportation design engineer?

The most common degree for transportation design engineers is bachelor's degree, with 64% of transportation design engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 19% and associate degree degree at 16%.
  • Bachelor's, 64%
  • Associate, 19%
  • Master's, 16%
  • High School Diploma, 1%

What should I major in to become a transportation design engineer?

You should major in civil engineering to become a transportation design engineer. 33% of transportation design engineers major in civil engineering. Other common majors for a transportation design engineer include electrical engineering and business.

Most common colleges for transportation design engineers

Transportation design engineers often get their degrees at University of Florida, Wichita State University, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Here are the most common colleges for transportation design engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Transportation design engineer common collegePercentages
University of Florida15.38%
Wichita State University7.69%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale7.69%
Cleveland State University7.69%
Western Washington University3.85%

Best majors for transportation design engineers

Best colleges for transportation design engineers

The best colleges for transportation design engineers are Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A transportation 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 transportation 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 transportation design engineers.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

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. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

7. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

8. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

20 best online courses for transportation design engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for transportation design engineers

The most affordable schools for transportation design engineers are University of Florida, florida state university, and florida atlantic university.

If the best universities for transportation 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 transportation design engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

3. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

4. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. 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

9. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$8,178

Cost of attendance

20,934

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for transportation design engineers

The hardest universities for transportation design engineers to get into are Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Some great schools for transportation 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 transportation 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,545

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

7. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for transportation design engineers

The easiest schools for transportation design engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, alabama a & m university, and portland state university.

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

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

3. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

4. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

5. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

6. Washington State University

Pullman, WA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,123

7. University of Colorado Denver

Denver, CO • Private

Admissions rate

64%

SAT average

1,132

8. University of Wyoming

Laramie, WY • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,202

9. California State University - Chico

Chico, CA • Private

Admissions rate

65%

SAT average

1,092

10. Prairie View A & M University

Prairie View, TX • Private

Admissions rate

74%

SAT average

980

Average transportation design engineer salary by education level

According to our data, transportation design engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $75,072 annually. Transportation design engineers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $74,831.
Transportation design engineer education levelTransportation design engineer salary
Master's Degree$75,072
Bachelor's Degree$69,275
Doctorate Degree$74,831

Transportation design engineer 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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