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Transportation engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a transportation engineer. Transportation engineers usually study civil engineering, electrical engineering, or business. 69% of transportation engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,646 real transportation engineer resumes to see exactly what transportation engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for transportation engineers are the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
There are also many online transportation engineer courses to help get the education required to be a transportation engineer.
There are certain transportation engineer certifications that you should consider. These transportation engineer certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE).
What education do you need to become a transportation engineer?
What degree do you need to be a transportation engineer?
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Master's, 14%
- Associate, 9%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a transportation engineer?
- Civil Engineering, 58%
- Business, 7%
- Engineering, 4%
- Other Majors, 20%
Most common colleges for transportation engineers
| Transportation engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 7.43% |
| Purdue University | 7.43% |
| North Carolina State University | 5.71% |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 5.71% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.71% |
Best majors for transportation engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Civil Engineering | 58.0% |
| 2 | Electrical Engineering | 10.5% |
| 3 | Business | 6.6% |
| 4 | Engineering | 4.2% |
| 5 | Mechanical Engineering | 2.5% |
Best colleges for transportation engineers
The best colleges for transportation engineers are Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A transportation 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 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 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 engineers
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8. Diploma in Basics of Civil Engineering for Construction
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10. BIM applications for Roads, Highways & Transportation design
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17. Transport logistics - Introduction to transport modes
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18. Electrical distribution L.V Design AutoCAD, Dialux and ETAP
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19. Advanced Planning & Scheduling with Primavera P6
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20. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers
Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...
Top 10 most affordable universities for transportation engineers
The most affordable schools for transportation engineers are University of Florida, florida state university, and florida atlantic university.
If the best universities for transportation 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 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 engineers
The hardest universities for transportation engineers to get into are Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Some great schools for transportation 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 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 engineers
The easiest schools for transportation 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 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 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 engineer salary by education level
| Transportation engineer education level | Transportation engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $74,565 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $68,093 |
| Doctorate Degree | $74,294 |
Transportation engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025