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Value engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a value engineer. Value engineers usually study mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, or electrical engineering. 71% of value engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 256 real value engineer resumes to see exactly what value engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for value engineers are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

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

What education do you need to become a value engineer?

What degree do you need to be a value engineer?

The most common degree for value engineers is bachelor's degree, with 71% of value 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 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 71%
  • Master's, 13%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a value engineer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a value engineer. 27% of value engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a value engineer include industrial engineering and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for value engineers

Value engineers often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, and Michigan Technological University. Here are the most common colleges for value engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Value engineer common collegePercentages
Pennsylvania State University14.29%
Purdue University8.93%
Michigan Technological University7.14%
Texas A&M University7.14%
University of Florida5.36%

Best majors for value engineers

Best colleges for value engineers

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

A value 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 value 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 value engineers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for value engineers

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1. Engineering and Product Design Processes

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Welcome to “Engineering and Product Design Processes!” In this short course, you will learn how engineering design processes and product design processes are carried out. After the course, you will be familiar with the steps in both design processes. You will also be familiar with the main goal of each design process, as well as their similarities and differences...

2. Finance For Everyone: Value

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In Value, you will explore the most powerful generator of value in the world – ideas. Ideas are the engines of productivity, both in the private and public sectors. You will learn about the universal frameworks that determine how ideas and money interact, leading to the allocation of financial resources. We will identify components of cash flow for any project, business or venture as the most essential ingredients of value. We also assess the investment techniques used to give life to some...

3. Value Stream Mapping Masterclass: Become a VSM Specialist

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Get Value Stream Mapping (VSM) Trained Become a Certified Value Stream Mapping (VSM) Specialist Earn PDUs CPDs...

4. Mechanical design and Product development process

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4.2
(604)

Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...

5. Profit Analysis using Economic Value Added

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In this 1-hour long project-based course, you will learn how to calculate the Weighted Average Cost of Capital, calculate capital invested, finance charge, and NOPAT, and use financial statements to calculate Economic Value Added. Economic Value Added is one of the most critical metrics in financial modeling and analysis and is used to measure the profitability of the projects and management performance. Note: This course works best for learners who are based in the North America region. We're...

6. Projects Cost Management, Estimating, Budgeting and Control.

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4.1
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Learn how to estimate costs for any project, how to determine budget and how to use Earned Value Management tools. 3 PDU...

7. Product Development & Systems Engineering

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4.6
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The complete Product Development & Systems Engineering course! Earn 25 contact hours AND prepare to take the INCOSE Exam...

8. Project Management: Cost & Schedule Monitoring using EVM

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4.3
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Earned Value Management, Project Management, Cost Control & Monitor, Budget, Schedule & Cost Variance, Performance Index...

9. Value Investing: The Complete Financial Statement Analysis

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Value Investing Mastery - How to Perform Financial Statement Analysis & Financial Ratio Analysis to Find Great Stocks...

10. Project Management with Earned Value Management (EVM) 9 PDUs

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Project Management with Earned Value Management Earned Value Management for PMP Certification EVM with MS Project...

11. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners

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4.5
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Application of product design management principles, concepts, tools and techniques in agile product management...

12. Value Investing and Fundamental Stock Analysis

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4.2
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A step by step approach to stock investing and analysis for the prudent value investor...

13. Value Investing The Complete Value Stock Investing Course

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4.8
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Invest In Stocks At A Big Discount Using Value Investing Stock Market Trading And Become A Successful Value Investor!...

14. SAP CO - Product Costing S4HANA

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4.4
(250)

End-to-End concepts and configurations of SAP S4HANA CO - Product Costing...

15. Basics of Sheet metal design for Mechanical design engineers

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4.3
(793)

Learn Sheet metal design, processes and practical design considerations along with Design projects...

16. Value Investing With Fundamental Analysis - DCF Valuation

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4.2
(375)

Find the fair value of any stock with DCF Valuation - Value Investing with Fundamental and Financial Modeling with DCF...

17. Value Investing Strategies for Stock Market Investing

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4.9
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Learn Financial Analysis & Value Investing strategies for beginners to advanced investors investing in stock market...

18. Cost of Quality Analysis and Reporting using Microsoft Excel

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4.4
(533)

Expertly collect, analyze and present quality cost data (using Microsoft Excel) to help drive continual improvement...

19. The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)

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4.5
(1,218)

The 18-step process for ensuring new parts are consistently manufactured and meet their customers' quality expectations...

20. Construction Cost Estimating and Management

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4.6
(642)

Learn the tools used by construction management professionals to ensure their projects finish under budget...

Top 10 most affordable universities for value engineers

The most affordable schools for value engineers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for value 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 value engineers.

1. United States Merchant Marine Academy

Kings Point, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$1,080

Cost of attendance

6,646

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for value engineers

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

Some great schools for value 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 value 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

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

The easiest schools for value engineers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, texas a&m; university - kingsville, and notre dame de namur university.

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

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

5. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

6. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

7. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

8. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average value engineer salary by education level

According to our data, value engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $105,593 annually. Value engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $92,299.
Value engineer education levelValue engineer salary
Master's Degree$105,593
Bachelor's Degree$92,299
Some College/ Associate Degree$75,461

Value 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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