Wastewater process engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a wastewater process engineer. Wastewater process engineers usually study chemical engineering, environmental engineering, or engineering. 83% of wastewater process engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 12 real wastewater process engineer resumes to see exactly what wastewater process engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for wastewater process engineers are the University of Oklahoma and the University of Oklahoma.

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

What education do you need to become a wastewater process engineer?

What degree do you need to be a wastewater process engineer?

The most common degree for wastewater process engineers is bachelor's degree, with 83% of wastewater process engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 8% and high school diploma degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 83%

High School Diploma, 8%

Associate, 8%

What should I major in to become a wastewater process engineer?

You should major in chemical engineering to become a wastewater process engineer. 58% of wastewater process engineers major in chemical engineering. Other common majors for a wastewater process engineer include environmental engineering and engineering.

Chemical Engineering, 58%

Environmental Engineering, 17%

Engineering, 8%

Chemistry, 8%

Other Majors, 9%

Most common colleges for wastewater process engineers

Wastewater process engineers often get their degrees at University of Oklahoma, University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez, and Georgia Institute of Technology. Here are the most common colleges for wastewater process engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Wastewater process engineer common college	Percentages
University of Oklahoma	16.67%
University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez	16.67%
Georgia Institute of Technology	16.67%
University of Southern California	16.67%
Oregon State University	16.67%

Show more common wastewater process engineer colleges

Best majors for wastewater process engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Chemical Engineering	58.3%
2	Environmental Engineering	16.7%
3	Engineering	8.3%
4	Chemistry	8.3%
5	Business	8.3%

Best colleges for wastewater process engineers

The best colleges for wastewater process engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Yale University.

A wastewater process 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 wastewater process 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 wastewater process engineers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

9. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

10. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$53,880

Enrollment

6,590

20 best online courses for wastewater process engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for wastewater process engineers

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

If the best universities for wastewater process 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 wastewater process engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

5. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

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 South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for wastewater process engineers

The hardest universities for wastewater process engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Yale University.

Some great schools for wastewater process 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 wastewater process 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. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

8. Rice University

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for wastewater process engineers

The easiest schools for wastewater process engineers to get into are Wayland Baptist University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and texas a&m; university - kingsville.

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

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

4. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

9. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

10. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

Average wastewater process engineer salary by education level

According to our data, wastewater process engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $86,690 annually. Wastewater process engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $84,798.

Wastewater process engineer education level	Wastewater process engineer salary
Master's Degree	$86,690
Bachelor's Degree	$84,798

Wastewater process engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Wastewater Process 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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