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Wastewater project engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a wastewater project engineer. Wastewater project engineers usually study civil engineering, chemical engineering, or environmental engineering. 80% of wastewater project engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 7% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 18 real wastewater project engineer resumes to see exactly what wastewater project engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for wastewater project engineers are the University of Vermont and the University of Vermont.

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

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

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

The most common degree for wastewater project engineers is bachelor's degree, with 80% of wastewater project engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 7% and high school diploma degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 80%
  • High School Diploma, 7%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

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

You should major in civil engineering to become a wastewater project engineer. 40% of wastewater project engineers major in civil engineering. Other common majors for a wastewater project engineer include chemical engineering and environmental engineering.

Most common colleges for wastewater project engineers

Wastewater project engineers often get their degrees at University of Vermont, Ohio University, and Old Dominion University. Here are the most common colleges for wastewater project engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Wastewater project engineer common collegePercentages
University of Vermont11.11%
Ohio University11.11%
Old Dominion University11.11%
The University of Texas at El Paso11.11%
University of New Hampshire11.11%

Best majors for wastewater project engineers

Best colleges for wastewater project engineers

The best colleges for wastewater project engineers are Columbia University in the City of New York, California Institute of Technology, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A wastewater project 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 project 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 project 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

10. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

20 best online courses for wastewater project engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for wastewater project engineers

The most affordable schools for wastewater project engineers are University of Florida, new mexico institute of mining and technology, and university of south florida.

If the best universities for wastewater project 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 project engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

3. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

4. 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

5. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for wastewater project engineers

The hardest universities for wastewater project engineers to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, California Institute of Technology, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Some great schools for wastewater project 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 project 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,566

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,545

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

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

The easiest schools for wastewater project engineers to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, the university of texas permian basin, and portland state university.

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

1. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

2. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

3. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

4. Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,093

5. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

6. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

7. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

8. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

9. Washington State University

Pullman, WA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,123

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average wastewater project engineer salary by education level

According to our data, wastewater project engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $79,313 annually. Wastewater project engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $77,198.
Wastewater project engineer education levelWastewater project engineer salary
Master's Degree$79,313
Bachelor's Degree$77,198

Wastewater project 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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