Data Center TALNT Awards
2026 Best University Controls, PLC, and Application Engineering Programs for Data Centers
The ten university programs producing the strongest lead technicians, controls engineers, application engineers, PLC programmers, and SCADA engineers in the country.
Published 31 July 2026 by Data Center TALNT. Updated 3 August 2026.
The short version
Data Center TALNT recruits controls and automation talent for data center owners, general contractors, and integrators. We ranked the ten university programs whose graduates are best prepared for the five roles our clients cannot fill: lead technician, lead controls engineer, application engineer, PLC engineer, and SCADA engineer. In order:
- 1. Purdue University · Mechatronics Engineering Technology, BS
- 2. Rochester Institute of Technology · Electrical Engineering Technology, BS
- 3. Kennesaw State University · Mechatronics Engineering, BS
- 4. Texas A&M University · Electronic Systems Engineering Technology, BS
- 5. Ferris State University · Electronics and Automation Engineering Technology, BS
- 6. Indiana State University · Automation and Control Engineering Technology, BS
- 7. University of Dayton · Mechatronics Systems Automation, Co Major
- 8. Michigan Technological University · Mechatronics, BS
- 9. University of Nebraska Lincoln · Architectural Engineering, BS
- 10. Arizona State University · Engineering, BSE, Electrical Systems concentration
This is our own ranking, published 31 July 2026, not a third party award. Method is stated below and every program links to the school's own page.
The 2026 List
Ranked on controls coursework, required industry hours, accreditation, and how cleanly graduates fit the roles our clients hire for.
Number 1: Purdue University
On both TALNT rankingsMechatronics Engineering Technology, BS
School of Engineering Technology
West Lafayette, Indiana · serves the Indiana market
Purdue names applications engineer and controls engineer as primary career paths for this degree, and students learn inside a dedicated IOT controls lab.
Lead Controls EngineerApplication EngineerPLC Engineer
Number 2: Rochester Institute of Technology
Electrical Engineering Technology, BS
College of Engineering Technology
Rochester, New York · serves the New York market
Four required blocks of full time paid industry work before graduation. RIT graduates walk onto a live site having already run real equipment.
Lead Controls EngineerApplication EngineerLead Technician
Number 3: Kennesaw State University
Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering
Marietta, Georgia · serves the Atlanta market
One of the largest mechatronics enrollments in the country, accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, sitting inside the fastest growing data center market in the southeast.
Lead Controls EngineerPLC EngineerSCADA Engineer
Number 4: Texas A&M University
On both TALNT rankingsElectronic Systems Engineering Technology, BS
Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution
College Station, Texas · serves the Dallas and San Antonio market
ABET accredited, built around system integration and product development, and the program lists application engineer as a target role for its graduates.
Application EngineerSCADA EngineerLead Controls Engineer
Number 5: Ferris State University
Electronics and Automation Engineering Technology, BS
College of Engineering Technology
Big Rapids, Michigan · serves the Michigan market
Students touch instrumentation and automated systems from the first semester, and the program now carries Smart Automation Certification Alliance credentials.
Lead TechnicianPLC EngineerLead Controls Engineer
Number 6: Indiana State University
Automation and Control Engineering Technology, BS
Department of Applied Engineering and Technology Management
Terre Haute, Indiana · serves the Indiana market
A degree named for exactly what we hire. More than twenty labs of industrial grade programmable controllers and robotics, accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET.
PLC EngineerLead Controls EngineerLead Technician
Number 7: University of Dayton
Mechatronics Systems Automation, Co Major
Dayton, Ohio · serves the Columbus and Ohio market
Students program on the exact brands our clients run in the field: Rockwell, Siemens, Omron, Keyence, Fanuc, and Yaskawa.
PLC EngineerApplication EngineerLead Controls Engineer
Number 8: Michigan Technological University
Department of Applied Computing, College of Computing
Houghton, Michigan · serves the Michigan market
Controls, motion control, and programmable controller work in lab sections of twenty four students or fewer, taught inside the College of Computing rather than bolted onto a mechanical degree.
PLC EngineerSCADA EngineerApplication Engineer
Number 9: University of Nebraska Lincoln
Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, Peter Kiewit Institute
Omaha, Nebraska · serves the Omaha market
The rare program that teaches building mechanical and electrical systems as one integrated whole, with a dedicated building systems lab. This is where real building automation talent comes from.
Lead Controls EngineerLead TechnicianApplication Engineer
Number 10: Arizona State University
On both TALNT rankingsEngineering, BSE, Electrical Systems concentration
The Polytechnic School, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
Mesa, Arizona · serves the Phoenix market
Sensors, actuators, and controller integration inside an ABET accredited engineering degree, twenty minutes from one of the densest data center corridors in the country.
Lead Controls EngineerSCADA EngineerApplication Engineer
All university names and logos are the trademarks of their respective institutions, shown here to identify the programs being ranked. Nothing on this page implies that a school has endorsed Data Center TALNT or is affiliated with us. Any institution that would prefer its logo removed can contact us and we will take it down.
The Five Roles This List Measures
These are the seats our clients cannot fill fast enough. Every program above is scored against them.
Lead Technician
Owns the floor. Runs the critical environment, leads the shift, and is the last set of eyes before a load goes live.
Lead Controls Engineer
Owns the control narrative across mechanical and electrical systems, and signs the sequences of operation.
Application Engineer
Sits between the vendor and the site. Sizes, configures, and commissions the system the client actually bought.
PLC Engineer
Writes and troubleshoots the logic. Rockwell and Siemens fluency is the price of entry.
SCADA Engineer
Builds the layer everyone else watches. Historians, alarms, HMI screens, and the integrations feeding them.
How We Picked
An editorial ranking by our recruiting team. Not a survey, no respondent panel, no weighted model. Three inputs.
Curriculum mapping
How much of the program teaches what a data center actually needs. Programmable controllers, instrumentation, SCADA, building systems, and power distribution, rather than general engineering. This input sets the order.
Proof students have touched real equipment
Required lab hours, paid industry rotations, and work on the vendor platforms our clients run. ABET accreditation from either the engineering or the engineering technology commission is the floor.
Graduate output and market proximity
A program has to graduate enough people to matter to an employer, and graduates take jobs near where they studied, so distance to a live data center market counts.
We recruit these roles every week for data center owners, general contractors, and controls integrators. That is the lens. A program ranks well here when its graduates can walk onto a live site and be useful in the first month.
We also checked this list against our own placement database, which holds education history on 1,148 candidates across 1,336 institutions. Several programs here are already well represented in the pipeline we place from. Others rank on curriculum strength rather than pipeline volume, and that is deliberate. This list is about which programs build controls people, not which ones we happen to have hired from already.
Looking for the broader picture across design, construction, and operations? See our Top 10 Universities Producing Data Center Talent. Purdue, Texas A&M, and Arizona State placed on both.
Citing this ranking
Data Center TALNT. “2026 Best University Controls, PLC, and Application Engineering Programs for Data Centers.” Published 31 July 2026. https://www.datacentertalnt.com/awards/2026-best-controls-automation-programs
Reuse is welcome with a link back to this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best university programs for data center controls and automation jobs in 2026?
Data Center TALNT's 2026 ranking is: 1. Purdue University (Mechatronics Engineering Technology), 2. Rochester Institute of Technology (Electrical Engineering Technology), 3. Kennesaw State University (Mechatronics Engineering), 4. Texas A&M University (Electronic Systems Engineering Technology), 5. Ferris State University (Electronics and Automation Engineering Technology), 6. Indiana State University (Automation and Control Engineering Technology), 7. University of Dayton (Mechatronics Systems Automation), 8. Michigan Technological University (Mechatronics), 9. University of Nebraska Lincoln (Architectural Engineering, Durham School), 10. Arizona State University (Engineering BSE, Electrical Systems, The Polytechnic School).
Who publishes this ranking?
Data Center TALNT, a staffing firm that recruits controls and automation talent for data center, mission critical, and utilities clients nationwide. This is our own ranking, not a third party or government award. We built it from the roles our clients ask us to fill and from published program information at each school.
How were the ten programs selected?
We started from the five roles hardest for our clients to fill: lead technician, lead controls engineer, application engineer, PLC engineer, and SCADA engineer. We then looked for accredited four year programs whose coursework, lab facilities, and required industry experience map onto those roles, weighted by proximity to an active data center market. Every program is linked so a reader can verify it.
What degree do you need to become a PLC or SCADA engineer?
Most working PLC and SCADA engineers hold a four year degree in electrical engineering technology, mechatronics, automation and control engineering technology, or a closely related field. Employers weight hands on lab hours and paid industry experience heavily, which is why programs with required cooperative education rotations rank near the top of this list. An ABET accredited degree plus vendor platform fluency, usually Rockwell or Siemens, is the common profile.
Which schools appear on both Data Center TALNT rankings?
Purdue University, Texas A&M University, and Arizona State University appear on both the 2026 controls and automation ranking and our broader Top 10 Universities Producing Data Center Talent ranking. The two lists measure different things. The broader list covers design, construction, and operations talent overall. This one covers controls and automation specifically.
How do universities partner with Data Center TALNT?
Three ways. We bring hiring clients to campus for information sessions and career fairs. We route qualified graduating students directly to open controls and automation roles at data center owners, general contractors, and integrators. And we share what we see in the market on pay, certifications, and required skills so programs can keep curriculum current.
Can a program be added to next year's list?
Yes. We refresh the ranking annually. Programs that want to be considered can contact Data Center TALNT with their curriculum, lab facilities, required industry experience, and placement outcomes for graduates entering controls and automation roles.
On the list? Let us bring our clients to your students.
We work with data center owners, general contractors, and controls integrators hiring for these five roles right now. We will come to campus, run an information session with hiring managers in the room, and route your graduating students to real openings.