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Application lead education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an application lead. Application leads usually study computer science, business, or electrical engineering. 64% of application leads hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,251 real application lead resumes to see exactly what application lead education sections show.

The most common colleges for application leads are the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

There are also many online application lead courses to help get the education required to be an application lead.

There are certain application lead certifications that you should consider. These application lead certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Scrum Master (CSM).

What education do you need to become an application lead?

What degree do you need to be an application lead?

The most common degree for application leads is bachelor's degree, with 64% of application leads earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 22% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 64%
  • Master's, 22%
  • Associate, 6%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become an application lead?

You should major in computer science to become an application lead. 24% of application leads major in computer science. Other common majors for an application lead include business and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for application leads

Application leads often get their degrees at Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Houston, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for application leads in the US based on their resumes.
Application lead common collegePercentages
Rochester Institute of Technology7.23%
University of Houston7.23%
University of Phoenix7.23%
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor6.02%
Michigan State University6.02%

Best majors for application leads

Best colleges for application leads

The best colleges for application leads are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

An application lead with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for application leads. 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 application leads.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

20 best online courses for application leads

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3. Data Analyst

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Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...

4. Programming for Data Science with R

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Prepare for a data science career by learning the fundamental data programming tools: R, SQL, command line, and git...

5. Web Applications for Everybody

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This Specialization is an introduction to building web applications for anybody who already has a basic understanding of responsive web design with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Web Applications for Everybody is your introduction to web application development. You will develop web and database applications in PHP, using SQL for database creation, as well as functionality in JavaScript, jQuery, and JSON.\n\nOver the course of this Specialization, you will create several web apps to add to your...

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Using PL/SQL learn how to combine the efficiency of SQL & Procedural Language(PL) to build a powerful PL/SQL Application...

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Simplified way to learn PL/SQL...

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Learn foundational machine learning techniques -- from data manipulation to unsupervised and supervised algorithms...

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12. Implementing a Data Warehouse with SQL Server 2012

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Implementing a Data Warehouse with SQL Server 2012 (Exam 70-463)...

13. Oracle PL/SQL Fundamentals vol. I & II

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A complete introduction to PL/SQL database programming language...

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15. Python Programming (Part Time)

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Gain fluency in Python — the world's fastest-growing major programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build web and data science applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

16. Data Structures and Algorithms

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Get hands-on practice with over 80 data structures and algorithm exercises and guidance from a dedicated mentor to help prepare you for interviews and on-the-job scenarios...

17. Data Visualization

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You will start by building data visualizations and dashboards, considering your audiences to be as effective as possible. Then, you’ll move into drafting presentations using storytelling techniques, visualizations, and animations to provide data-driven recommendations...

18. The Complete PL/SQL Bootcamp: Beginner to Advanced PL/SQL

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19. QA Guide to Web Application Testing for Beginners

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Learn software testing for web applications and improve the quality of your team's software...

20. Intro to Data Analytics

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Top 10 most affordable universities for application leads

The most affordable schools for application leads are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for application leads 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 application leads.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for application leads

The hardest universities for application leads to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for application leads 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 application leads 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

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,415

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for application leads

The easiest schools for application leads to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and nyack college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an application lead 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 application leads.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

4. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average application lead salary by education level

Application leads with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $125,037 annually. With a Doctorate degree, application leads earn a median annual income of $124,167 compared to $115,182 for application leads with an Bachelor's degree.
Application lead education levelApplication lead salary
Master's Degree$125,037
Bachelor's Degree$115,182
Doctorate Degree$124,167
Some College/ Associate Degree$103,184

Application lead 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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