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Application tester education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an application tester. Application testers usually study computer science, business, or electrical engineering. 67% of application testers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 625 real application tester resumes to see exactly what application tester education sections show.

The most common colleges for application testers are the DeVry University and the DeVry University.

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

What education do you need to become an application tester?

What degree do you need to be an application tester?

The most common degree for application testers is bachelor's degree, with 67% of application testers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Master's, 15%
  • Associate, 13%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an application tester?

You should major in computer science to become an application tester. 22% of application testers major in computer science. Other common majors for an application tester include business and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for application testers

Application testers often get their degrees at DeVry University, University of Phoenix, and Arizona State University. Here are the most common colleges for application testers in the US based on their resumes.
Application tester common collegePercentages
DeVry University8.33%
University of Phoenix8.33%
Arizona State University6.67%
University of Washington6.67%
New York University6.67%

Best majors for application testers

Best colleges for application testers

The best colleges for application testers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

An application tester 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 testers. 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 testers.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

9. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

In-state tuition

$55,453

Enrollment

4,312

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

20 best online courses for application testers

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3. Full Stack Web Developer

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Design and develop modern web applications.Students will also learn how to deploy a Flask-based web application to the cloud using Docker and Kubernetes...

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Learn best practices for using the Agile methodology to build better products faster and more efficiently...

5. Create the User Interface in Android Studio

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This is a beginner course for learners who would like to prepare themselves for a career in Android development. To succeed in this course, you should understand the basics of Kotlin and cross-platform development for mobile applications. The course introduces you to creating a User Interface (UI) in Android Studio on a foundational level. You will learn about the fundamentals that will enable you to build meaningful and functional user interfaces for Android using Android Studio and Kotlin. By...

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8. Full Stack JavaScript Developer

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9. Cloud Developer using Microsoft Azure

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12. Intermediate Python

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13. Certified Web Application Security Tester (C-WAST)

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14. Learn Basic to Advance JIRA for Testers/QA/Test Manager-2023

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15. Customizing AppGini web applications

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16. User Experience Design & User Interface Design Fundamentals

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Learn the basics of successful User Experience Design and User Interface Design...

17. Learn Figma: User Interface Design Essentials - UI/UX Design

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Master Figma app to get a job in UI Design, User Interface, User Experience design, Web Design & UX design...

18. The Complete User Interface Design Bootcamp - Sketch UI/UX

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Master Sketch software to get a job in UI Design, User Interface, User Experience design, Web Design & UX design...

19. Hacking Web Applications & Penetration Testing: Web Hacking

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Learn Ethical Web Hacking, Bug Bounty, Web Penetration, Penetration Testing and prevent vulnerabilities with this course...

20. QA Guide to Web Application Testing for Beginners

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4.3
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Learn software testing for web applications and improve the quality of your team's software...

Top 10 most affordable universities for application testers

The most affordable schools for application testers are Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, brigham young university, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for application testers 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 testers.

1. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Laie, HI • Private

In-state tuition

$5,560

Cost of attendance

18,043

8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,872

Cost of attendance

13,476

9. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,914

Cost of attendance

13,564

10. Trident University International

Cypress, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,240

Cost of attendance

17,912

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for application testers

The hardest universities for application testers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for application testers 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 testers 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Amherst College

Amherst, MA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,449

5. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

6. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

7. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

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

The easiest schools for application testers to get into are Nyack College, saint martin's university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

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

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

8. Saint Xavier University

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

74%

SAT average

1,061

9. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Winona, MN • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,148

10. Longwood University

Farmville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,065

Average application tester salary by education level

Application testers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $101,072 annually. With a Master's degree, application testers earn a median annual income of $100,632 compared to $92,548 for application testers with an Bachelor's degree.
Application tester education levelApplication tester salary
Master's Degree$100,632
Bachelor's Degree$92,548
Doctorate Degree$101,072
Some College/ Associate Degree$80,723

Application tester 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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