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Computer Programmer Analyst Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a computer programmer analyst. Computer programmer analysts usually study computer science, business, or computer programming. 64% of computer programmer analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,959 real computer programmer analyst resumes to see exactly what computer programmer analyst education sections show.

The most common colleges for computer programmer analysts are the Florida State University and the Florida State University.

There are also many online computer programmer analyst courses to help get the education required to be a computer programmer analyst.

What education do you need to become a computer programmer analyst?

What degree do you need to be a computer programmer analyst?

The most common degree for computer programmer analysts is bachelor's degree, with 64% of computer programmer analysts earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 64%
  • Associate, 20%
  • Master's, 10%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a computer programmer analyst?

You should major in computer science to become a computer programmer analyst. 32% of computer programmer analysts major in computer science. Other common majors for a computer programmer analyst include business and computer programming.

Most common colleges for computer programmer analysts

Computer programmer analysts often get their degrees at Florida State University, University of Maryland - College Park, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for computer programmer analysts in the US based on their resumes.
Computer Programmer Analyst Common CollegePercentages
Florida State University21.95%
University of Maryland - College Park9.15%
Pennsylvania State University6.71%
University of Phoenix4.88%
University of Pittsburgh4.27%

Best majors for computer programmer analysts

Best colleges for computer programmer analysts

The best colleges for computer programmer analysts are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A computer programmer analyst with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for computer programmer analysts. 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 computer programmer analysts.

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 computer programmer analysts

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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. IBM Mainframe Developer

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Gain the job-ready skills for an entry-level mainframe programming role. Mainframe computers continue to power many mission-critical, financial, banking, and government agency systems. There are 220 billion lines of COBOL in use today. 43% of banking systems are built on COBOL, and 95% percent of ATM swipes rely on COBOL code.¹\n\nCOBOL is scalable, mature, and self-documenting. You'll learn about COBOL from its birth and through its evolution. You'll learn new features and aspects of the...

6. Mainframe: Code DB2 on COBOL Programs for Absolute Beginners

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Master the DDL and DML operations on DB2. Code multiple COBOL DB2 Programs. Master the concept of Cursors on DB2...

7. Mainframe CICS Developer Training By Anil Polsani

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Simple Ways to Learn Best Concepts...

8. Data Science Immersive (Full-time)

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Harness Excel, SQL, and Tableau to drive powerful analysis and insights. Build confidence and credibility to apply this versatile skill set to countless jobs. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

10. Intro to Machine Learning with PyTorch

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

11. 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...

12. PL/SQL by Example - Beginner to Advanced PL/SQL

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14. Data Science (Part Time)

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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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18. Computer Hardware, Operating System and Networking

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19. CS101 Bootcamp: Introduction to Computer Science & Software

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A Computer Science & software programming / coding bootcamp for absolute beginners. No coding background necessary...

20. Intro to Data Analytics

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Discover if data is a career fit for you Regardless of your industry or role, fluency in the language of data analytics will allow you to contribute to data driven decision making. In this free, two-hour livestream, you’ll learn to understand, analyze, and interpret data so you too can join the data conversation. We’ll cover how to ask the right questions of your data and basic analytic functionality. Then you’ll apply your new found data analytic skills to a real-world dataset, allowing you...

Top 10 most affordable universities for computer programmer analysts

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

If the best universities for computer programmer analysts 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 computer programmer analysts.

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 computer programmer analysts

The hardest universities for computer programmer analysts to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for computer programmer analysts 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 computer programmer analysts 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 computer programmer analysts

The easiest schools for computer programmer analysts 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 a computer programmer analyst 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 computer programmer analysts.

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 computer programmer analyst salary by education level

Computer programmer analysts with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $80,263 annually. With a Doctorate degree, computer programmer analysts earn a median annual income of $79,763 compared to $74,574 for computer programmer analysts with an Bachelor's degree.
Computer Programmer Analyst education levelComputer Programmer Analyst salary
Master's Degree$80,263
Bachelor's Degree$74,574
Doctorate Degree$79,763
Some College/ Associate Degree$67,578

Computer Programmer Analyst 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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