Data analyst education requirements

Q: What degree do you need to be a data analyst?

To be a data analyst, you typically need a bachelor's degree in data analytics, computer science, statistics, information systems, or a related field. Many schools may not have a specific degree for data analytics, but all of the aforementioned majors will give you the foundational technical skills that you will need as a data analyst. Many aspiring data analysts will complete internships during their studies to help give them the necessary experience for finding their first positions. This is especially helpful for students who attend a university without a specific data analytics degree. A bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement for becoming a data analyst. This will qualify you for entry-level positions. If you are looking to excel in the field and want to do more specialized work, obtaining a higher degree is recommended. This will qualify you for more positions that generally are paid better and require you to be highly specialized.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a data analyst. Data analysts usually study business, computer science, or finance. 65% of data analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 61,216 real data analyst resumes to see exactly what data analyst education sections show.

The most common colleges for data analysts are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain data analyst certifications that you should consider. These data analyst certifications include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

What education do you need to become a data analyst?

What degree do you need to be a data analyst?

The most common degree for data analysts is bachelor's degree, with 65% of data analysts earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 65%

Master's, 15%

Associate, 12%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a data analyst?

You should major in business to become a data analyst. 24% of data analysts major in business. Other common majors for a data analyst include computer science and finance.

Business, 24%

Computer Science, 10%

Finance, 6%

Accounting, 6%

Other Majors, 54%

Most common colleges for data analysts

Data analysts often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for data analysts in the US based on their resumes.

Data analyst common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	15.31%
DeVry University	6.58%
University of Maryland - College Park	5.90%
University of California - Davis	5.82%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey	5.16%

Show more common data analyst colleges

Best majors for data analysts

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	23.9%
2	Computer Science	10.1%
3	Finance	6.3%
4	Accounting	5.8%
5	Economics	5.4%

Show more common data analyst majors

Best colleges for data analysts

The best colleges for data analysts are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A data 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 data 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 data analysts.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$52,930

Enrollment

5,030

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

9. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

10. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

20 best online courses for data analysts

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Learn to problem solve, and effectively communicate, like an analyst. This course teaches you to use industry-standard tools to make ethical, data-driven decisions. Experience hands-on training to master SQL, Excel, Tableau, PowerBI, and Python – tools listed in virtually every data analytics job posting across industries...

2. Data Analytics (Part Time)

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...

3. Data Analyst

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

4. Data Structures and Algorithms

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...

5. Data Warehouse ETL Testing & Data Quality Management A-Z

4.4

(2,977)

ETL Testing and Data Quality Management for beginners with practical exercises and certificate of completion...

6. Fundamentals of Data Analysis for Big Data

4.5

(270)

This course prepares participants to begin running data analysis on databases...

7. Intro to Data Analytics

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...

8. Data Visualization

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...

9. Intro to Data Analysis

Start your data science journey right with this hands-on introduction to the discipline of data analysis. In this course you'll learn the 5 key stages of the data analysis process and apply them to real data sets using Python libraries NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib...

10. Practical SQL Bootcamp for Data Analysts and Data Scientists

4.6

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Master One of the Most In-Demand Skills for Data Analysts in 2020!...

11. Data Analyst - ETL/SSIS/SQL/PowerBI

4.2

(350)

Learn to extract ,transform, and analyse data...

12. Data Visualization

Discover how data visualization can communicate insights far more effectively than text or tables. In this course, you’ll learn how to build data visualizations programmatically using Python, and how you can use visualization to both discover and convey trends in your data...

13. Experimental Design & Recommendations

Learn two of the most in-demand skills in the entire field of data science! By the end of this course, you’ll know how to generate personalized recommendations based on user data, as well as run statistically valid tests that produce clean, interpretable results...

14. Data Engineering - ETL, Web Scraping ,Big Data,SQL,Power BI

4.2

(300)

Hands on Data Interaction using - ETL, Web Scraping ,Big Data,SQL,Power BI...

15. The Data Analyst Course: Complete Data Analyst Bootcamp

4.5

(11,857)

Complete Data Analyst Training: Python, Num Py, Pandas, Data Collection, Preprocessing, Data Types, Data Visualization...

16. Statistics / Data Analysis: Survey Data and Likert Scales

4.6

(505)

How to Process Survey Data and Analyze Likert Scales In SPSS...

17. Complete Data Wrangling & Data Visualisation With Python

4.4

(853)

Learn to Preprocess, Wrangle and Visualise Data For Practical Data Science Applications in Python...

18. SQL Course 2023: SQL for Data Analysis and Data Science.

(894)

Master the Art of SQL Querying and Postgre SQL for Data Analysis and Data Science An using Real World SQL Database...

19. Data Warehouse - The Ultimate Guide

4.6

(4,246)

Master Data Warehousing, Dimensional Modeling & ETL process...

20. Become a Data Analyst - (Python, Excel, SQL, Power BI )

4.3

(555)

Get Real World Data Analyst Skills with Hands-on Practice...

Top 10 most affordable universities for data analysts

The most affordable schools for data analysts are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for data 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 data analysts.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

10. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for data analysts

The hardest universities for data analysts to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for data 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 data 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,380

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for data analysts

The easiest schools for data analysts to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a data 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 data analysts.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

9. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

Average data analyst salary by education level

Data analysts with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $85,768 annually. With a Master's degree, data analysts earn a median annual income of $81,723 compared to $74,921 for data analysts with an Bachelor's degree.

Data analyst education level	Data analyst salary
Master's Degree	$81,723
Bachelor's Degree	$74,921
Doctorate Degree	$85,768

Data analyst education FAQs

What degree do you need to be a data analyst?

What is the best college for Data Analysts?

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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