Data center engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a data center engineer. Data center engineers usually study computer science, electrical engineering, or business. 59% of data center engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,395 real data center engineer resumes to see exactly what data center engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for data center engineers are the DeVry University and the DeVry University.

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

There are certain data center engineer certifications that you should consider. These data center engineer certifications include CCNP Service Provider Operations (CCNP) and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).

What education do you need to become a data center engineer?

What degree do you need to be a data center engineer?

The most common degree for data center engineers is bachelor's degree, with 59% of data center engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 23% and associate degree degree at 10%.

Bachelor's, 59%

Associate, 23%

Master's, 10%

Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a data center engineer?

You should major in computer science to become a data center engineer. 17% of data center engineers major in computer science. Other common majors for a data center engineer include electrical engineering and business.

Computer Science, 17%

Electrical Engineering, 14%

Business, 11%

Information Technology, 9%

Other Majors, 49%

Most common colleges for data center engineers

Data center engineers often get their degrees at DeVry University, University of Phoenix, and Boston University. Here are the most common colleges for data center engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Data center engineer common college	Percentages
DeVry University	16.18%
University of Phoenix	13.24%
Boston University	5.88%
George Mason University	5.88%
Strayer University	5.88%

Show more common data center engineer colleges

Best majors for data center engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Computer Science	17.0%
2	Electrical Engineering	13.8%
3	Business	11.2%
4	Information Technology	9.4%
5	Computer Networking	8.3%

Show more common data center engineer majors

Best colleges for data center engineers

The best colleges for data center engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

A data center engineer 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 center engineers. 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 center engineers.

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 data center engineers

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1. IBM Data Engineering

Prepare for a career in the high-growth field of data engineering. In this program, you’ll learn in-demand skills like Python, SQL, and Databases to get job-ready in less than 5 months.\n\nData engineering is building systems to gather data, process and organize raw data into usable information, and manage data. The work data engineers do provides the foundational information that data scientists and business intelligence (BI) analysts use to make recommendations and decisions.\n\nThis program...

2. Software Defined Networking

This course provides an introduction to data center networking technologies, more specifically software-defined networking. It covers the history behind SDN, description of networks in data-centers, a concrete data-center network architecture (Microsoft VL2), and traffic engineering...

3. Data Center Infrastructure Design - An Introduction

4.5

(292)

An overview of data center infrastructure design from a structured cabling system designer's perspective...

4. Data Center Essentials: Mechanical & Cooling

4.5

(892)

The mechanical cooling systems that support data centers and the internet...

5. Introduction to Data Engineering

Start your journey in one of the fastest growing professions today with this beginner-friendly Data Engineering course! You will be introduced to the core concepts, processes, and tools you need to know in order to get a foundational knowledge of data engineering. as well as the roles that Data Engineers, Data Scientists, and Data Analysts play in the ecosystem. You will begin this course by understanding what is data engineering as well as the roles that Data Engineers, Data Scientists, and...

6. IBM Data Warehouse Engineer

Prepare for a career in the field of data warehousing. In this program, you’ll learn in-demand skills like SQL, Linux, and database architecture to get job-ready in less than 3 months.\n\nData warehouse engineers design and build large databases called data warehouses, used for data and business analytics. They work closely with data analysts, data scientists, and project management to power analysis that enable insights and inform decision-making.\n\nThis program will teach you the...

7. Data Center Essentials: Power & Electrical

4.6

(1,582)

The power & electrical systems that support data centers and the internet...

8. CCIE Data Center - VXLAN EVPN

4.7

(256)

A Complete Practical Learning For VXLAN EVPN in Cisco Nexus Switches. A CCIE Data Center Guide For VXLAN EVPN...

9. IT network cabling: The complete fiber optics course

4.5

(840)

Demystifying fiber optics, the fastest growing ICT network infrastructure sector one lesson at a time!...

10. CCNA and CCNP Real World Labs - Data Centers and Cabling

4.5

(478)

A Data Center Tour and the Physical Layer, including Cable Testers and Analyzers by Fluke and Ideal Networks...

11. Computer Hardware, Operating System and Networking

4.1

(314)

For Any Graduates/Engineering/Diploma/Arts & Science/Freshers/Home Users/Individuals/Desktop Support/FM/Service Engineer...

12. Desktop IT Support Level 1 & 2 in real life (Troubleshooting

4.2

(1,443)

Learn everything in real life Troubleshooting for IT Help Desk , Helpdesk , IT Support , System Administration and IT...

13. Linux for Network Engineers: Practical Linux with GNS3

4.6

(4,430)

Linux for Networking Engineers (CCNA, CCNP, CCIE etc). Practical Linux with GNS3 = network programmability & automation...

14. Optical Fiber Transmission Networks Using DWDM Technology

4.5

(615)

All you require to start with DWDM Technology, fundamentals, components: Mux/Demux, ROADMS, Amplifiers, transponders etc...

15. VMware vSphere 6.7 Optimize Upgrade Troubleshoot w. Ebook

4.7

(898)

34.5hrs of VMware v Sphere 6.7 lectures, lab demos to learn ESXi / v Center, for VCP / VCAP VMware Certification and more...

16. Introduction To Fiber Optic Cabling

4.3

(2,759)

Welcome! This course is designed to give you a good understand of fiber optics and fiber data transmission...

17. Atlassian Bamboo Data Center from Beginner to Advanced!

4.4

(1,566)

Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD) with Bamboo Data Center for Developers and Dev Ops (Second Edition)...

18. Data Center Essentials: General Introduction

4.6

(3,820)

Where the cloud and the internet lives...

19. Data Engineering using AWS Data Analytics

4.6

(1,720)

Build Data Engineering Pipelines on AWS using Data Analytics Services - Glue, EMR, Athena, Kinesis, Lambda, Redshift...

20. Master Data Engineering using GCP Data Analytics

4.5

(318)

Learn GCS for Data Lake, Big Query for Data Warehouse, GCP Dataproc and Databricks for Big Data Pipelines...

Top 10 most affordable universities for data center engineers

The most affordable schools for data center engineers 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 data center engineers 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 center engineers.

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 data center engineers

The hardest universities for data center engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for data center engineers 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 center engineers 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

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

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

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for data center engineers

The easiest schools for data center engineers 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 a data center engineer 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 center engineers.

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 data center engineer salary by education level

Data center engineers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $117,013 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, data center engineers earn a median annual income of $112,483 compared to $100,753 for data center engineers with an Associate degree.

Data center engineer education level	Data center engineer salary
Master's Degree	$117,013
High School Diploma or Less	$99,326
Bachelor's Degree	$112,483
Some College/ Associate Degree	$100,753

Data center engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Data Center Engineers?

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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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