Data miner education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a data miner. Data miners usually study business, liberal arts, or mathematics. 65% of data miners hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 152 real data miner resumes to see exactly what data miner education sections show.

The most common colleges for data miners are the SUNY Stony Brook and the SUNY Stony Brook.

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

What education do you need to become a data miner?

What degree do you need to be a data miner?

The most common degree for data miners is bachelor's degree, with 65% of data miners earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 65%

Master's, 14%

Associate, 13%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a data miner?

You should major in business to become a data miner. 14% of data miners major in business. Other common majors for a data miner include liberal arts and mathematics.

Business, 14%

Liberal Arts, 10%

Mathematics, 10%

Computer Science, 10%

Other Majors, 56%

Most common colleges for data miners

Data miners often get their degrees at SUNY Stony Brook, University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Here are the most common colleges for data miners in the US based on their resumes.

Data miner common college	Percentages
SUNY Stony Brook	8.00%
University of California, Berkeley	8.00%
University of California, Santa Barbara	8.00%
Colorado State University	8.00%
George Mason University	8.00%

Show more common data miner colleges

Best majors for data miners

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	13.9%
2	Liberal Arts	9.7%
3	Mathematics	9.7%
4	Computer Science	9.7%
5	Economics	8.3%

Show more common data miner majors

Best colleges for data miners

The best colleges for data miners are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A data miner 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 miners. 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 miners.

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. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

9. Cedar Crest College

Allentown, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$39,216

Enrollment

1,303

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

20 best online courses for data miners

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

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Top 10 most affordable universities for data miners

The most affordable schools for data miners are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for data miners 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 miners.

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

10. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for data miners

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

Some great schools for data miners 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 miners 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

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

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

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

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

5. University of Maine at Fort Kent

Fort Kent, ME • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

1,005

6. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

10. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

Average data miner salary by education level

Data miners with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $96,542 annually. With a Master's degree, data miners earn a median annual income of $95,950 compared to $84,952 for data miners with an Bachelor's degree.

Data miner education level	Data miner salary
Master's Degree	$95,950
Bachelor's Degree	$84,952
Doctorate Degree	$96,542
Some College/ Associate Degree	$69,641

Data miner education FAQs

What is the best college for Data Miners?

Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.

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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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