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Data processing technician education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a data processing technician. Data processing technicians usually study business, computer science, or computer information systems. 50% of data processing technicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 698 real data processing technician resumes to see exactly what data processing technician education sections show.
The most common colleges for data processing technicians are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online data processing technician courses to help get the education required to be a data processing technician.
What education do you need to become a data processing technician?
What degree do you need to be a data processing technician?
- Bachelor's, 50%
- Associate, 27%
- High School Diploma, 11%
- Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a data processing technician?
- Business, 24%
- Computer Science, 12%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for data processing technicians
| Data processing technician common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 16.39% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 8.20% |
| Texas Tech University | 6.56% |
| Strayer University | 6.56% |
| Southeastern Louisiana University | 4.92% |
Best majors for data processing technicians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 24.0% |
| 2 | Computer Science | 12.0% |
| 3 | Computer Information Systems | 7.9% |
| 4 | Information Technology | 6.7% |
| 5 | Computer Programming | 6.4% |
Best colleges for data processing technicians
The best colleges for data processing technicians are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A data processing technician 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 processing technicians. 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 processing technicians.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
8. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,530
Enrollment
4,571
20 best online courses for data processing technicians
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1. Big Data Integration and Processing
At the end of the course, you will be able to: *Retrieve data from example database and big data management systems *Describe the connections between data management operations and the big data processing patterns needed to utilize them in large-scale analytical applications *Identify when a big data problem needs data integration *Execute simple big data integration and processing on Hadoop and Spark platforms This course is for those new to data science. Completion of Intro to Big Data is...
2. Serverless Data Processing with Dataflow
It is becoming harder and harder to maintain a technology stack that can keep up with the growing demands of a data-driven business. Every Big Data practitioner is familiar with the three V’s of Big Data: volume, velocity, and variety. What if there was a scale-proof technology that was designed to meet these demands?\n\nEnter Google Cloud Dataflow. Google Cloud Dataflow simplifies data processing by unifying batch & stream processing and providing a serverless experience that allows users to...
3. Data Science:Data Mining & Natural Language Processing in R
Harness the Power of Machine Learning in R for Data/Text Mining, & Natural Language Processing with Practical Examples...
4. Data Warehouse Development Process
Specific aspects of Data Warehouse Development Process...
5. Data-Driven Process Improvement
By the end of this course, learners are empowered to implement data-driven process improvement objectives at their organization. The course covers: the business case for IoT (Internet of Things), the strategic importance of aligning operations and performance goals, best practices for collecting data, and facilitating a process mapping activity to visualize and analyze a process’s flow of materials and information. Learners are prepared to focus efforts around business needs, evaluate what the...
6. Processing Data with Python
Processing data is used in virtually every field these days. It is used for analyzing web traffic to determine personal preferences, gathering scientific data for biological analysis, analyzing weather patterns, business practices, and on. Data can take on many different forms and come from many different sources. Python is an open-source (free) programming language that is used in web programming, data science, artificial intelligence, and many scientific applications. It has libraries that...
7. Process Mining with Celonis
Learn and practice how to combine data science and process mapping techniques to visualize processes with real data...
8. Computer Hardware, Operating System and Networking
For Any Graduates/Engineering/Diploma/Arts & Science/Freshers/Home Users/Individuals/Desktop Support/FM/Service Engineer...
9. Serverless Data Processing with Dataflow: Foundations
This course is part 1 of a 3-course series on Serverless Data Processing with Dataflow. In this first course, we start with a refresher of what Apache Beam is and its relationship with Dataflow. Next, we talk about the Apache Beam vision and the benefits of the Beam Portability framework. The Beam Portability framework achieves the vision that a developer can use their favorite programming language with their preferred execution backend. We then show you how Dataflow allows you to separate...
10. Data Collection and Processing with Python
This course teaches you to fetch and process data from services on the Internet. It covers Python list comprehensions and provides opportunities to practice extracting from and processing deeply nested data. You'll also learn how to use the Python requests module to interact with REST APIs and what to look for in documentation of those APIs. For the final project, you will construct a “tag recommender” for the flickr photo sharing site. The course is well-suited for you if you have already...
11. Statistics / Data Analysis: Survey Data and Likert Scales
How to Process Survey Data and Analyze Likert Scales In SPSS...
12. Text Mining and Natural Language Processing in R
Hands-on text mining and natural language processing (NLP) training for data science applications in R...
13. Data Entry Skills: A Complete Data Entry Course from Scratch
A Complete Guide to Data Entry Skills: Learn Data Entry Skills and become a Data Entry Pro & Get a Online Data Entry Job...
14. Introduction to Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Learn how to analyze text data...
15. Data Science: Natural Language Processing (NLP) in Python
Applications: decrypting ciphers, spam detection, sentiment analysis, article spinners, and latent semantic analysis...
16. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs
Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...
17. Computer Network Fundamentals- IT Helpdesk & Desktop Support
Learn the basic fundamentals of computer networking & OSI model for desktop support and IT service desk technicians...
18. R Data Pre-Processing & Data Management - Shape your Data!
Learn how to prepare your data for great analytics in R...
19. IT/Desktop Computer Support- Troubleshooting for Technicians
Learn how to troubleshoot desktop computer issues as an IT Support Technician on real-world organisational networks...
20. Learn Computer Vision and Image Processing in LabVIEW
Learn Computer Vision and Image Processing From Scratch in Lab VIEW and build 9 Vision-based Apps...
Top 10 most affordable universities for data processing technicians
The most affordable schools for data processing technicians are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for data processing technicians 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 processing technicians.
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. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
10. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for data processing technicians
The hardest universities for data processing technicians to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for data processing technicians 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 processing technicians 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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
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. Brandeis University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
31%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for data processing technicians
The easiest schools for data processing technicians 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 data processing technician 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 processing technicians.
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 data processing technician salary by education level
| Data processing technician education level | Data processing technician salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $53,072 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $57,123 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $55,233 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025