Database administrator education requirements

Q: How to become a database engineer without a degree

To become a database engineer without a degree, you will need to have extensive experience and a background in various programming languages. Database engineering is a relatively new, ever-expanding field. Because of this, there are no exact education qualifications required, so it is possible to become one without a degree if you possess other necessary skills. There are many things you need to learn to be a qualified database engineer. You should know foundational programming languages as well as automation and scripting. You should also understand how data processing and databases function. You also need to build a solid portfolio to showcase your knowledge and skills. These skills are things that would be learned while working through a degree, but if you have the desire to learn them outside of an educational setting, you can be successful. These skills will allow you to find an entry-level position so that you can begin gaining on-the-job experience.

Q: What degree do you need to be a database administrator?

You need a bachelor's degree in business or a technology related field. There are a variety of fields of study and degree levels that can prepare you to work in database administration. A bachelor's degree is the most popular among database administrators. Over 60% of these professionals hold a bachelor's degree. Another 30% of working administrators hold either a master's or associate's degree. Today, students are capable of earning their four year degree traditionally or online. Business is one of the most popular majors of aspiring database administrators. Those majoring in business should consider a minor, or taking coursework, in a technology related field. Because database management is technology based, equally popular majors related to this field of work are computer science and information systems. In addition to holding a relevant degree, individuals working in this field are encouraged to obtain various professional certifications. There are five levels of Oracle database certifications ranging from associate to master. Passing these exams and earning these certifications shows competence in industry standard software and systems related to database administration.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a database administrator. Database administrators usually study business, computer science, or accounting. 61% of database administrators hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 31,785 real database administrator resumes to see exactly what database administrator education sections show.

The most common colleges for database administrators are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online database administrator courses to help get the education required to be a database administrator.

There are certain database administrator certifications that you should consider. These database administrator certifications include Oracle Certified Associate - Oracle9i Database Administrator (OCA) and Oracle Certified Professional - Oracle 9i Database Administrator (OCP).

What education do you need to become a database administrator?

What degree do you need to be a database administrator?

The most common degree for database administrators is bachelor's degree, with 61% of database administrators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 61%

Associate, 15%

Master's, 13%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a database administrator?

You should major in business to become a database administrator. 24% of database administrators major in business. Other common majors for a database administrator include computer science and accounting.

Business, 24%

Computer Science, 18%

Accounting, 7%

Computer Information Systems, 6%

Other Majors, 45%

Most common colleges for database administrators

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

Database administrator common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	17.83%
University of Maryland - College Park	7.52%
DeVry University	7.12%
Strayer University	5.79%
Northeastern University	4.86%

Show more common database administrator colleges

Best majors for database administrators

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	23.8%
2	Computer Science	18.5%
3	Accounting	7.2%
4	Computer Information Systems	6.2%
5	Information Technology	4.5%

Show more common database administrator majors

Best colleges for database administrators

The best colleges for database administrators are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A database administrator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for database administrators. 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 database administrators.

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 database administrators

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Top 10 most affordable universities for database administrators

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

If the best universities for database administrators 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 database administrators.

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 database administrators

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

Some great schools for database administrators 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 database administrators 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. 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 database administrators

The easiest schools for database administrators 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 database administrator 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 database administrators.

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 database administrator salary by education level

According to our data, database administrators with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $92,811 annually. Database administrators with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $88,067.

Database administrator education level	Database administrator salary
Master's Degree	$92,811
Bachelor's Degree	$88,067
Some College/ Associate Degree	$79,132

Database administrator education FAQs

How to become a database engineer without a degree

What degree do you need to be a database administrator?

What is the best college for Database Administrators?

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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