Post job

Database management system specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a database management system specialist. Database management system specialists usually study computer science, business, or electrical engineering. 65% of database management system specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 39 real database management system specialist resumes to see exactly what database management system specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for database management system specialists are the Miami Dade College and the Miami Dade College.

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

What education do you need to become a database management system specialist?

What degree do you need to be a database management system specialist?

The most common degree for database management system specialists is bachelor's degree, with 65% of database management system specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 65%
  • Associate, 15%
  • Master's, 12%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a database management system specialist?

You should major in computer science to become a database management system specialist. 24% of database management system specialists major in computer science. Other common majors for a database management system specialist include business and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for database management system specialists

Database management system specialists often get their degrees at Miami Dade College, Indiana Institute of Technology, and The University of Texas at Dallas. Here are the most common colleges for database management system specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Database management system specialist common collegePercentages
Miami Dade College12.50%
Indiana Institute of Technology12.50%
The University of Texas at Dallas12.50%
University of Florida12.50%
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville12.50%

Best majors for database management system specialists

Best colleges for database management system specialists

The best colleges for database management system specialists are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A database management system specialist 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 management system specialists. 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 management system specialists.

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. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

20 best online courses for database management system specialists

Advertising disclosure

1. SQL: A Practical Introduction for Querying Databases

coursera

Much of the world's data lives in databases. SQL (or Structured Query Language) is a powerful programming language that is used for communicating with and manipulating data in databases. A working knowledge of databases and SQL is a must for anyone who wants to start a career in Data Engineering, Data Warehousing, Data Analytics, Data Science or Business Intelligence. The purpose of this course is to help you learn and apply foundational and intermediate knowledge of the SQL language, and...

2. Complete Microsoft SQL Server Database Design Masterclass

udemy
4.6
(2,090)

Database Design SQL Server T-SQL Database Tables Foreign Keys SQL CRUD Views Triggers Stored Procedures...

3. Complete Microsoft SQL Server Database Administration Course

udemy
4.5
(4,993)

Become SQL database certified (MCSA and MTA certification)...

4. Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases - 70-462

udemy
4.5
(317)

Learn how to build and use databases in SQL Server platform...

5. Implementing a Data Warehouse with SQL Server 2012

udemy
4.6
(2,088)

Implementing a Data Warehouse with SQL Server 2012 (Exam 70-463)...

6. Database Management System (DBMS) & SQL: Complete Pack-2023

udemy
4.4
(341)

Database Engineering (RDBMS) : ER model,FD's,Normalization,SQL,ACID,Transactions & Concurrency Control, Indexing & more...

7. Database Management System from scratch - Part 2

udemy
4.6
(2,512)

Learn Database Management Systems from scratch as Database Management System forms the core of computer science...

8. Database Management System from scratch - Part 1

udemy
4.5
(4,562)

Learn Database Management Systems from scratch as Database Management System forms the core of computer science...

9. Database Management Systems - MySQL

udemy
4
(456)

Database Management Systems - My SQL...

10. SQL Tutorial: Learn SQL with MySQL Database - Updated (2023)

udemy
4.4
(1,947)

Learn SQL and Database Development to work effectively in DBMS like My SQL, SQL Server, Oracle, Postgre SQL, DB2 etc...

11. Complete SQL and Databases Bootcamp: Zero to Mastery [2023]

udemy
4.6
(5,302)

Master SQL, Database Management & Design and learn to work with databases like Postgre SQL, My SQL + more. With Exercises!...

12. MySQL Database Administration: Beginner SQL Database Design

udemy
4.6
(2,750)

Learn Database Design with My SQL Workbench. SQL DBA for Beginners: A Relational Database Management System Introduction...

13. SQL Server Performance Tuning Part 1

udemy
4.4
(3,984)

Detail building blocks of SQL performance tuning...

14. 70-462: SQL Server Database Administration (DBA)

udemy
4.6
(5,085)

Beginner-Intermediate practical experience in Database Administration (DBA) SQL Server. Was for Microsoft exam 70-462...

15. SQL Server Performance Tuning Part 2

udemy
4.4
(1,729)

Resolving SQL Server performance tuning issues...

16. Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Database Training For Beginners

udemy
4.6
(383)

Learn Microsoft SQL server step by step.An absolute beginners online course to learn SQL Server Database from scratch...

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

udemy
4.4
(2,977)

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

18. Data Warehouse Developer-SQL Server/ETL/SSIS/SSAS/SSRS/T-SQL

udemy
4.3
(1,477)

Develop and Implement a Data Warehouse Solution Step by step...

19. MySQL Database Management System using MySQL. MySQL for ALL!

udemy
4.2
(260)

Learn My SQL Database Management System. Complete Database Management System in Mysql - Learn My SQL the easy way...

20. Data Migration: Database Migration MS SQL to Oracle DB

udemy
4.3
(371)

Practical Hands-on Migrating from Microsoft SQL Server to Oracle My SQL ,Microsoft access, Oracle to SQL Server...

Top 10 most affordable universities for database management system specialists

The most affordable schools for database management system specialists are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for database management system specialists 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 management system specialists.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for database management system specialists

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

Some great schools for database management system specialists 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 management system specialists 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for database management system specialists

The easiest schools for database management system specialists to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and oregon institute of technology.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a database management system specialist 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 management system specialists.

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. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

8. Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,072

9. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

10. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

Average database management system specialist salary by education level

Database management system specialists with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $93,249 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, database management system specialists earn a median annual income of $88,605 compared to $79,839 for database management system specialists with an Associate degree.
Database management system specialist education levelDatabase management system specialist salary
Master's Degree$93,249
Bachelor's Degree$88,605
Some College/ Associate Degree$79,839

Database management system specialist education FAQs

Search for database management system specialist jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

Browse computer and mathematical jobs