Post job

Database modeler education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a database modeler. Database modelers usually study computer science, economics, or computer engineering. 42% of database modelers hold a master's degree, and 33% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 32 real database modeler resumes to see exactly what database modeler education sections show.

The most common colleges for database modelers are the University of Delaware and the University of Delaware.

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

What education do you need to become a database modeler?

What degree do you need to be a database modeler?

The most common degree for database modelers is master's degree, with 42% of database modelers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 33% and bachelor's degree degree at 25%.
  • Master's, 42%
  • Bachelor's, 33%
  • Associate, 25%

What should I major in to become a database modeler?

You should major in computer science to become a database modeler. 21% of database modelers major in computer science. Other common majors for a database modeler include economics and computer engineering.

Most common colleges for database modelers

Database modelers often get their degrees at University of Delaware, Full Sail University, and Northwestern University. Here are the most common colleges for database modelers in the US based on their resumes.
Database modeler common collegePercentages
University of Delaware20.00%
Full Sail University13.33%
Northwestern University6.67%
Purdue University6.67%
Oklahoma State University6.67%

Best majors for database modelers

RankMajorPercentages
1Computer Science20.8%
2Economics12.5%
3Computer Engineering8.3%
4Biology4.2%
5Management4.2%

Best colleges for database modelers

The best colleges for database modelers are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Vanderbilt University.

A database modeler 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 modelers. 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 modelers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$52,930

Enrollment

5,030

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

20 best online courses for database modelers

Advertising disclosure

1. Data Warehousing with Oracle: Design a Database

coursera

This Guided Project Data Warehousing with Oracle: Design a Database for Business Intelligence is for learners who have database administration and data warehousing experience but want to learn more about designing databases and models for business intelligence. In this 1.5-hour long project-based course, you will learn how to evaluate the guiding principles of data warehousing, summarize data from multiple sources, and apply data warehouse business intelligence tools. To achieve this, we will...

2. Build a Database from a Relational Model

coursera

In this course you will interpret the components of a relational data model, convert that model into a relational database, and then test the database design. The process of database design begins with requirements analysis to determine who will use the new database and how it will be used. The results of the detailed analysis are recorded in an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD), which documents entities and their attributes, along with the relationships between entities. The ERD (logical...

3. Data Modeling and Relational Database Design using ERwin

udemy
4.4
(5,189)

Course that teaches how ERwin Data modeler can help you create & maintain sound relational database designs...

4. The Complete Database Design & Modeling Beginners Tutorial

udemy
4.5
(3,221)

Learn Database Design the easy way. Go from simple to complex with a real life example: online store's DB using My SQL...

5. Data Warehouse - The Ultimate Guide

udemy
4.6
(4,246)

Master Data Warehousing, Dimensional Modeling & ETL process...

6. Applied Statistical Modeling for Data Analysis in R

udemy
4.6
(1,688)

Your Complete Guide to Statistical Data Analysis and Visualization For Practical Applications in R...

7. Data Engineering - ETL, Web Scraping ,Big Data,SQL,Power BI

udemy
4.2
(300)

Hands on Data Interaction using - ETL, Web Scraping ,Big Data,SQL,Power BI...

8. Business Analysis - Data Modelling

udemy
4.5
(472)

How to analyse and model business data requirements...

9. 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...

10. 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...

11. 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...

12. 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...

13. 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...

14. 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...

15. SQL Programming and MySQL

udemy
4.5
(302)

Learn SQL Programming with My SQL Database from scratch. SQL Commands, Functions, Expressions, Joins, Procedures, Views...

16. Advanced SQL Database Administration with MySQL Workbench

udemy
4.7
(640)

Master SQL database design & advanced database management systems to build and maintain databases w/ real-world projects...

17. Complete Microsoft SQL Server Database Administration Course

udemy
4.5
(4,993)

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

18. Implementing a Data Warehouse with SQL Server 2012

udemy
4.6
(2,088)

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

19. Oracle Database Administrator DBA

udemy
4.5
(973)

Oracle Database Administration DBA become Oracle Database Administrator, Oracle DBA and get six figures jobs as DBA...

20. SQL for Beginners: Learn SQL using MySQL and Database Design

udemy
4.5
(47,964)

Understand SQL using the My SQL database. Learn Database Design and Data Analysis with Normalization and Relationships...

Top 10 most affordable universities for database modelers

The most affordable schools for database modelers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and university of florida.

If the best universities for database modelers 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 modelers.

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 - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for database modelers

The hardest universities for database modelers to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for database modelers 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 modelers 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for database modelers

The easiest schools for database modelers to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and linfield college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a database modeler 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 modelers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

4. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

5. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

6. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

7. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

8. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Winona, MN • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,148

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

Average database modeler salary by education level

Database modelers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $91,667 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, database modelers earn a median annual income of $87,411 compared to $79,334 for database modelers with an Associate degree.
Database modeler education levelDatabase modeler salary
Master's Degree$91,667
Bachelor's Degree$87,411
Some College/ Associate Degree$79,334

Database modeler education FAQs

Search for database modeler 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