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Disaster recovery manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a disaster recovery manager. Disaster recovery managers usually study business, computer science, or management. 61% of disaster recovery managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 882 real disaster recovery manager resumes to see exactly what disaster recovery manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for disaster recovery managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online disaster recovery manager courses to help get the education required to be a disaster recovery manager.

There are certain disaster recovery manager certifications that you should consider. These disaster recovery manager certifications include IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL) and Certified Service Manager.

What education do you need to become a disaster recovery manager?

What degree do you need to be a disaster recovery manager?

The most common degree for disaster recovery managers is bachelor's degree, with 61% of disaster recovery managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 61%
  • Associate, 18%
  • Master's, 13%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a disaster recovery manager?

You should major in business to become a disaster recovery manager. 36% of disaster recovery managers major in business. Other common majors for a disaster recovery manager include computer science and management.

Most common colleges for disaster recovery managers

Disaster recovery managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Maryland - College Park, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for disaster recovery managers in the US based on their resumes.
Disaster recovery manager common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix19.05%
University of Maryland - College Park8.33%
Pennsylvania State University4.76%
Towson University4.76%
University of Arizona4.76%

Best majors for disaster recovery managers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business36.1%
2Computer Science9.7%
3Management5.8%
4Psychology3.9%
5Electrical Engineering3.9%

Best colleges for disaster recovery managers

The best colleges for disaster recovery managers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A disaster recovery manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for disaster recovery managers. 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 disaster recovery managers.

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. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

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. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

20 best online courses for disaster recovery managers

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2. A Brief Guide to Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

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3. SQL Server High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HA/DR)

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Dive deep into how SQL Server works to implement an effective high availability and disaster recovery solution...

4. How to Write, Test, and Maintain a Business Continuity Plan

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Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning - Are you prepared?...

5. Azure Site Recovery

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Cloud based disaster recovery solution. Learn how to migrate Virtual Machines from on premises to Azure...

6. Business Continuity Management & ISO 22301 - Complete Guide

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Learn Business Continuity Management from Organizational Resilience, Risk Management & Business Management perspectives!...

7. ISO 22301:2019. Business continuity management system

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Understand how to prepare for and manage disruptions according to the international standard ISO 22301...

8. Oracle Database 12c Backup and Recovery using RMAN

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Master using RMAN in performing backup and recovery activities on Oracle Databases. No course covers the same topics!...

9. Business Continuity Management BCMS & ISO 22301 Masterclass

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Everything you need to know about ISO 22301—Business Continuity Management (BCM) and Business Continuity Planning (BCP)...

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Operational Risks Management ORM Case Studies for Risk Management, Compliance, Audit, IS Security, Banking Professionals...

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Operations Management: Supply Chain & Business Processes in Industry for Manufacturing and Services Organizations...

14. Veeam Backup & Replication Course Zero to Mastery

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Take Backup & Restore from v Sphere & Hyper-V Replication & Disaster Recovery Secure Backup Data Upto V12...

15. VMware vSphere 6.0 Part 5 - VM Backup and Replication

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18. Operations Management: Facilities Planning and Management

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20. The Agile Methodology for Project Risk Managers

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The Agile Project Management and Risk Management for Project Professionals Full Course...

Top 10 most affordable universities for disaster recovery managers

The most affordable schools for disaster recovery managers are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for disaster recovery managers 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 disaster recovery managers.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for disaster recovery managers

The hardest universities for disaster recovery managers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for disaster recovery managers 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 disaster recovery managers 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for disaster recovery managers

The easiest schools for disaster recovery managers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a disaster recovery manager 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 disaster recovery managers.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average disaster recovery manager salary by education level

According to our data, disaster recovery managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $102,573 annually. Disaster recovery managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $99,053.
Disaster recovery manager education levelDisaster recovery manager salary
Master's Degree$99,053
Bachelor's Degree$84,842
Doctorate Degree$102,573
Some College/ Associate Degree$67,635

Disaster recovery manager education FAQs

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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.

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