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Disaster recovery specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a disaster recovery specialist. Disaster recovery specialists usually study business, computer science, or criminal justice. 58% of disaster recovery specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 628 real disaster recovery specialist resumes to see exactly what disaster recovery specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for disaster recovery specialists are the Southern University and A & M College and the Southern University and A & M College.
There are also many online disaster recovery specialist courses to help get the education required to be a disaster recovery specialist.
What education do you need to become a disaster recovery specialist?
What degree do you need to be a disaster recovery specialist?
- Bachelor's, 58%
- Associate, 16%
- Master's, 11%
- High School Diploma, 8%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a disaster recovery specialist?
- Business, 24%
- Computer Science, 12%
- Criminal Justice, 9%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for disaster recovery specialists
| Disaster recovery specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Southern University and A & M College | 22.77% |
| University of Phoenix | 14.85% |
| Southeastern Louisiana University | 7.92% |
| University of North Texas | 5.94% |
| DeVry University | 4.95% |
Best majors for disaster recovery specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 23.8% |
| 2 | Computer Science | 11.7% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 8.9% |
| 4 | Computer Information Systems | 6.5% |
| 5 | Accounting | 6.0% |
Best colleges for disaster recovery specialists
The best colleges for disaster recovery specialists are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A disaster recovery 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 disaster recovery 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 disaster recovery 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. 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 specialists
Advertising disclosure
1. Managing Cybersecurity Incidents and Disasters
Most organizations plan for routine operations, but what happens when unexpected events overtake the routine? This course examines contingency planning used to prepare for and manage non-normal operations, including cybersecurity incidents – like hacking attempts, web site defacement, denial of service attacks, information disclosures; a well as other natural and man-made cybersecurity disasters. In this course, a learner will be able to: ● Define and describe the components of a cybersecurity...
2. Natural Disaster and Climate Change Risk Assessment
This specialized program is aimed at officials, professionals, and team members involved in formulating, executing, or supervising infrastructure projects, who seek to incorporate disaster risk analysis and climate change adaptation into their projects.\n\nThrough 3 courses, students will be trained to identify key elements of natural disaster risk, recognize the importance of integrating risk analysis into the infrastructure project cycle, conduct qualitative and quantitative assessments to...
3. A Brief Guide to Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
And a look at risks, threats, business impact analysis, and more...
4. SQL Server High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HA/DR)
Dive deep into how SQL Server works to implement an effective high availability and disaster recovery solution...
5. Disaster Risk Management and Korean Policies
In the past, developing countries such as Korea lacked guidelines for exploring effective policies for disaster-resilient growth, resulting in unnecessary sacrifices in terms of time, resources, and human capital. Through the lessons learned by Korea, currently developing countries facing socio-economic development can build disaster resilience without sacrifices. Utilizing Korea's sound practices and institutional reforms, this course provides a valuable roadmap to prevent and mitigate the...
6. Introduction to Technical Support
Technical Support professionals are in great demand! This is the first course in the IBM IT Support Professional Certificate program, designed to prepare you for a rewarding career in technical support. You will begin this self-paced course by learning what Informational Technology (IT) support is all about. You'll find out the roles and responsibilities of Technical Support professionals and become familiar with all the different career paths you can take in Technical Support. You will also...
7. How to Write, Test, and Maintain a Business Continuity Plan
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning - Are you prepared?...
8. Azure Site Recovery
Cloud based disaster recovery solution. Learn how to migrate Virtual Machines from on premises to Azure...
9. Veeam Backup & Replication Course Zero to Mastery
Take Backup & Restore from v Sphere & Hyper-V Replication & Disaster Recovery Secure Backup Data Upto V12...
10. Project Charter Specialist (Accredited) Project Management
What is Project Charter? Components? Template? Example? Document Project Charter? Project Charter Specialist Earn PDUs...
11. VMware vSphere 6.0 Part 5 - VM Backup and Replication
Learn to backup and recover VMs using VMware Data Protection and how to replicate VMs using v Sphere Replication...
12. Business Continuity Management & ISO 22301 - Complete Guide
Learn Business Continuity Management from Organizational Resilience, Risk Management & Business Management perspectives!...
13. ISO 22301:2019. Business continuity management system
Understand how to prepare for and manage disruptions according to the international standard ISO 22301...
14. ISO 22301-Business Continuity Management (BCM & BCP)
Everything you need to know about ISO 22301—Business Continuity Management (BCM) and Business Continuity Planning (BCP)...
15. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects
Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...
16. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp
Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Professionals...
17. Oracle Database 12c Backup and Recovery using RMAN
Master using RMAN in performing backup and recovery activities on Oracle Databases. No course covers the same topics!...
18. Project Schedule: Monitor & Control Specialist (Accredited)
Schedule Management: Monitor & Control Schedule, Analyze Schedule, Solve Project Schedule Problems Earn CPDs & PDUs...
19. IT & Technical Support Guide to Helpdesk, Desktop & Servers
Learn how the different levels of IT technical support work, from service desk to infrastructure and server support...
20. Business Continuity Management BCMS & ISO 22301 Masterclass
How to plan and prepare for unforeseen business disruption events through an effective, dynamic Business Continuity Plan...
Top 10 most affordable universities for disaster recovery specialists
The most affordable schools for disaster recovery specialists are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for disaster recovery 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 disaster recovery specialists.
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 specialists
The hardest universities for disaster recovery specialists to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for disaster recovery 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 disaster recovery 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. 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 specialists
The easiest schools for disaster recovery specialists 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 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 disaster recovery specialists.
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 specialist salary by education level
| Disaster recovery specialist education level | Disaster recovery specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $79,562 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $69,750 |
| Doctorate Degree | $81,960 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $57,527 |
Disaster recovery specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025