Post job

Document analyst education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a document analyst. Document analysts usually study business, accounting, or law. 58% of document analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,488 real document analyst resumes to see exactly what document analyst education sections show.

The most common colleges for document analysts are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online document analyst courses to help get the education required to be a document analyst.

What education do you need to become a document analyst?

What degree do you need to be a document analyst?

The most common degree for document analysts is bachelor's degree, with 58% of document analysts earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 58%
  • Associate, 18%
  • High School Diploma, 7%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a document analyst?

You should major in business to become a document analyst. 27% of document analysts major in business. Other common majors for a document analyst include accounting and law.

Most common colleges for document analysts

Document analysts often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Maryland - College Park, and George Mason University. Here are the most common colleges for document analysts in the US based on their resumes.
Document analyst common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix15.05%
University of Maryland - College Park9.68%
George Mason University6.45%
Pace University5.91%
Pennsylvania State University4.84%

Best majors for document analysts

RankMajorPercentages
1Business26.8%
2Accounting7.1%
3Law6.4%
4English6.3%
5Finance5.6%

Best colleges for document analysts

The best colleges for document analysts are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

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

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 document analysts

Advertising disclosure

1. Software Engineering Immersive (Full-time)

general_assembly

Meet the global demand for technical problem-solvers by developing your coding skills to create full-stack web applications across multiple frameworks, incorporating functionality from third-party APIs, executing software engineering projects in an Agile development workflow, and more...

2. Data Analysis Immersive (Full-time)

general_assembly

Learn to problem solve, and effectively communicate, like an analyst. This course teaches you to use industry-standard tools to make ethical, data-driven decisions. Experience hands-on training to master SQL, Excel, Tableau, PowerBI, and Python – tools listed in virtually every data analytics job posting across industries...

3. Data Analyst

udacity

Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...

4. Programming for Data Science with R

udacity

Prepare for a data science career by learning the fundamental data programming tools: R, SQL, command line, and git...

5. Fundamentals of Document Accessibility

coursera

By the end of this project, you will be able to create simple, accessibility friendly documents in Microsoft Word. You will use styling tools to format headings, write strong alt texts, and select accessible color palettes...

6. GST - Maintaining documents, accounts and records

coursera

GST, being a transaction-level tax, requires certain documentation to be generated and maintained to comply with the law and curb malpractices. GST also has a stringent requirement for the maintenance of appropriate accounts and records. In this course, you will learn about E-invoices and E-waybills required to be generated at a transaction level. You will also learn about the accounts and records that are required to be maintained by businesses. This course provides a platform for learners...

7. Best Practices in Document Management

udemy
4.4
(4,890)

Develop your cost-effective and future-proof documentation strategy...

8. The New Trainer's Guide to Creating End User Documentation

udemy
4.5
(510)

Learn quick, easy and practical technical writing skills to write great end user software documentation - FAST...

9. Data Science Immersive (Full-time)

general_assembly

Harness the power of data science to solve the world’s most challenging problems by developing your skills in predictive modeling, pattern recognition, data visualization, wrangling massive data sets, forecasting trends, and informing strategy across diverse industries like public policy, robotics, and FinTech...

10. Data Analytics (Part Time)

general_assembly

Harness Excel, SQL, and Tableau to drive powerful analysis and insights. Build confidence and credibility to apply this versatile skill set to countless jobs. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

11. Intro to Machine Learning with PyTorch

udacity

Learn foundational machine learning techniques -- from data manipulation to unsupervised and supervised algorithms...

12. Full Stack Web Developer

udacity

Design and develop modern web applications.Students will also learn how to deploy a Flask-based web application to the cloud using Docker and Kubernetes...

13. Create Stakeholder Management Documents in LibreOffice

coursera

In this project, you will learn about creating stakeholder management documents in LibreOffice. You will learn how to identify stakeholders, prioritize the stakeholders, develop a management strategy and monitor stakeholder engagement. Stakeholders play a key role in project and organization success! Note: This course works best for learners who are based in the North America region. We’re currently working on providing the same experience in other regions...

14. All Export Documentation & Procedures Any Origin

udemy
4.2
(436)

Unlock the Secrets of Successful Exporting with Comprehensive Documentation, Procedural Expertise, Incoterms, Contract...

15. The Art of API Documentation

udemy
4.4
(1,703)

API Documentation 3: Teaches technical writers how to write API overview material, tutorials, etc...

16. Data Science (Part Time)

general_assembly

Create robust predictive models with statistics and Python programming. Build confidence and credibility to tackle complex machine learning problems on the job. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

17. Python Programming (Part Time)

general_assembly

Gain fluency in Python — the world's fastest-growing major programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build web and data science applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

18. Data Structures and Algorithms

udacity

Get hands-on practice with over 80 data structures and algorithm exercises and guidance from a dedicated mentor to help prepare you for interviews and on-the-job scenarios...

19. Data Visualization

udacity

You will start by building data visualizations and dashboards, considering your audiences to be as effective as possible. Then, you’ll move into drafting presentations using storytelling techniques, visualizations, and animations to provide data-driven recommendations...

20. Technical Writing: How to Write API Software Documentation

udemy
4.4
(685)

A framework for writing software documentation for an API as a technical writer, using Postman or Swagger UI...

Top 10 most affordable universities for document analysts

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

If the best universities for document analysts 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 document analysts.

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 document analysts

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

Some great schools for document analysts 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 document analysts 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 document analysts

The easiest schools for document analysts 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 document analyst 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 document analysts.

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 document analyst salary by education level

According to our data, document analysts with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $47,727 annually. Document analysts with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $47,204.
Document analyst education levelDocument analyst salary
Master's Degree$47,727
Bachelor's Degree$41,929
Doctorate Degree$47,204
Some College/ Associate Degree$35,248

Document analyst education FAQs

Search for document analyst 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