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Documentation designer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a documentation designer. Documentation designers usually study drafting and design, english, or business. 66% of documentation designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 146 real documentation designer resumes to see exactly what documentation designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for documentation designers are the Auburn University Main Campus and the Auburn University Main Campus.

There are also many online documentation designer courses to help get the education required to be a documentation designer.

What education do you need to become a documentation designer?

What degree do you need to be a documentation designer?

The most common degree for documentation designers is bachelor's degree, with 66% of documentation designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 66%
  • Associate, 18%
  • Master's, 11%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a documentation designer?

You should major in drafting and design to become a documentation designer. 13% of documentation designers major in drafting and design. Other common majors for a documentation designer include english and business.

Most common colleges for documentation designers

Documentation designers often get their degrees at Auburn University Main Campus, University of North Texas, and Indian River State College. Here are the most common colleges for documentation designers in the US based on their resumes.
Documentation designer common collegePercentages
Auburn University Main Campus14.29%
University of North Texas7.14%
Indian River State College7.14%
University of Louisiana at Lafayette7.14%
American Academy of Art7.14%

Best majors for documentation designers

RankMajorPercentages
1Drafting And Design12.7%
2English10.1%
3Business8.9%
4Writing7.6%
5Graphic Design7.6%

Best colleges for documentation designers

The best colleges for documentation designers are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pennsylvania.

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

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

20 best online courses for documentation designers

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Learn how to design a professional quality website in Photoshop CC...

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

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Top 10 most affordable universities for documentation designers

The most affordable schools for documentation designers are University of Florida, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for documentation designers 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 documentation designers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

9. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for documentation designers

The hardest universities for documentation designers to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for documentation designers 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 documentation designers 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for documentation designers

The easiest schools for documentation designers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, mount saint mary's university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a documentation designer 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 documentation designers.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

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. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

6. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

7. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

10. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

Average documentation designer salary by education level

According to our data, documentation designers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $76,568 annually. Documentation designers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $67,454.
Documentation designer education levelDocumentation designer salary
Master's Degree$76,568
Bachelor's Degree$67,454
Some College/ Associate Degree$57,665

Documentation designer 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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