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Firewall engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a firewall engineer. Firewall engineers usually study computer science, electrical engineering, or electrical engineering technology. 68% of firewall engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 265 real firewall engineer resumes to see exactly what firewall engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for firewall engineers are the DeVry University and the DeVry University.

There are also many online firewall engineer courses to help get the education required to be a firewall engineer.

What education do you need to become a firewall engineer?

What degree do you need to be a firewall engineer?

The most common degree for firewall engineers is bachelor's degree, with 68% of firewall engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 68%
  • Master's, 17%
  • Associate, 9%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a firewall engineer?

You should major in computer science to become a firewall engineer. 19% of firewall engineers major in computer science. Other common majors for a firewall engineer include electrical engineering and electrical engineering technology.

Most common colleges for firewall engineers

Firewall engineers often get their degrees at DeVry University, Strayer University, and New York Institute of Technology. Here are the most common colleges for firewall engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Firewall engineer common collegePercentages
DeVry University7.89%
Strayer University7.89%
New York Institute of Technology7.89%
George Mason University7.89%
University of Maryland - College Park7.89%

Best majors for firewall engineers

Best colleges for firewall engineers

The best colleges for firewall engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

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

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

9. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

In-state tuition

$55,453

Enrollment

4,312

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

20 best online courses for firewall engineers

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1. Cisco ASA Firewall Training

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3. Cisco ASA firewall basics

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Get started with Cisco ASA firewall. In this course you will learn to setup and install the Cisco ASA firewall!...

4. Introduction to Fortigate Firewall

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Learn how to deploy Fortigate Firewall on your platform, configure routing, VPNs, HA clusters, and more...

5. Checkpoint Firewall R81 CCSA (Updated 2023)

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Develop skills and expertise to transform yourself into a certified Check Point professional by enrolling to our training...

6. Cisco ASA Firewall in 12 days

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A comprehensive coverage of Cisco ASA firewalls from basic level to advanced...

7. Cisco ASA Firewall Fundamentals

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Learn how to deploy Cisco ASA firewalls including remote access VPN & Site-to-Site VPN...

8. Sophos XG Firewall for Beginners-Part 1/2

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Learn XG Firewall V17.5 from Scratch...

9. Introduction to Troubleshooting with Palo Alto Firewalls

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10. Palo Alto Firewall PCNSE Training

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13. Palo Alto Firewall Management Using Panorama

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14. Fortigate Firewall Administration Course

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15. Fortigate Firewall - Admin Crash Course

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16. SonicWall Firewall Administration Course

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17. Palo Alto Firewall PCNSE New V9 & V10 Training

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18. Palo Alto Firewalls PCNSE Prep Part 1

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19. Linux Security: The Complete Iptables Firewall Guide

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Linux Security Improved. Create professional Netfilter/Iptables Firewalls. All you need to know about Netfilter/Iptables...

20. Palo Alto Firewall PCNSA/PCNSE V10-Theory and Labs

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Dominate and take control of all the features and Secure networks through Palo Alto next-gen firewall training...

Top 10 most affordable universities for firewall engineers

The most affordable schools for firewall engineers are Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, brigham young university, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for firewall engineers 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 firewall engineers.

1. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Laie, HI • Private

In-state tuition

$5,560

Cost of attendance

18,043

8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,872

Cost of attendance

13,476

9. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,914

Cost of attendance

13,564

10. Trident University International

Cypress, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,240

Cost of attendance

17,912

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for firewall engineers

The hardest universities for firewall engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for firewall engineers 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 firewall engineers 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Amherst College

Amherst, MA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,449

5. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

6. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

7. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for firewall engineers

The easiest schools for firewall engineers to get into are Nyack College, saint martin's university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a firewall engineer 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 firewall engineers.

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

8. Saint Xavier University

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

74%

SAT average

1,061

9. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Winona, MN • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,148

10. Longwood University

Farmville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,065

Average firewall engineer salary by education level

According to our data, firewall engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $109,008 annually. Firewall engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $105,973.
Firewall engineer education levelFirewall engineer salary
Master's Degree$109,008
High School Diploma or Less$96,952
Bachelor's Degree$105,973
Some College/ Associate Degree$97,946

Firewall engineer 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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