Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Help desk specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a help desk specialist. Help desk specialists usually study computer science, computer information systems, or business. 48% of help desk specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 35% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 13,632 real help desk specialist resumes to see exactly what help desk specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for help desk specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online help desk specialist courses to help get the education required to be a help desk specialist.
There are certain help desk specialist certifications that you should consider. These help desk specialist certifications include Security 5 Certification and Certified Network Computer Technician (CNCT).
What education do you need to become a help desk specialist?
What degree do you need to be a help desk specialist?
- Bachelor's, 48%
- Associate, 35%
- High School Diploma, 5%
- Master's, 5%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a help desk specialist?
- Computer Science, 16%
- Business, 14%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for help desk specialists
| Help desk specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 21.93% |
| DeVry University | 18.59% |
| Strayer University | 7.51% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 5.96% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 3.93% |
Best majors for help desk specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Science | 16.2% |
| 2 | Computer Information Systems | 13.7% |
| 3 | Business | 13.5% |
| 4 | Information Technology | 11.8% |
| 5 | Computer Networking | 9.1% |
Best colleges for help desk specialists
The best colleges for help desk specialists are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
A help desk 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 help desk 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 help desk specialists.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
7. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$53,880
Enrollment
6,590
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
9. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
10. Saint Ambrose University
Davenport, IA • Private
In-state tuition
$30,894
Enrollment
2,289
20 best online courses for help desk specialists
Advertising disclosure
1. Help Desk Analyst
Boost your career with this course, pass the e-Learning course, and achieve your Help Desk Analyst certificate...
2. IT Help Desk Professional
Get Hands-On Experience on Helpdesk Skills, Learn, Master & Troubleshoot All What It Takes To Get You a Job...
3. Learning IT Help Desk for Beginners
Must know skills for Helpdesk and Service Desk Professionals!!...
4. Desktop IT Support Level 1 & 2 in real life (Troubleshooting
Learn everything in real life Troubleshooting for IT Help Desk , Helpdesk , IT Support , System Administration and IT...
5. IT Help Desk for Beginners
The essentials to become an IT Help Desk Technician...
6. Computer Hardware, Operating System and Networking
For Any Graduates/Engineering/Diploma/Arts & Science/Freshers/Home Users/Individuals/Desktop Support/FM/Service Engineer...
7. ComputerCavalry: IT Help Desk Training for IT Professionals!
Help Desk Training for IT Professionals is a 10 lecture course that provides valuable work experience to beginners in IT...
8. Learning IT Help Desk Basics
Get the skills you need to pursue an entry-level position as an IT help desk technician...
9. Computer Network Fundamentals- IT Helpdesk & Desktop Support
Learn the basic fundamentals of computer networking & OSI model for desktop support and IT service desk technicians...
10. Service Desk Analyst Crash course for beginners.
Get Hands-On Experience for following JOB roles - Service Desk Analyst IT Help Desk Professional L1 IT Support GSD...
11. Help Desk Professional: A guide to your IT career
Master the Help desk position by working smarter and boost your career opportunities...
12. Basic Computer Course - Windows 7/10 - IT & Desktop Support
Basic computer course with troubleshooting skills -computer hardware and computer networking, for IT support technicians...
13. IT Support Technical Skills Helpdesk
Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Learners...
14. IT Support and Service Desk jobs -Crash Course for Beginners
Let me help you land your first job in IT. Learn about different roles, procedures, tools, and applications - Part 1...
15. Windows Server 2019: Active Directory, GPO, R. Server Access
Training For Beginners - Become a Network Administrator in Microsoft Windows Server 2019 with Remote Server Access!...
16. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp
Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Professionals...
17. IT service operations and Service Desk management
Improve Service Desk and IT support processes and service functions. Better preparation for the professional exam...
18. 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...
19. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs
Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...
20. Active Directory on Windows Server
Learn how to deploy and manage all aspects of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and many more technologies...
Top 10 most affordable universities for help desk specialists
The most affordable schools for help desk specialists are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for help desk 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 help desk specialists.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$5,419
Cost of attendance
17,697
7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for help desk specialists
The hardest universities for help desk specialists to get into are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for help desk 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 help desk 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,415
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for help desk specialists
The easiest schools for help desk specialists to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and nyack college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a help desk 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 help desk specialists.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
4. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
9. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
10. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
Average help desk specialist salary by education level
| Help desk specialist education level | Help desk specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $63,108 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $47,318 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $53,716 |
| Doctorate Degree | $59,826 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $48,510 |
Help desk specialist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.
Search for help desk specialist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025