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Information technology applications developer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an information technology applications developer. Information technology applications developers usually study computer science, business, or computer information systems. 71% of information technology applications developers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 453 real information technology applications developer resumes to see exactly what information technology applications developer education sections show.

The most common colleges for information technology applications developers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online information technology applications developer courses to help get the education required to be an information technology applications developer.

What education do you need to become an information technology applications developer?

What degree do you need to be an information technology applications developer?

The most common degree for information technology applications developers is bachelor's degree, with 71% of information technology applications developers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 71%
  • Master's, 16%
  • Associate, 11%
  • Doctorate, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become an information technology applications developer?

You should major in computer science to become an information technology applications developer. 29% of information technology applications developers major in computer science. Other common majors for an information technology applications developer include business and computer information systems.

Most common colleges for information technology applications developers

Information technology applications developers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Ohio State University, and DeVry University. Here are the most common colleges for information technology applications developers in the US based on their resumes.
Information technology applications developer common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix10.34%
Ohio State University6.90%
DeVry University6.90%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill6.90%
Texas A&M University5.17%

Best majors for information technology applications developers

Best colleges for information technology applications developers

The best colleges for information technology applications developers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

An information technology applications developer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for information technology applications developers. 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 information technology applications developers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

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. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

9. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

10. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

20 best online courses for information technology applications developers

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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 Science Immersive (Full-time)

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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...

3. 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...

4. 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...

5. Web Applications for Everybody

coursera

This Specialization is an introduction to building web applications for anybody who already has a basic understanding of responsive web design with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Web Applications for Everybody is your introduction to web application development. You will develop web and database applications in PHP, using SQL for database creation, as well as functionality in JavaScript, jQuery, and JSON.\n\nOver the course of this Specialization, you will create several web apps to add to your...

6. Cloud Application Development Foundations

coursera

This program will equip you with all the key skills and technical know-how to kickstart your career as a full-stack Cloud Native Developer. Guided by experts at IBM, you will learn to build your own cloud-based applications and practice working with the technologies behind them. The Cloud Application Development Foundations Specialization program will teach you the tools and technologies that successful software developers use to build, deploy, test, run, and manage Cloud Native applications –...

7. Full Stack Web Development with C# OOP, MS SQL & ASP.NET MVC

udemy
4.4
(918)

Web development with C#, ASP.NET MVC, MS SQL, C# OOP. All gathered for full stack web development in one course!...

8. Single-Page Application with ASP.NET & jQuery Hands-On

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4.4
(719)

Learn how to build a single-page application from start to finish with ASP.NET Web API 2, Entity Framework and j Query...

9. Data Science (Part Time)

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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...

10. Python Programming (Part Time)

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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...

11. Android Kotlin Developer

udacity

Master Android app development with Kotlin, a modern programming language that enables developers to be more concise and productive. Build professional apps for the world's most popular mobile platform using Android Studio and Kotlin...

12. Artificial Intelligence for Trading

udacity

Complete real-world projects designed by industry experts, covering topics from asset management to trading signal generation. Master AI algorithms for trading, and build your career-ready portfolio...

13. Web Application Development: Basic Concepts

coursera

This is the first course in a Coursera Specialization track involving Web Application Architectures. This course will give you the basic background, terminology and fundamental concepts that you need to understand in order to build modern full stack web applications. A full stack web developer is familiar with each "layer" of the software technologies involved in a web application, including data modeling and database technologies, the web server environment and middleware components, network...

14. Building Applications with Angular 11 and ASP.NET Core 5

udemy
4.2
(321)

Use Angular, ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework Core, Material Design, JWT, Leaflet, for developing a complete application...

15. Building an Enterprise Application with ASP.NET Core MVC

udemy
4.1
(436)

Full-Stack MVC Web Application with ASP.NET Core 3.0, ASP.NET Core 2.2 & Entity Framework Core...

16. Front-End Web Development (Part Time)

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Start building responsive websites with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — a versatile skill set with powerful applications in a variety of design, marketing, and other tech-adjacent roles. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

17. JavaScript Development (Part Time)

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Gain fluency in JavaScript — the world's most popular programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build rich, interactive websites and applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

18. Data Engineer

udacity

Learn to design data models, build data warehouses and data lakes, automate data pipelines, and work with massive datasets...

19. iOS Developer

udacity

Master the Swift programming language, and create a portfolio of iOS apps for iPhone and iPad to showcase your skills!...

20. Web Development HTML CSS JavaScript jQuery NodeJS

udemy
4.4
(1,601)

Full Stack Web Development Bootcamp HTML Project HTML 5 CSS 3 Java Script Bootstrap ES6 j Query Node JS...

Top 10 most affordable universities for information technology applications developers

The most affordable schools for information technology applications developers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for information technology applications developers 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 information technology applications developers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for information technology applications developers

The hardest universities for information technology applications developers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for information technology applications developers 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 information technology applications developers 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for information technology applications developers

The easiest schools for information technology applications developers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame college, and cardinal stritch university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an information technology applications developer 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 information technology applications developers.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

3. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

10. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

Average information technology applications developer salary by education level

Information technology applications developers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $108,947 annually. With a Master's degree, information technology applications developers earn a median annual income of $101,488 compared to $94,054 for information technology applications developers with an Bachelor's degree.
Information technology applications developer education levelInformation technology applications developer salary
Master's Degree$101,488
Bachelor's Degree$94,054
Doctorate Degree$108,947

Information technology applications developer 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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