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Infrastructure architect education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an infrastructure architect. Infrastructure architects usually study computer science, business, or electrical engineering. 67% of infrastructure architects hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 973 real infrastructure architect resumes to see exactly what infrastructure architect education sections show.

The most common colleges for infrastructure architects are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online infrastructure architect courses to help get the education required to be an infrastructure architect.

There are certain infrastructure architect certifications that you should consider. These infrastructure architect certifications include The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) and Certified CPM Architect (CCA).

What education do you need to become an infrastructure architect?

What degree do you need to be an infrastructure architect?

The most common degree for infrastructure architects is bachelor's degree, with 67% of infrastructure architects earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Master's, 17%
  • Associate, 11%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an infrastructure architect?

You should major in computer science to become an infrastructure architect. 26% of infrastructure architects major in computer science. Other common majors for an infrastructure architect include business and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for infrastructure architects

Infrastructure architects often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and Ohio State University. Here are the most common colleges for infrastructure architects in the US based on their resumes.
Infrastructure architect common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix21.15%
DeVry University10.58%
Ohio State University5.77%
University of South Florida5.77%
Strayer University4.81%

Best majors for infrastructure architects

Best colleges for infrastructure architects

The best colleges for infrastructure architects are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

An infrastructure architect with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for infrastructure architects. 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 infrastructure architects.

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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

20 best online courses for infrastructure architects

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1. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Architect Professional

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Welcome to the course Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Architect Professional. This course prepares you for the highest level of OCI certification, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Architect Professional. Take a deep dive into designing and deploying Oracle Cloud Infrastructure solutions and learn Cloud-Native, microservices and serverless architectures...

2. System Administration and IT Infrastructure Services

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This course will transition you from working on a single computer to an entire fleet. Systems administration is the field of IT that’s responsible for maintaining reliable computers systems in a multi-user environment. In this course, you’ll learn about the infrastructure services that keep all organizations, big and small, up and running. We’ll deep dive on cloud so that you’ll understand everything from typical cloud infrastructure setups to how to manage cloud resources. You'll also learn...

3. SQL Server High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HA/DR)

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Dive deep into how SQL Server works to implement an effective high availability and disaster recovery solution...

4. Data Center Infrastructure Design - An Introduction

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4.5
(292)

An overview of data center infrastructure design from a structured cabling system designer's perspective...

5. Essential Google Cloud Infrastructure: Foundation

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This accelerated on-demand course introduces participants to the comprehensive and flexible infrastructure and platform services provided by Google Cloud with a focus on Compute Engine. Through a combination of video lectures, demos, and hands-on labs, participants explore and deploy solution elements, including infrastructure components such as networks, virtual machines and applications services. You will learn how to use the Google Cloud through the console and Cloud Shell. You'll also learn...

6. Architecting Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure with Anthos

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This specialization is intended for technical engineers, architects, and administrators using Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Kubernetes, and Istio to create, integrate, or modernize solutions. You will learn modernizing, managing, and observing microservices-based applications that span multiple clusters in GCP, on-premises, or other cloud providers...

7. VMware vSphere 6.0 Part 5 - VM Backup and Replication

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Learn to backup and recover VMs using VMware Data Protection and how to replicate VMs using v Sphere Replication...

8. Building Cloud Infrastructure with Terraform

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Create and manage cloud infrastructure as code...

9. Server Infrastructure Basics

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Everything you need to know about Server Infrastructure...

10. Learn Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Fundamentals

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11. Active Directory on Windows Server

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14. Cloud Computing for Beginners - Infrastructure as a Service

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15. Active Directory Pentesting With Kali Linux - Red Team

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Attacking and Hacking Active Directory With Kali Linux Full Course - Red Team Hacking Pentesting...

16. GCP Professional Cloud Architect: Google Cloud Certification

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Become a GCP Cloud Architect. Architect Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Solutions. Includes 4 New Case Studies...

17. Deploy Fargate ECS Apps & Infrastructure: AWS with Terraform

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Learn to work with AWS ECS Fargate, implement complete infrastructure deployment using Terraform with an AWS Architect!...

18. Infrastructure as Code, Master AWS Cloud Development Kit CDK

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AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK) Create and provision AWS infrastructure as code. Deployments predictably &repeatedly...

19. Cryptography: Learn Public Key Infrastructure from Scratch

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Learn in-depth deployment and configuration of Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS) a.k.a PKI on Windows Servers...

20. Foundation to Oracle Database in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

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Basics, Architecture , Database Deployments, Connectivity Scenarios in OCI [*** GETTING UPDATED WITH NEW CONTENT***]...

Top 10 most affordable universities for infrastructure architects

The most affordable schools for infrastructure architects are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for infrastructure architects 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 infrastructure architects.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for infrastructure architects

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

Some great schools for infrastructure architects 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 infrastructure architects 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

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. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for infrastructure architects

The easiest schools for infrastructure architects 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 an infrastructure architect 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 infrastructure architects.

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. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average infrastructure architect salary by education level

Infrastructure architects with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $134,021 annually. With a Master's degree, infrastructure architects earn a median annual income of $133,853 compared to $124,238 for infrastructure architects with an Bachelor's degree.
Infrastructure architect education levelInfrastructure architect salary
Master's Degree$133,853
Bachelor's Degree$124,238
Doctorate Degree$134,021
Some College/ Associate Degree$110,020

Infrastructure architect 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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