Post Job

Lead Database Administrator Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a lead database administrator. Lead database administrators usually study computer science, business, or electrical engineering. 64% of lead database administrators hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,058 real lead database administrator resumes to see exactly what lead database administrator education sections show.

The most common colleges for lead database administrators are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online lead database administrator courses to help get the education required to be a lead database administrator.

There are certain lead database administrator certifications that you should consider. These lead database administrator certifications include Oracle Certified Professional - Oracle 9i Database Administrator (OCP) and Oracle 9i Database Administrator - Professional (OCP).

What education do you need to become a lead database administrator?

What degree do you need to be a lead database administrator?

The most common degree for lead database administrators is bachelor's degree, with 64% of lead database administrators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 22% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 64%
  • Master's, 22%
  • Associate, 8%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a lead database administrator?

You should major in computer science to become a lead database administrator. 30% of lead database administrators major in computer science. Other common majors for a lead database administrator include business and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for lead database administrators

Lead database administrators often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Northeastern University, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for lead database administrators in the US based on their resumes.
Lead Database Administrator Common CollegePercentages
University of Phoenix9.42%
Northeastern University8.70%
University of Maryland - College Park7.25%
Georgia State University5.80%
George Mason University5.80%

Best majors for lead database administrators

Best colleges for lead database administrators

The best colleges for lead database administrators are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

A lead database administrator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for lead database administrators. 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 lead database administrators.

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 lead database administrators

Advertising Disclosure

1. Full Oracle Database Administration with RAC

udemy
4.4
(296)

Learn Oracle Database Administration, 12C R2 RAC Administration, Oracle Backup and Recovery concepts in this course...

2. Oracle Database 12c Backup and Recovery using RMAN

udemy
4.6
(377)

Master using RMAN in performing backup and recovery activities on Oracle Databases. No course covers the same topics!...

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

udemy
4.6
(1,258)

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

4. 70-462: SQL Server Database Administration (DBA)

udemy
4.6
(5,085)

Beginner-Intermediate practical experience in Database Administration (DBA) SQL Server. Was for Microsoft exam 70-462...

5. Oracle Database Administrator DBA

udemy
4.5
(973)

Oracle Database Administration DBA become Oracle Database Administrator, Oracle DBA and get six figures jobs as DBA...

6. Complete Microsoft SQL Server Database Administration Course

udemy
4.5
(4,993)

Become SQL database certified (MCSA and MTA certification)...

7. Oracle Database: Oracle 12C R2 RAC Administration

udemy
4.3
(252)

Oracle Database 12C R2 RAC Administration and become a RAC expert with Oracle DBA `s favourite online RAC course...

8. MongoDB: A Complete Database Administration Course

udemy
4.1
(272)

Designed specifically for database administrators who work on RDBMS like Oracle, SQL Server, My SQL, Postgresql...

9. Oracle DBA 11g/12c - Database Administration for Junior DBA

udemy
4.6
(8,867)

Learn to become an Oracle Database Administrator (DBA) in 6 weeks and get a well paid job as a Junior DBA...

10. Advanced SQL Database Administration with MySQL Workbench

udemy
4.7
(640)

Master SQL database design & advanced database management systems to build and maintain databases w/ real-world projects...

11. Oracle Database RAC Administration (12c and 19c)

udemy
4.4
(962)

An extensive course that develops your skills to be professional on managing Oracle RAC databases (12c and 19c)...

12. MySQL Database Administration: Beginner SQL Database Design

udemy
4.6
(2,750)

Learn Database Design with My SQL Workbench. SQL DBA for Beginners: A Relational Database Management System Introduction...

13. Complete Oracle Database Administration course (19C,21C)

udemy
4.4
(1,277)

Oracle Database Administration course /Multitenancy/ Oracle Database Backup & Recovery/Data Guard/Patching & Upgrade...

14. Database Engineer/DBA - (PostgreSQL, IBM-DB2, MariaDB,NoSQL)

udemy
4.2
(337)

Practical Database Engineering Administration...

15. Complete Microsoft SQL Server Database Design Masterclass

udemy
4.6
(2,090)

Database Design SQL Server T-SQL Database Tables Foreign Keys SQL CRUD Views Triggers Stored Procedures...

16. PostgreSQL Database Administration on Windows/Linux- Part 1

udemy
4.4
(3,127)

Postgre SQL Database Administration : Walk-in a Beginner, Walk-Out an Expert ( Updated with Latest Postgresql V15)...

17. Complete MySQL Database Administration Course

udemy
4.4
(619)

My SQL DBA Training to get your Dream IT Job...

18. Data Warehouse Developer-SQL Server/ETL/SSIS/SSAS/SSRS/T-SQL

udemy
4.3
(1,477)

Develop and Implement a Data Warehouse Solution Step by step...

19. DP-300: Azure Relational Database Administrator Exam Prep

udemy
4.6
(525)

Learn Azure Database Administration, and get certified, with this complete beginner's DP-300 course!...

20. Oracle PL/SQL Fundamentals & Database Design-3course bundle

udemy
4.6
(403)

The ultimate Oracle/database course bundle with over 20 hours and 100 videos!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for lead database administrators

The most affordable schools for lead database administrators 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 lead database administrators 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 lead database administrators.

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 lead database administrators

The hardest universities for lead database administrators to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for lead database administrators 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 lead database administrators 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 lead database administrators

The easiest schools for lead database administrators 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 lead database administrator 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 lead database administrators.

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 lead database administrator salary by education level

According to our data, lead database administrators with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $127,023 annually. Lead database administrators with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $121,546.
Lead Database Administrator education levelLead Database Administrator salary
Master's Degree$127,023
Bachelor's Degree$121,546
Some College/ Associate Degree$111,100

Lead Database Administrator Education FAQs

Search for lead database administrator jobs

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.

Browse computer and mathematical jobs