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Lead infrastructure engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a lead infrastructure engineer. Lead infrastructure engineers usually study computer science, information technology, or business. 67% of lead infrastructure engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 229 real lead infrastructure engineer resumes to see exactly what lead infrastructure engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for lead infrastructure engineers are the Western Washington University and the Western Washington University.

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

What education do you need to become a lead infrastructure engineer?

What degree do you need to be a lead infrastructure engineer?

The most common degree for lead infrastructure engineers is bachelor's degree, with 67% of lead infrastructure engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 18% and master's degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Master's, 18%
  • Associate, 10%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a lead infrastructure engineer?

You should major in computer science to become a lead infrastructure engineer. 17% of lead infrastructure engineers major in computer science. Other common majors for a lead infrastructure engineer include information technology and business.

Most common colleges for lead infrastructure engineers

Lead infrastructure engineers often get their degrees at Western Washington University, University of Connecticut, and Florida State University. Here are the most common colleges for lead infrastructure engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Lead infrastructure engineer common collegePercentages
Western Washington University5.41%
University of Connecticut5.41%
Florida State University5.41%
New Jersey Institute of Technology5.41%
University of Bridgeport5.41%

Best majors for lead infrastructure engineers

Best colleges for lead infrastructure engineers

The best colleges for lead infrastructure engineers are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

A lead infrastructure 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 lead infrastructure 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 lead infrastructure engineers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. University of California, Irvine

Irvine, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,700

Enrollment

29,722

5. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

6. Tulane University

New Orleans, LA • Private

In-state tuition

$54,820

Enrollment

7,920

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$15,730

Enrollment

18,830

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

20 best online courses for lead infrastructure engineers

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

4. Active Directory on Windows Server

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4.6
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Learn how to deploy and manage all aspects of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and many more technologies...

5. Veeam Backup & Replication Course Zero to Mastery

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4.3
(926)

Take Backup & Restore from v Sphere & Hyper-V Replication & Disaster Recovery Secure Backup Data Upto V12...

6. Data Center Infrastructure Design - An Introduction

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4.5
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An overview of data center infrastructure design from a structured cabling system designer's perspective...

7. Linux High Availability Clustering on Veritas Cluster Server

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Veritas Cluster Server (VCS) on Linux Operating Systems. Create Disk Groups, Service Groups and Perform Failover Tests...

8. 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...

9. Build up on VMware vSphere & ESXi in Enterprise Environmmet

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Identity, Access, and Authentication with Microsoft AD and Identity with Windows Server 2016...

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13. An Introduction to Machine Learning for Data Engineers

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14. Learn Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Fundamentals

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15. VEEAM Backup & Replication V12 course / LAB & VMCE questions

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16. GCP - Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Certification

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17. Microsoft windows server 2016 industry lab MCSA fast track

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18. [Active Directory] Management using Windows PowerShell

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19. Azure Active Directory And Azure AD Domain Services

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Learn how Azure Active Directory, On-Premises Active directory and Azure AD Domain Services (AADDS) integrate together...

20. Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Course [2019 Update]

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Take this course to prepare for the GCP Data Engineers Exam. Updated to reflect latest exam content...

Top 10 most affordable universities for lead infrastructure engineers

The most affordable schools for lead infrastructure engineers are Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, brigham young university, and purdue university.

If the best universities for lead infrastructure 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 lead infrastructure 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. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$7,879

Cost of attendance

21,223

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

7. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,914

Cost of attendance

13,564

8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

9. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

10. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for lead infrastructure engineers

The hardest universities for lead infrastructure engineers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

Some great schools for lead infrastructure 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 lead infrastructure 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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. Tulane University

New Orleans, LA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,428

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for lead infrastructure engineers

The easiest schools for lead infrastructure engineers to get into are Linfield College, iona college, and gwynedd mercy university.

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

1. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

2. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

6. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

8. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

9. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

10. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

Average lead infrastructure engineer salary by education level

Lead infrastructure engineers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $133,768 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, lead infrastructure engineers earn a median annual income of $129,667 compared to $118,884 for lead infrastructure engineers with an Associate degree.
Lead infrastructure engineer education levelLead infrastructure engineer salary
Master's Degree$133,768
High School Diploma or Less$117,555
Bachelor's Degree$129,667
Some College/ Associate Degree$118,884

Lead infrastructure 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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