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Mainframe systems administrator education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a mainframe systems administrator. Mainframe systems administrators usually study computer science, computer information systems, or electrical engineering technology. 74% of mainframe systems administrators hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 62 real mainframe systems administrator resumes to see exactly what mainframe systems administrator education sections show.
The most common colleges for mainframe systems administrators are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online mainframe systems administrator courses to help get the education required to be a mainframe systems administrator.
What education do you need to become a mainframe systems administrator?
What degree do you need to be a mainframe systems administrator?
- Bachelor's, 74%
- Associate, 18%
- High School Diploma, 6%
- Master's, 3%
What should I major in to become a mainframe systems administrator?
- Computer Science, 23%
- Business, 6%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for mainframe systems administrators
| Mainframe systems administrator common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.11% |
| Drexel University | 11.11% |
| Boston College | 5.56% |
| California State University - Dominguez Hills | 5.56% |
| Temple University | 5.56% |
Best majors for mainframe systems administrators
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Science | 22.9% |
| 2 | Computer Information Systems | 20.8% |
| 3 | Electrical Engineering Technology | 6.3% |
| 4 | Business | 6.3% |
| 5 | History | 4.2% |
Best colleges for mainframe systems administrators
The best colleges for mainframe systems administrators are Boston College, Boston University, and University of Chicago.
A mainframe systems 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 mainframe systems 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 mainframe systems administrators.
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
2. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$58,230
Enrollment
6,600
3. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
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 College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Enrollment
24,163
10. North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$9,101
Enrollment
23,708
20 best online courses for mainframe systems administrators
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1. IBM z/OS Mainframe Practitioner
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2. IBM Mainframe Developer
Gain the job-ready skills for an entry-level mainframe programming role. Mainframe computers continue to power many mission-critical, financial, banking, and government agency systems. There are 220 billion lines of COBOL in use today. 43% of banking systems are built on COBOL, and 95% percent of ATM swipes rely on COBOL code.¹\n\nCOBOL is scalable, mature, and self-documenting. You'll learn about COBOL from its birth and through its evolution. You'll learn new features and aspects of the...
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The first step in learning about Mainframes. Covers COBOL, JCL, VSAM, TSO/ISPF, Unix System Services and CICS...
4. Mainframe: Code DB2 on COBOL Programs for Absolute Beginners
Master the DDL and DML operations on DB2. Code multiple COBOL DB2 Programs. Master the concept of Cursors on DB2...
5. Linux System Administration with IBM Power Systems
This course introduces administrative tasks that a system administrator can perform with Linux hosted on IBM Power servers. This includes virtualization concepts such as logical partitioning, installation of Linux, command-line operations, and more interesting administration and device management tasks. This course includes hands-on exercises with systems from an IBM data center...
6. Mainframe CICS Developer Training By Anil Polsani
Simple Ways to Learn Best Concepts...
7. Fundamentals of Unix and Linux System Administration
Master Linux/Unix System administration through a practical and hands on approach...
8. Mainframe - CICS - Beginner to Expert
Comprehensive IBM Mainframe CICS Course: Bridging Theory and Real-World Practice in an Understandable Manner...
9. Mainframe: The Complete TSO/ISPF from Beginner to Expert
Best TSO/ISPF Course. TSO and ISPF commands are explained in detail. Simplified COBOL covered as bonus along with JCL...
10. Essential Tools for Windows System Administrators
[Windows] [System Administration] Learn Windows Builtin Tools & Open Source Tools for Efficient System Administration...
11. Mainframe: The Complete JCL Course from Beginner to Expert
Become an expert on JCL. Jcls are used for COBOL Programs. Procedures, Utilities, GDG and basics of TSO/ISPF are covered...
12. Mainframe DB2 Developer Training By Anil Polsani
DB2- Pre-compilation - Cursor - Restart logic - sqlcode - Load & Unload...
13. Advanced Linux System Administration
This course will teach you everything you need to know to be an Advanced system administrator...
14. The Complete Job Control Language (JCL) Course.
Mainframe JCL Procedures, SORT, GDGs, Libraries, Utilities such as IEBCOPY, IEBGENER etc are explained in detail...
15. AIX Administration for Absolute Beginners: Better than Linux
Learn IBM AIX System Administration, it's proven to be a far superior OS when compared to LINUX and other UNIX platforms...
16. ServiceNow Certified System Administrator(CSA) - Utah 2023
Service Now Certified System Administrator Utah release Use coupon code CSA OCT 2023 for discount...
17. Apple macOS and iOS System Administration 2019
Manage different. Learn to install, configure, and automate the maintenance of hundreds of mac OS and i OS devices...
18. Apple macOS and iOS System Administration 2022
Learn to install, configure, and automate the maintenance of mac OS and i OS devices using modern MDM techniques...
19. The Complete ServiceNow System Administrator Course (2016)
A Complete Beginner's Guide To Service Now Administration on the Eureka release...
20. ServiceNow System Administrator (CSA) Tests - October 2023
Practice for Service Now Certified System Administrator (CSA) exam with detailed answer explanations, screenshots & links...
Top 10 most affordable universities for mainframe systems administrators
The most affordable schools for mainframe systems administrators are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - long beach, and california state university - los angeles.
If the best universities for mainframe systems 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 mainframe systems administrators.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
6. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
7. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
8. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for mainframe systems administrators
The hardest universities for mainframe systems administrators to get into are Boston College, Boston University, and University of Chicago.
Some great schools for mainframe systems 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 mainframe systems 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. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
2. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
3. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
6. University of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK • Private
Admissions rate
41%
SAT average
1,321
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
10. American University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
32%
SAT average
1,320
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for mainframe systems administrators
The easiest schools for mainframe systems administrators to get into are Nyack College, la roche college, and cardinal stritch university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a mainframe systems 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 mainframe systems administrators.
1. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
2. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
3. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
4. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
5. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
6. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
7. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average mainframe systems administrator salary by education level
| Mainframe systems administrator education level | Mainframe systems administrator salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $103,110 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $90,029 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $99,794 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $91,098 |
Mainframe systems administrator education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025