Mainframe systems programmer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a mainframe systems programmer. Mainframe systems programmers usually study computer science, business, or mathematics. 68% of mainframe systems programmers hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 205 real mainframe systems programmer resumes to see exactly what mainframe systems programmer education sections show.

The most common colleges for mainframe systems programmers are the University of South Carolina - Columbia and the University of South Carolina - Columbia.

There are also many online mainframe systems programmer courses to help get the education required to be a mainframe systems programmer.

What education do you need to become a mainframe systems programmer?

What degree do you need to be a mainframe systems programmer?

The most common degree for mainframe systems programmers is bachelor's degree, with 68% of mainframe systems programmers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 10%.

Bachelor's, 68%

Associate, 20%

Master's, 10%

High School Diploma, 1%

Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a mainframe systems programmer?

You should major in computer science to become a mainframe systems programmer. 41% of mainframe systems programmers major in computer science. Other common majors for a mainframe systems programmer include business and mathematics.

Computer Science, 41%

Business, 14%

Mathematics, 6%

Computer Information Systems, 5%

Other Majors, 34%

Most common colleges for mainframe systems programmers

Mainframe systems programmers often get their degrees at University of South Carolina - Columbia, Cairn University, and Minnesota State University - Mankato. Here are the most common colleges for mainframe systems programmers in the US based on their resumes.

Mainframe systems programmer common college	Percentages
University of South Carolina - Columbia	10.00%
Cairn University	6.67%
Minnesota State University - Mankato	6.67%
North Carolina Central University	6.67%
Fairleigh Dickinson University	6.67%

Show more common mainframe systems programmer colleges

Best majors for mainframe systems programmers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Computer Science	40.9%
2	Business	13.6%
3	Mathematics	6.1%
4	Computer Information Systems	5.3%
5	Computer Programming	5.3%

Show more common mainframe systems programmer majors

Best colleges for mainframe systems programmers

The best colleges for mainframe systems programmers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A mainframe systems programmer 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 programmers. 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 programmers.

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 mainframe systems programmers

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3. Mainframe: Code DB2 on COBOL Programs for Absolute Beginners

4.5

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Master the DDL and DML operations on DB2. Code multiple COBOL DB2 Programs. Master the concept of Cursors on DB2...

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4.4

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The first step in learning about Mainframes. Covers COBOL, JCL, VSAM, TSO/ISPF, Unix System Services and CICS...

8. Mainframe - CICS - Beginner to Expert

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Comprehensive IBM Mainframe CICS Course: Bridging Theory and Real-World Practice in an Understandable Manner...

9. Mainframe DB2 Developer Training By Anil Polsani

4.6

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DB2- Pre-compilation - Cursor - Restart logic - sqlcode - Load & Unload...

10. Mainframe: The Complete COBOL Course From Beginner To Expert

4.5

(3,088)

Become an Expert on COBOL Programs by coding it. Run COBOL Programs with JCL. Basic TSO/ISPF operations are also covered...

11. Mainframe: The Complete JCL Course from Beginner to Expert

4.5

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Best TSO/ISPF Course. TSO and ISPF commands are explained in detail. Simplified COBOL covered as bonus along with JCL...

13. The Complete Job Control Language (JCL) Course.

4.5

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Mainframe JCL Procedures, SORT, GDGs, Libraries, Utilities such as IEBCOPY, IEBGENER etc are explained in detail...

14. Websphere MQ for Mainframe - A Beginners Guide

4.2

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A Beginners Guide towards learning and programming Websphere MQ. Mainframe and Distributed will be benefited alike...

15. 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...

16. TCP/IP Training Video A Definitive & Easy To Follow Course

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Essential TCP/IP Training Course For Professionals Who Manages Servers, Networks Or Any Other Network Connected Device...

17. Fundamentals of Unix and Linux System Administration

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Master Linux/Unix System administration through a practical and hands on approach...

18. Veeam Backup & Replication Course Zero to Mastery

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

19. TCP/IP Socket Programming in C#.Net For Coders & Students

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C# Networking in TCP IP Socket Library - Examples in Win Forms With async/await Tutorial, Client Server Example Code...

20. Master Class: TCP/IP Mechanics from Scratch to Expert

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Networking Course, UDP, TCP IP protocol Suite, Flow and Congestion Control, CCNA and others, TCP/IP Complete Course...

Top 10 most affordable universities for mainframe systems programmers

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

If the best universities for mainframe systems programmers 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 programmers.

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 mainframe systems programmers

The hardest universities for mainframe systems programmers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for mainframe systems programmers 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 programmers 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

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

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 mainframe systems programmers

The easiest schools for mainframe systems programmers 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 a mainframe systems programmer 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 programmers.

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 mainframe systems programmer salary by education level

Mainframe systems programmers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $94,731 annually. With a Master's degree, mainframe systems programmers earn a median annual income of $92,641 compared to $89,316 for mainframe systems programmers with an Bachelor's degree.

Mainframe systems programmer education level	Mainframe systems programmer salary
Master's Degree	$92,641
Bachelor's Degree	$89,316
Doctorate Degree	$94,731
Some College/ Associate Degree	$79,809

Mainframe systems programmer education FAQs

What is the best college for Mainframe Systems Programmers?

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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