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Network engineer internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a network engineer internship. Network engineer interns usually study electrical engineering, computer science, or computer networking. 66% of network engineer interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,095 real network engineer internship resumes to see exactly what network engineer internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for network engineer interns are the University of Maryland - College Park and the University of Maryland - College Park.

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

There are certain network engineer internship certifications that you should consider. These network engineer internship certifications include CCNA Routing and Switching Certification (CCNA RS) and CCNA.

What education do you need to become a network engineer internship?

What degree do you need to be a network engineer internship?

The most common degree for network engineer interns is bachelor's degree, with 66% of network engineer interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 19% and master's degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 66%
  • Master's, 19%
  • Associate, 11%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a network engineer internship?

You should major in electrical engineering to become a network engineer internship. 26% of network engineer interns major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for a network engineer internship include computer science and computer networking.

Most common colleges for network engineer interns

Network engineer interns often get their degrees at University of Maryland - College Park, University of Colorado at Boulder, and George Mason University. Here are the most common colleges for network engineer interns in the US based on their resumes.
Network engineer internship common collegePercentages
University of Maryland - College Park11.35%
University of Colorado at Boulder8.51%
George Mason University8.51%
San Jose State University7.80%
Northeastern University7.09%

Best majors for network engineer interns

Best colleges for network engineer interns

The best colleges for network engineer interns are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

A network engineer internship with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for network engineer interns. 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 network engineer interns.

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. 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 Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$8,184

Enrollment

11,675

7. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$19,080

Enrollment

19,127

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

9. Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,646

Enrollment

5,736

10. University of California, Irvine

Irvine, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,700

Enrollment

29,722

20 best online courses for network engineer interns

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3. Mastering Modbus TCP/IP Network Communication

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4. Networking Concepts with Socket Programming - Academic Level

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Networking course with socket programming concepts in depth with TCP/UDP/HTTP Socket Programming for beginners to expert...

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

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4.7
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Networking Course, UDP, TCP IP protocol Suite, Flow and Congestion Control, CCNA and others, TCP/IP Complete Course...

6. GCP - Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer

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Pass Google Cloud Professional Network Certification with 15+ Hours of HD quality video and 90+ Hands-on Practical labs...

7. General Networking - wireless, routers, firewalls, Cisco NAS

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8. Computer Network Cabling: Ethernet Wiring Infrastructure

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The Physical Side of Computer Networking; Wire Ethernet Cables from Scratch and Master the Fundamentals of RJ-45 Ports...

9. Ansible for Network Engineers: Quick Start GNS3 & Ansible

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10. Computer Networks Foundations - Best Starter Course [2023]

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11. Introduction to Networking 2 Hour Crash Course

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12. Microsoft Networking Fundamentals

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13. Fundamentals of Network Engineering

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14. 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...

15. Python Network Programming for Network Engineers (Python 3)

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Program networks using Python version 3. Learn network programmability with this practical GNS3 and Cisco course...

16. Java Network Programming - TCP/IP Socket Programming

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Learn how to write powerful network applications...

17. Virtual Private Networks for beginners - VPN, Cisco training

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Learn how VPN works and discover protocols like PPTP, L2TP, IPSec and SSL. Build your own VPN network at home. Security...

18. Python Programming for Network Engineers: Cisco, Netmiko ++

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(1,300)

Network Programmability and Network Automation using GNS3 and Python for Cisco engineers: Telnet, SSH, Paramiko, Netmiko...

19. The World of Computer Networking. Your CCNA starts here

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Learn everything about Internet - Ethernet, IP, Routing, Switching, TCP, UDP, NAT, DHCP and DNS, prepare for CCNA exam...

20. Networking Essentials

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Gain the essential knowledge and skills required to configure, troubleshoot, manage and protect a data network...

Top 10 most affordable universities for network engineer interns

The most affordable schools for network engineer interns are California State University - Long Beach, california state university - bakersfield, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for network engineer interns 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 network engineer interns.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

5. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

8. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for network engineer interns

The hardest universities for network engineer interns to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for network engineer interns 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 network engineer interns 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for network engineer interns

The easiest schools for network engineer interns to get into are Capitol Technology University, oregon institute of technology, and san francisco state university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a network engineer internship 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 network engineer interns.

1. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

2. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

3. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

4. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Winona, MN • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,148

5. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

6. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

9. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

10. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

Average network engineer internship salary by education level

Network engineer interns with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $79,721 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, network engineer interns earn a median annual income of $77,573 compared to $71,884 for network engineer interns with an Associate degree.
Network engineer internship education levelNetwork engineer internship salary
Master's Degree$79,721
High School Diploma or Less$71,179
Bachelor's Degree$77,573
Some College/ Associate Degree$71,884

Network engineer internship 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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