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Network infrastructure engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a network infrastructure engineer. Network infrastructure engineers usually study computer science, electrical engineering, or business. 63% of network infrastructure engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 404 real network infrastructure engineer resumes to see exactly what network infrastructure engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for network infrastructure engineers are the Strayer University and the Strayer University.
There are also many online network infrastructure engineer courses to help get the education required to be a network infrastructure engineer.
What education do you need to become a network infrastructure engineer?
What degree do you need to be a network infrastructure engineer?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Associate, 19%
- Master's, 12%
- Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a network infrastructure engineer?
- Computer Science, 21%
- Business, 8%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for network infrastructure engineers
| Network infrastructure engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Strayer University | 9.80% |
| New York University | 7.84% |
| DeVry University | 7.84% |
| University of Phoenix | 7.84% |
| Appalachian State University | 5.88% |
Best majors for network infrastructure engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Science | 20.8% |
| 2 | Electrical Engineering | 13.9% |
| 3 | Business | 7.9% |
| 4 | Computer Information Systems | 7.9% |
| 5 | Computer Networking | 7.4% |
Best colleges for network infrastructure engineers
The best colleges for network infrastructure engineers are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford University.
A network 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 network 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 network 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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
7. North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$9,101
Enrollment
23,708
8. Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ • Private
In-state tuition
$52,202
Enrollment
3,420
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$53,880
Enrollment
6,590
20 best online courses for network infrastructure engineers
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4. Introduction to Networking 2 Hour Crash Course
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8. Mastering Modbus TCP/IP Network Communication
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9. Computer Network Cabling: Ethernet Wiring Infrastructure
The Physical Side of Computer Networking; Wire Ethernet Cables from Scratch and Master the Fundamentals of RJ-45 Ports...
10. Networking Concepts with Socket Programming - Academic Level
Networking course with socket programming concepts in depth with TCP/UDP/HTTP Socket Programming for beginners to expert...
11. Ansible for Network Engineers: Quick Start GNS3 & Ansible
Ansible for Network Engineers with GNS3, Ansible and Cisco IOS. Learn Network Automation & Programmability = the future...
12. Python Programming for Network Engineers: Cisco, Netmiko ++
Network Programmability and Network Automation using GNS3 and Python for Cisco engineers: Telnet, SSH, Paramiko, Netmiko...
13. Introduction to Fortigate Firewall
Learn how to deploy Fortigate Firewall on your platform, configure routing, VPNs, HA clusters, and more...
14. Linux for Network Engineers: Practical Linux with GNS3
Linux for Networking Engineers (CCNA, CCNP, CCIE etc). Practical Linux with GNS3 = network programmability & automation...
15. Python Network Programming for Network Engineers (Python 3)
Program networks using Python version 3. Learn network programmability with this practical GNS3 and Cisco course...
16. GCP - Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer
Pass Google Cloud Professional Network Certification with 15+ Hours of HD quality video and 90+ Hands-on Practical labs...
17. Java Network Programming - TCP/IP Socket Programming
Learn how to write powerful network applications...
18. Fundamentals of Network Engineering
Understanding the first principles of networking to build low latency and high throughput backends...
19. Introduction to Networking
IPv4, Subnetting, DNS, DHCP, IPv6, Routing and Switching...
20. Microsoft Networking Fundamentals
Learn Windows-based networking, network management tools, DNS, TCP/IP, network protocols and much more!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for network infrastructure engineers
The most affordable schools for network infrastructure engineers are Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and clayton state university.
If the best universities for network 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 network 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. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$5,419
Cost of attendance
17,697
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - East Bay
Hayward, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,983
Cost of attendance
21,371
6. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
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. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Barranquitas
Barranquitas, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,902
Cost of attendance
13,479
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for network infrastructure engineers
The hardest universities for network infrastructure engineers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for network 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 network 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. 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
41%
SAT average
1,412
10. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,415
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for network infrastructure engineers
The easiest schools for network infrastructure engineers to get into are Saint Martin's University, nyack college, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a network 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 network infrastructure engineers.
1. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
2. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
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. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Winona, MN • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,148
9. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average network infrastructure engineer salary by education level
| Network infrastructure engineer education level | Network infrastructure engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $94,742 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $80,019 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $90,964 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $81,204 |
Network infrastructure engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025