Network support engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a network support engineer. Network support engineers usually study electrical engineering, computer science, or information technology. 64% of network support engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,631 real network support engineer resumes to see exactly what network support engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for network support engineers are the DeVry University and the DeVry University.

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

There are certain network support engineer certifications that you should consider. These network support engineer certifications include CCNP Service Provider Operations (CCNP) and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).

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

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

The most common degree for network support engineers is bachelor's degree, with 64% of network support engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 64%

Associate, 17%

Master's, 11%

Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 4%

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

You should major in electrical engineering to become a network support engineer. 20% of network support engineers major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for a network support engineer include computer science and information technology.

Electrical Engineering, 20%

Computer Science, 17%

Information Technology, 9%

Business, 8%

Other Majors, 46%

Most common colleges for network support engineers

Network support engineers often get their degrees at DeVry University, University of Phoenix, and George Mason University. Here are the most common colleges for network support engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Network support engineer common college	Percentages
DeVry University	15.85%
University of Phoenix	11.48%
George Mason University	8.20%
Strayer University	7.65%
Wichita State University	4.92%

Show more common network support engineer colleges

Best majors for network support engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Electrical Engineering	20.0%
2	Computer Science	16.6%
3	Information Technology	8.5%
4	Business	8.1%
5	Computer Networking	7.6%

Show more common network support engineer majors

Best colleges for network support engineers

The best colleges for network support engineers are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A network support 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 support 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 support engineers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$8,184

Enrollment

11,675

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

5. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$19,080

Enrollment

19,127

6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Enrollment

4,169

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,646

Enrollment

5,736

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

20 best online courses for network support engineers

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4. Computer Hardware, Operating System and Networking

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6. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp

4.5

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7. Introduction to Networking 2 Hour Crash Course

4.6

(4,667)

Learn the basics of IP, Ethernet, VPNs, WANs, DHCP, DNS, and more with no prior knowledge required...

8. Basic Computer Course - Windows 7/10 - IT & Desktop Support

4.7

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Basic computer course with troubleshooting skills -computer hardware and computer networking, for IT support technicians...

9. Networking Concepts with Socket Programming - Academic Level

4.6

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

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

4.8

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

4.7

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15. IT Support Technical Skills Helpdesk

4.7

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Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Learners...

16. Java Network Programming - TCP/IP Socket Programming

4.2

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Learn how to write powerful network applications...

17. Introduction to Networking

4.6

(678)

IPv4, Subnetting, DNS, DHCP, IPv6, Routing and Switching...

18. Fundamentals of Network Engineering

4.7

(2,316)

Understanding the first principles of networking to build low latency and high throughput backends...

19. Linux for Network Engineers: Practical Linux with GNS3

4.6

(4,430)

Linux for Networking Engineers (CCNA, CCNP, CCIE etc). Practical Linux with GNS3 = network programmability & automation...

20. GCP - Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer

4.4

(615)

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

Top 10 most affordable universities for network support engineers

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

If the best universities for network support 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 support engineers.

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 - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for network support engineers

The hardest universities for network support engineers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for network support 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 support 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

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for network support engineers

The easiest schools for network support engineers to get into are Capitol Technology University, oregon institute of technology, and kean university.

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

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. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

5. Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,072

6. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Winona, MN • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,148

7. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

8. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

9. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

10. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

Average network support engineer salary by education level

According to our data, network support engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $94,942 annually. Network support engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $92,256.

Network support engineer education level	Network support engineer salary
Master's Degree	$94,942
High School Diploma or Less	$84,281
Bachelor's Degree	$92,256
Some College/ Associate Degree	$85,159

Network support engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Network Support Engineers?

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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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