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Quality assurance education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a quality assurance. Quality assurances usually study business, computer science, or electrical engineering. 47% of quality assurances hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 18,907 real quality assurance resumes to see exactly what quality assurance education sections show.

The most common colleges for quality assurances are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online quality assurance courses to help get the education required to be a quality assurance.

There are certain quality assurance certifications that you should consider. These quality assurance certifications include Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and Certified Scrum Master (CSM).

What education do you need to become a quality assurance?

What degree do you need to be a quality assurance?

The most common degree for quality assurances is bachelor's degree, with 47% of quality assurances earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 16%.
  • Bachelor's, 47%
  • Associate, 17%
  • High School Diploma, 16%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 11%

What should I major in to become a quality assurance?

You should major in business to become a quality assurance. 20% of quality assurances major in business. Other common majors for a quality assurance include computer science and electrical engineering.

Most common colleges for quality assurances

Quality assurances often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for quality assurances in the US based on their resumes.
Quality assurance common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix18.34%
DeVry University7.99%
Pennsylvania State University5.33%
University of Maryland - College Park5.02%
San Jose State University5.02%

Best majors for quality assurances

RankMajorPercentages
1Business20.0%
2Computer Science12.2%
3Electrical Engineering6.7%
4Nursing6.3%
5Biology5.2%

Best colleges for quality assurances

The best colleges for quality assurances are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A quality assurance with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for quality assurances. 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 quality assurances.

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. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

20 best online courses for quality assurances

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3. Full Stack Web Developer

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4. Agile Software Development

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Learn best practices for using the Agile methodology to build better products faster and more efficiently...

5. Clinical Trials Data Management and Quality Assurance

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In this course, you’ll learn to collect and care for the data gathered during your trial and how to prevent mistakes and errors through quality assurance practices. Clinical trials generate an enormous amount of data, so you and your team must plan carefully by choosing the right collection instruments, systems, and measures to protect the integrity of your trial data. You’ll learn how to assemble, clean, and de-identify your datasets. Finally, you’ll learn to find and correct deficiencies...

6. Quality Assurance Mastery - Manual Software Testing

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7. The Complete Quality Assurance Course- Learn QA from Scratch

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8. Full Stack JavaScript Developer

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9. Cloud Developer using Microsoft Azure

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10. ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management System Implementation & Audit

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Learn how to Implement and Audit a Quality Management System as per ISO 9001: 2015...

11. ISO 9001:2015 Quality management system auditor

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13. PL/SQL by Example - Beginner to Advanced PL/SQL

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14. The Complete PL/SQL Bootcamp: Beginner to Advanced PL/SQL

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16. Oracle PL/SQL Fundamentals vol. I & II

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18. 200+ PL/SQL Interview Questions

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19. Complete Manual Testing + Agile + Scrum + Jira for beginner

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Complete Manual Testing With Bug Reporting Tool ALM/QC + BUGZILLA. Agile , Scrum ,Best QA Training For Beginners,...

20. ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor

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ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Internal Auditor...

Top 10 most affordable universities for quality assurances

The most affordable schools for quality assurances are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for quality assurances 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 quality assurances.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for quality assurances

The hardest universities for quality assurances to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for quality assurances 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 quality assurances 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

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for quality assurances

The easiest schools for quality assurances to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a quality assurance 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 quality assurances.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average quality assurance salary by education level

According to our data, quality assurances with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $68,279 annually. Quality assurances with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $67,622.
Quality assurance education levelQuality assurance salary
Master's Degree$67,622
Bachelor's Degree$56,181
Doctorate Degree$68,279
Some College/ Associate Degree$41,513

Quality assurance 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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