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Senior database engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior database engineer. Senior database engineers usually study computer science, electrical engineering, or business. 63% of senior database engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 670 real senior database engineer resumes to see exactly what senior database engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior database engineers are the University of Maryland - College Park and the University of Maryland - College Park.

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

There are certain senior database engineer certifications that you should consider. These senior database engineer certifications include Oracle Certified Professional - Oracle 9i Database Administrator (OCP) and Oracle 9i Database Administrator - Professional (OCP).

What education do you need to become a senior database engineer?

What degree do you need to be a senior database engineer?

The most common degree for senior database engineers is bachelor's degree, with 63% of senior database engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 25% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 63%
  • Master's, 25%
  • Associate, 7%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a senior database engineer?

You should major in computer science to become a senior database engineer. 32% of senior database engineers major in computer science. Other common majors for a senior database engineer include electrical engineering and business.

Most common colleges for senior database engineers

Senior database engineers often get their degrees at University of Maryland - College Park, University of Phoenix, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for senior database engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Senior database engineer common collegePercentages
University of Maryland - College Park10.81%
University of Phoenix9.46%
New York University8.11%
George Washington University, The6.76%
DeVry University5.41%

Best majors for senior database engineers

Best colleges for senior database engineers

The best colleges for senior database engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

A senior database 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 senior database 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 senior database engineers.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

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 Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

9. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

In-state tuition

$55,453

Enrollment

4,312

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

20 best online courses for senior database engineers

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Develop and Implement a Data Warehouse Solution Step by step...

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Become SQL database certified (MCSA and MTA certification)...

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8. Complete Microsoft SQL Server Database Design Masterclass

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Top 10 most affordable universities for senior database engineers

The most affordable schools for senior database engineers are Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, brigham young university, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for senior database 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 senior database 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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Laie, HI • Private

In-state tuition

$5,560

Cost of attendance

18,043

8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,872

Cost of attendance

13,476

9. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,914

Cost of attendance

13,564

10. Trident University International

Cypress, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,240

Cost of attendance

17,912

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior database engineers

The hardest universities for senior database engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for senior database 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 senior database 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. 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Amherst College

Amherst, MA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,449

5. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

6. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

7. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior database engineers

The easiest schools for senior database engineers to get into are Nyack College, saint martin's university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

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

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

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. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

8. Saint Xavier University

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

74%

SAT average

1,061

9. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Winona, MN • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,148

10. Longwood University

Farmville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,065

Average senior database engineer salary by education level

Senior database engineers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $136,958 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, senior database engineers earn a median annual income of $131,127 compared to $119,995 for senior database engineers with an Associate degree.
Senior database engineer education levelSenior database engineer salary
Master's Degree$136,958
Bachelor's Degree$131,127
Some College/ Associate Degree$119,995

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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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