Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Senior help desk specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a senior help desk specialist. Senior help desk specialists usually study computer science, business, or computer information systems. 53% of senior help desk specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 327 real senior help desk specialist resumes to see exactly what senior help desk specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for senior help desk specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online senior help desk specialist courses to help get the education required to be a senior help desk specialist.
What education do you need to become a senior help desk specialist?
What degree do you need to be a senior help desk specialist?
- Bachelor's, 53%
- Associate, 28%
- Master's, 5%
- High School Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 9%
What should I major in to become a senior help desk specialist?
- Computer Science, 17%
- Business, 14%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for senior help desk specialists
| Senior help desk specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 15.22% |
| DeVry University | 10.87% |
| Broward College | 6.52% |
| George Mason University | 6.52% |
| Northern Illinois University | 6.52% |
Best majors for senior help desk specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Science | 17.1% |
| 2 | Business | 14.5% |
| 3 | Computer Information Systems | 9.9% |
| 4 | Information Technology | 9.9% |
| 5 | Electrical Engineering | 8.6% |
Best colleges for senior help desk specialists
The best colleges for senior help desk specialists are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A senior help desk specialist 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 help desk specialists. 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 help desk specialists.
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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
6. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
7. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,530
Enrollment
4,571
20 best online courses for senior help desk specialists
Advertising disclosure
1. Customer Service Fundamentals
There are a growing number of exciting, well-paying jobs in today’s tech industry that do not require a traditional college degree, an one of the hottest areas with high demand is in IT customer service and support. Customer Service is a perfect entry point to start your career in IT, with a multitude of job openings ranging from onsite or remote help desk work to customer care or client support. We can help you get there with the Customer Service Fundamentals course. We will help you to build...
2. Help Desk Analyst
Boost your career with this course, pass the e-Learning course, and achieve your Help Desk Analyst certificate...
3. IT Help Desk for Beginners
The essentials to become an IT Help Desk Technician...
4. IT Help Desk Professional
Get Hands-On Experience on Helpdesk Skills, Learn, Master & Troubleshoot All What It Takes To Get You a Job...
5. Learning IT Help Desk Basics
Get the skills you need to pursue an entry-level position as an IT help desk technician...
6. ComputerCavalry: IT Help Desk Training for IT Professionals!
Help Desk Training for IT Professionals is a 10 lecture course that provides valuable work experience to beginners in IT...
7. Learning IT Help Desk for Beginners
Must know skills for Helpdesk and Service Desk Professionals!!...
8. Help Desk Professional: A guide to your IT career
Master the Help desk position by working smarter and boost your career opportunities...
9. Service Desk Analyst Crash course for beginners.
Get Hands-On Experience for following JOB roles - Service Desk Analyst IT Help Desk Professional L1 IT Support GSD...
10. IT Support and Service Desk jobs -Crash Course for Beginners
Let me help you land your first job in IT. Learn about different roles, procedures, tools, and applications - Part 1...
11. Computer Hardware, Operating System and Networking
For Any Graduates/Engineering/Diploma/Arts & Science/Freshers/Home Users/Individuals/Desktop Support/FM/Service Engineer...
12. IT service operations and Service Desk management
Improve Service Desk and IT support processes and service functions. Better preparation for the professional exam...
13. Desktop IT Support Level 1 & 2 in real life (Troubleshooting
Learn everything in real life Troubleshooting for IT Help Desk , Helpdesk , IT Support , System Administration and IT...
14. Windows Server 2019: Active Directory, GPO, R. Server Access
Training For Beginners - Become a Network Administrator in Microsoft Windows Server 2019 with Remote Server Access!...
15. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp
Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Professionals...
16. Computer Network Fundamentals- IT Helpdesk & Desktop Support
Learn the basic fundamentals of computer networking & OSI model for desktop support and IT service desk technicians...
17. Active Directory on Windows Server
Learn how to deploy and manage all aspects of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and many more technologies...
18. Citrix Fundamentals for Beginners.
Learn to support end-users accessing virtual apps and desktops as part of a Citrix solution...
19. Active Directory and Windows Server 40+ Hour with Labs
Domain Controllers (DC), Global Catalog, FSMO, Groups, Users, Security, Domains and Forests ,Trusts, GPO, much more....
20. TOTAL: Active Directory with Windows Server 2016
Identity, Access, and Authentication with Microsoft AD and Identity with Windows Server 2016...
Top 10 most affordable universities for senior help desk specialists
The most affordable schools for senior help desk specialists are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for senior help desk specialists 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 help desk specialists.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
8. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
10. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior help desk specialists
The hardest universities for senior help desk specialists to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for senior help desk specialists 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 help desk specialists 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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,415
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior help desk specialists
The easiest schools for senior help desk specialists to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and nyack college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior help desk specialist 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 help desk specialists.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
4. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
8. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
9. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
10. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
Average senior help desk specialist salary by education level
| Senior help desk specialist education level | Senior help desk specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $66,902 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $49,270 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $56,376 |
| Doctorate Degree | $63,212 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $50,589 |
Senior help desk specialist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.
Search for senior help desk specialist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025