Senior linux engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior linux engineer. Senior linux engineers usually study computer science, electrical engineering, or information technology. 75% of senior linux engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,407 real senior linux engineer resumes to see exactly what senior linux engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior linux engineers are the The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler and the The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler.

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

There are certain senior linux engineer certifications that you should consider. These senior linux engineer certifications include Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) and Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA).

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

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

The most common degree for senior linux engineers is bachelor's degree, with 75% of senior linux engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 75%

Master's, 13%

Associate, 7%

Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 3%

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

You should major in computer science to become a senior linux engineer. 34% of senior linux engineers major in computer science. Other common majors for a senior linux engineer include electrical engineering and information technology.

Computer Science, 34%

Electrical Engineering, 14%

Information Technology, 12%

Computer Engineering, 5%

Other Majors, 35%

Most common colleges for senior linux engineers

Senior linux engineers often get their degrees at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, University of Phoenix, and University of Houston. Here are the most common colleges for senior linux engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Senior linux engineer common college	Percentages
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler	9.23%
University of Phoenix	9.23%
University of Houston	7.69%
The University of Findlay	6.15%
Bryn Mawr College	6.15%

Show more common senior linux engineer colleges

Best majors for senior linux engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Computer Science	33.6%
2	Electrical Engineering	14.0%
3	Information Technology	11.7%
4	Computer Engineering	5.4%
5	Engineering	5.2%

Show more common senior linux engineer majors

Best colleges for senior linux engineers

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

A senior linux 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 linux 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 linux 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 linux engineers

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1. AIX Administration for Absolute Beginners: Better than Linux

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4.4

(633)

Get skills needed for RHCA/RHCE. Gain sufficient skill to perform system administration tasks on Red Hat Linux in 2023...

3. Ermin Kreponic's Course for CentOS and Red Hat Linux - RHCSA

4.3

(3,105)

Learn the basics of Cent OS and Red Hat Linux! Prepare and pass the Red Hat certified system administrator (RHCSA) exam!...

4. Fundamentals of Unix and Linux System Administration

4.2

(1,085)

Master Linux/Unix System administration through a practical and hands on approach...

5. Linux Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE - EX294)

4.6

(457)

Everything you need to know about Linux Automation with Ansible...

6. Complete Red Hat System Administration Boot Camp - RHCSA 9

4.3

(1,432)

Learn Linux and everything you need to pass RHCSA (RHEL 9) EX200 certification exam - Unofficial Red Hat Training...

7. 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...

8. Linux High Availability Clustering on Veritas Cluster Server

4.4

(358)

Veritas Cluster Server (VCS) on Linux Operating Systems. Create Disk Groups, Service Groups and Perform Failover Tests...

9. RHCE Linux System Engineer Complete Course

(819)

RHCE Complete Linux Administration Course covering advanced Network, Storage...

10. Linux Certified System Admin - SA1 (RHEL7)

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Prepare for Linux Exam and gain sufficient skill to perform core system administration tasks...

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15. Linux for Beginners: Linux Basics

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Linux For Beginners covers Linux basics. You will learn Linux fundamental skills; Command line, Linux Administration...

16. Linux Diagnostics And Troubleshooting

4.4

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This course is aimed at senior system administrators who wish to learn more about troubleshooting, various assignment...

17. Linux Administration: Build 5 Hands-On Linux Projects 2023

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Learn Linux by Doing with 5 Projects: Docker, Secure Linux, Run Web and DNS Servers, Run a Mail System, Automate Linux...

18. Linux Redhat System Administration II - SA2 (RHEL8)

4.5

(802)

Key tasks needed to become a full time Linux Administrator and to validate those skills via the Linux Certified System...

19. Linux Redhat System Administration I - SA1 (RHEL8)

4.3

(2,195)

Prepare for first level of Linux Exam and gain sufficient skill to perform core system administration tasks...

20. Linux KVM for System Engineers

4.1

(331)

Learn KVM Installation, Configuration and Administration...

Top 10 most affordable universities for senior linux engineers

The most affordable schools for senior linux 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 linux 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 linux 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 linux engineers

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

Some great schools for senior linux 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 linux 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

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

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

SAT average

1,520

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

The easiest schools for senior linux 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 linux 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 linux 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 linux engineer salary by education level

Senior linux engineers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $121,548 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, senior linux engineers earn a median annual income of $117,784 compared to $107,890 for senior linux engineers with an Associate degree.

Senior linux engineer education level	Senior linux engineer salary
Master's Degree	$121,548
High School Diploma or Less	$106,671
Bachelor's Degree	$117,784
Some College/ Associate Degree	$107,890

Senior linux engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Senior Linux Engineers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.

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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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