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Software support manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a software support manager. Software support managers usually study business, computer science, or computer information systems. 67% of software support managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 924 real software support manager resumes to see exactly what software support manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for software support managers are the St. Petersburg College and the St. Petersburg College.

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

What education do you need to become a software support manager?

What degree do you need to be a software support manager?

The most common degree for software support managers is bachelor's degree, with 67% of software support managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Associate, 16%
  • Master's, 13%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a software support manager?

You should major in business to become a software support manager. 20% of software support managers major in business. Other common majors for a software support manager include computer science and computer information systems.

Most common colleges for software support managers

Software support managers often get their degrees at St. Petersburg College, University of Phoenix, and Western Michigan University. Here are the most common colleges for software support managers in the US based on their resumes.
Software support manager common collegePercentages
St. Petersburg College6.98%
University of Phoenix6.98%
Western Michigan University6.98%
Michigan Technological University4.65%
University of Florida4.65%

Best majors for software support managers

Best colleges for software support managers

The best colleges for software support managers are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A software support manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for software support managers. 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 software support managers.

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

2. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for software support managers

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6. IT Business Analyst & Project Managers Technical awareness

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Top 10 most affordable universities for software support managers

The most affordable schools for software support managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for software support managers 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 software support managers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

8. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for software support managers

The hardest universities for software support managers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for software support managers 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 software support managers 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

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for software support managers

The easiest schools for software support managers to get into are Barry University, ottawa university, and capitol technology university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a software support manager 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 software support managers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

3. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

4. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Chestnut Hill College

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,026

9. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

10. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

Average software support manager salary by education level

According to our data, software support managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $115,634 annually. Software support managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $113,514.
Software support manager education levelSoftware support manager salary
Master's Degree$113,514
Bachelor's Degree$107,069
Doctorate Degree$115,634
Some College/ Associate Degree$90,977

Software support manager 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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