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Support specialist/trainer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a support specialist/trainer. Support specialist/trainers usually study business, psychology, or nursing. 60% of support specialist/trainers hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,130 real support specialist/trainer resumes to see exactly what support specialist/trainer education sections show.

The most common colleges for support specialist/trainers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online support specialist/trainer courses to help get the education required to be a support specialist/trainer.

There are certain support specialist/trainer certifications that you should consider. These support specialist/trainer certifications include Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) and Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS).

What education do you need to become a support specialist/trainer?

What degree do you need to be a support specialist/trainer?

The most common degree for support specialist/trainers is bachelor's degree, with 60% of support specialist/trainers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 60%
  • Associate, 20%
  • Master's, 9%
  • High School Diploma, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a support specialist/trainer?

You should major in business to become a support specialist/trainer. 29% of support specialist/trainers major in business. Other common majors for a support specialist/trainer include psychology and nursing.

Most common colleges for support specialist/trainers

Support specialist/trainers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and Walden University. Here are the most common colleges for support specialist/trainers in the US based on their resumes.
Support specialist/trainer common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix22.75%
DeVry University7.78%
Walden University7.19%
University of Central Florida4.79%
Florida State University4.79%

Best majors for support specialist/trainers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business28.8%
2Psychology9.5%
3Nursing6.4%
4Communication5.3%
5Computer Science4.5%

Best colleges for support specialist/trainers

The best colleges for support specialist/trainers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

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

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

8. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

20 best online courses for support specialist/trainers

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1. Introduction to Technical Support

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3. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp

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5. Healthcare IT Support

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9. Network Support Fundamentals

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Dive into the realm of network support with the Network Support Fundamentals course. This online course is meticulously designed to introduce you to the essential skills needed for supporting enterprise networks - one of the most in-demand skill sets in the digital landscape. By the end of this course you will be able to explain network security basics, monitor network performance, and provide essential professional support. Ideal for beginners aiming for an entry-level IT career or current IT...

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11. IT service operations and Service Desk management

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14. Introduction to Business Support System - BSS

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15. Service Desk Analyst Crash course for beginners.

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19. Help Desk Analyst

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Help Desk Training for IT Professionals is a 10 lecture course that provides valuable work experience to beginners in IT...

Top 10 most affordable universities for support specialist/trainers

The most affordable schools for support specialist/trainers are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for support specialist/trainers 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 support specialist/trainers.

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. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for support specialist/trainers

The hardest universities for support specialist/trainers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for support specialist/trainers 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 support specialist/trainers 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for support specialist/trainers

The easiest schools for support specialist/trainers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, d'youville college, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a support specialist/trainer 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 support specialist/trainers.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average support specialist/trainer salary by education level

According to our data, support specialist/trainers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $59,193 annually. Support specialist/trainers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $55,447.
Support specialist/trainer education levelSupport specialist/trainer salary
Master's Degree$59,193
High School Diploma or Less$41,609
Bachelor's Degree$48,597
Doctorate Degree$55,447
Some College/ Associate Degree$42,895

Support specialist/trainer 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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