Tier education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a tier. Tiers usually study computer science, business, or information technology. 35% of tiers hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 765 real tier resumes to see exactly what tier education sections show.

The most common colleges for tiers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online tier courses to help get the education required to be a tier.

What education do you need to become a tier?

What degree do you need to be a tier?

The most common degree for tiers is bachelor's degree, with 35% of tiers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 27% and associate degree degree at 22%.

Bachelor's, 35%

Associate, 27%

High School Diploma, 22%

Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a tier?

You should major in computer science to become a tier. 16% of tiers major in computer science. Other common majors for a tier include business and information technology.

Computer Science, 16%

Business, 14%

Information Technology, 11%

Computer Information Systems, 8%

Other Majors, 51%

Most common colleges for tiers

Tiers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Ashford University, and Strayer University. Here are the most common colleges for tiers in the US based on their resumes.

Tier common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	21.88%
Ashford University	7.81%
Strayer University	6.25%
Austin Community College	6.25%
Ohio State University	4.69%

Show more common tier colleges

Best majors for tiers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Computer Science	15.9%
2	Business	14.2%
3	Information Technology	10.8%
4	Computer Information Systems	8.2%
5	Computer Networking	6.0%

Show more common tier majors

Best colleges for tiers

The best colleges for tiers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

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

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 tiers

Advertising disclosure

1. Network Tiers - Optimizing Network Spend

This is a self-paced lab that takes place in the Google Cloud console. In this lab, you create one VM in the premium network service tier (default) and one VM in the standard network service tier. Then you compare the latency and routes for each VM instance...

2. Active Directory on Windows Server

4.6

(8,804)

Learn how to deploy and manage all aspects of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and many more technologies...

3. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp

4.5

(1,653)

Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Professionals...

4. TCP/IP Training Video A Definitive & Easy To Follow Course

4.3

(906)

Essential TCP/IP Training Course For Professionals Who Manages Servers, Networks Or Any Other Network Connected Device...

5. [Active Directory] Management using Windows PowerShell

4.5

(1,078)

[Power Shell] Simplified practical knowledge for automation & management of [Active Directory] using Windows Power Shell...

6. Windows Server 2019: Active Directory, GPO, R. Server Access

4.7

(4,916)

Training For Beginners - Become a Network Administrator in Microsoft Windows Server 2019 with Remote Server Access!...

7. TOTAL: Active Directory with Windows Server 2016

4.6

(2,189)

Identity, Access, and Authentication with Microsoft AD and Identity with Windows Server 2016...

8. Master Class: TCP/IP Mechanics from Scratch to Expert

4.7

(798)

Networking Course, UDP, TCP IP protocol Suite, Flow and Congestion Control, CCNA and others, TCP/IP Complete Course...

9. Azure Active Directory And Azure AD Domain Services

4.5

(5,411)

Learn how Azure Active Directory, On-Premises Active directory and Azure AD Domain Services (AADDS) integrate together...

10. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs

4.5

(651)

Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...

11. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

4.5

(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

12. IT Support Technical Skills Helpdesk

4.7

(1,561)

Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Learners...

13. Active Directory and Windows Server 40+ Hour with Labs

4.4

(283)

Domain Controllers (DC), Global Catalog, FSMO, Groups, Users, Security, Domains and Forests ,Trusts, GPO, much more....

14. Azure Active Directory Masterclass

4.6

(1,270)

Learn to be a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Azure Active Directory...

15. Azure - Active Directory

4.1

(1,363)

Learn Azure as it pertains to Active Directory...

16. Mastering Modbus TCP/IP Network Communication

4.8

(1,422)

Learn how to design, build and troubleshoot Modbus TCP/IP client-server networks...

17. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

4.6

(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

18. Active Directory Pentesting Full Course - Red Team Hacking

4.4

(546)

Attacking and Hacking Active Directory...

19. How to automate active directory labs for pentesting

4.2

(1,975)

How to automate active directory based demo labs for pentesting, hacking and training requirements...

20. PowerShell for Active Directory Administrators

4.5

(5,027)

Use Power Shell to manage Active Directory users, computer, groups, security settings and more on Windows Server...

Top 10 most affordable universities for tiers

The most affordable schools for tiers are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for tiers 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 tiers.

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 tiers

The hardest universities for tiers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for tiers 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 tiers 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

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 tiers

The easiest schools for tiers 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 tier 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 tiers.

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 tier salary by education level

Tiers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $42,839 annually. With a Doctorate degree, tiers earn a median annual income of $40,616 compared to $36,475 for tiers with an Bachelor's degree.

Tier education level	Tier salary
Master's Degree	$42,839
High School Diploma or Less	$32,139
Bachelor's Degree	$36,475
Doctorate Degree	$40,616
Some College/ Associate Degree	$32,947

Tier education FAQs

What is the best college for Tiers?

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

Search for tier jobs

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

Browse computer and mathematical jobs