Windows engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a windows engineer. Windows engineers usually study computer science, business, or computer information systems. 69% of windows engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 452 real windows engineer resumes to see exactly what windows engineer education sections show.

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

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

What education do you need to become a windows engineer?

What degree do you need to be a windows engineer?

The most common degree for windows engineers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of windows engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 69%

Associate, 15%

Master's, 11%

Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a windows engineer?

You should major in computer science to become a windows engineer. 23% of windows engineers major in computer science. Other common majors for a windows engineer include business and computer information systems.

Computer Science, 23%

Business, 14%

Computer Information Systems, 9%

Information Technology, 7%

Other Majors, 47%

Most common colleges for windows engineers

Windows engineers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and Mississippi State University. Here are the most common colleges for windows engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Windows engineer common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	17.39%
DeVry University	8.70%
Mississippi State University	8.70%
Strayer University	6.52%
National University	4.35%

Show more common windows engineer colleges

Best majors for windows engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Computer Science	23.2%
2	Business	13.7%
3	Computer Information Systems	8.9%
4	Information Technology	7.4%
5	Electrical Engineering	6.3%

Show more common windows engineer majors

Best colleges for windows engineers

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

A windows 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 windows 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 windows 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 windows engineers

Advertising disclosure

1. [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...

2. 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!...

3. Introduction to Windows Server 2016 for Beginners

4.7

(320)

Learn Windows Server 2016: Active Directory, DHCP, DNS, IIS, Group Policy, RDP, WSUS, FSRM, Power Shell, and Much More!...

4. 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...

5. VMware vSphere 6.0 Part 6 - P2V Migrations With Converter

4.7

(267)

Learn how to install and use VMware v Center Converter to successfully migrate Windows or Linux machines to v Sphere VMs...

6. Windows Server 2022 administration course. Lecture and Sims

4.6

(1,377)

Learn how to expertly administer Windows Server 2022 with lecture and hands on simulations available 24/7...

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. Windows Server 2019 Administration

4.6

(7,325)

Learn Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, Storage, Backup, Azure integration and More...

9. Mastering DNS on Windows Server

4.4

(1,922)

Learn to Install, Configure and Troubleshoot a Windows DNS Server...

10. Windows Server 2016 Administration

4.5

(6,400)

Windows Server 2016: Nano Server, Server Core, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Hyper-V, WDS, WSUS, NLB and more...

11. Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Training for Beginners

4.5

(11,643)

Install Windows Server 2016, Build a Windows Domain, Domain Controller, Learn DHCP, Install Windows 10, and much more.....

12. Complete Windows Server Administration Course

4.5

(3,749)

Installation and configuration of Domain Controller, Active Directory, DNS, Web Server (IIS), Group Policy, WSUS and more...

13. 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...

14. MTA: Windows Server 2016 Administration Fundamentals: 98-365

4.5

(1,794)

Windows Server 2016 Edition. Master all core exam topics: AD, DNS, DHCP, DFS, IIS, RDS.....

15. VMware vSphere 6.0 Part 5 - VM Backup and Replication

4.7

(298)

Learn to backup and recover VMs using VMware Data Protection and how to replicate VMs using v Sphere Replication...

16. VMware vSphere 6.0 Part 1 - Virtualization, ESXi and VMs

4.3

(4,144)

Learn VMware's ESXi 6 Hyperisor, Virtual Networking, NFS Shares and Virtual Machines. Learn how with Video Demos...

17. Windows Server 2012 R2 - Preparation to exam 70-410

(354)

Gain MCSA or MCSE title, This course covers everything you need to pass the Microsoft Exam 70-410...

18. Domain Name System (DNS) Administration- Windows Server 2016

4.1

(523)

DNS Server installation and domain name / zone setup on Windows Server 2016 using the Server Manager & DNS MMC Consoles...

19. 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....

20. Learning Windows PowerShell

4.4

(6,317)

A comprehensive guide to using Windows Power Shell for System Administrators...

Top 10 most affordable universities for windows engineers

The most affordable schools for windows 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 windows 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 windows 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 windows engineers

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

Some great schools for windows 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 windows 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 windows engineers

The easiest schools for windows 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 windows 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 windows 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 windows engineer salary by education level

According to our data, windows engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $101,114 annually. Windows engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $97,840.

Windows engineer education level	Windows engineer salary
Master's Degree	$101,114
High School Diploma or Less	$88,203
Bachelor's Degree	$97,840
Some College/ Associate Degree	$89,257

Windows engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Windows Engineers?

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

Search for windows engineer 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