Alabama·Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1242

Best Database Administrator programs in Alabama, ranked by enrollment

Administer, test, and implement computer databases, applying knowledge of database management systems. Coordinate changes to computer databases.

40 schools in Alabama run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,506 people a year. The job pays a median of $93,900 in Alabama across about 1,840 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledDatabase AnalystDatabase Administrator (DBA)Database Administration ManagerSystems Administrator (Systems Admin)Data MinerData EngineerDatabase TesterDatabase Manager
Graduates / yr
2,506
in Alabama
Median pay · Alabama
$93,900
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,840
people employed
Schools
40
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
43%
across those schools
Median net price
$22,923
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Alabama that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

3 programs in Alabama that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Alabama (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Alabama page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 11.0101In Alabama
2,154
86.0%
36$57,986$24,286
2
CIP 11.1003In Alabama
333
13.3%
11$48,185$25,250
3
CIP 11.0802In Alabama
19
0.8%
1$33,504$27,000

Top 25 schools in Alabama

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 12 of the 40 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1John C Calhoun State Community College
Tanner, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
447Computer and Information Sciences, General$36,25841%
2University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
365Computer and Information Sciences, General$69,63364%88%
3Auburn University
Auburn, AL Public · 3 feeder programs
197Computer and Information Sciences, General$72,44082%46%
4The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
179Computer and Information Sciences, General$83,65173%77%
5Columbia Southern University
Orange Beach, AL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
149Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance$61,89433%$15,554
6Troy University
Troy, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
128Computer and Information Sciences, General$58,40750%96%
7Jefferson State Community College
Birmingham, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
91Computer and Information Sciences, General26%
8Bevill State Community College
Jasper, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
89Computer and Information Sciences, General38%
9Gadsden State Community College
Gadsden, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
83Computer and Information Sciences, General38%
10George C Wallace Community College - Dothan
Dothan, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
82Computer and Information Sciences, General35%
11George C Wallace State Community College - Hanceville
Hanceville, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
69Computer and Information Sciences, General51%
12Central Alabama Community College
Alexander City, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
68Computer and Information Sciences, General33%
13Snead State Community College
Boaz, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
64Computer and Information Sciences, General49%
14University of North Alabama
Florence, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
51Computer and Information Sciences, General$68,99655%87%
15Alabama A & M University
Normal, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
46Computer and Information Sciences, General$63,90024%58%
16George C Wallace State Community College - Selma
Selma, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
42Computer and Information Sciences, General41%
17Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
33Computer and Information Sciences, General$62,79555%78%
18University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
33Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance64%69%
19Northwest Shoals Community College
Muscle Shoals, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
32Computer and Information Sciences, General39%
20Auburn University at Montgomery
Montgomery, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
28Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance33%92%
21Coastal Alabama Community College
Bay Minette, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
27Computer and Information Sciences, General31%
22Athens State University
Athens, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
24Computer and Information Sciences, General$78,435
23J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College
Huntsville, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
24Computer and Information Sciences, General14%
24Northeast Alabama Community College
Rainsville, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
23Computer and Information Sciences, General56%
25H Councill Trenholm State Community College
Montgomery, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
19Computer and Information Sciences, General16%

All 40 schools in Alabama

Every school in Alabama with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Alabama that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
John C Calhoun State Community CollegeTannerPublic4471
University of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamPublic3652
Auburn UniversityAuburnPublic1973
The University of AlabamaTuscaloosaPublic1792
Columbia Southern UniversityOrange BeachPrivate for-profit1491
Troy UniversityTroyPublic1282
Jefferson State Community CollegeBirminghamPublic911
Bevill State Community CollegeJasperPublic891
Gadsden State Community CollegeGadsdenPublic831
George C Wallace Community College - DothanDothanPublic821
George C Wallace State Community College - HancevilleHancevillePublic691
Central Alabama Community CollegeAlexander CityPublic681
Snead State Community CollegeBoazPublic641
University of North AlabamaFlorencePublic511
Alabama A & M UniversityNormalPublic461

What database administrators earn in Alabama

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Alabama
$93,900
Mean annual
$96,500
Jobs in state
1,840
What the range looks like
10th pct$60,500Median$93,90090th pct$134,810
Versus the national median
-10.2%

U.S. median $104,620. Alabama pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.93×

Concentrated here: Alabama employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Alabama

Huntsville, AL
$103,110median
300 jobs
Birmingham, AL
$101,850median
540 jobs
Montgomery, AL
$95,370median
490 jobs
Mobile, AL
$89,470median
90 jobs
Tuscaloosa, AL
$85,800median
70 jobs
Auburn-Opelika, AL
$81,710median

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-0.7%
Little or no change
Openings per year
3,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-500
78,000 → 77,500
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Database Administrators page.

How to become a Database Administrator

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Critical ThinkingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionActive LearningSpeakingWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Alabama

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 3 majors mapped to Database Administrators3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 11.0101Computer and Information Sciences, General
  • 11.0802Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration
  • 11.1003Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance

Common questions

Answers for people weighing database administrators programs in Alabama.

What degree do you need to become a Database Administrator?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer and Information Sciences, General, which awarded 2,154 degrees in Alabama in 2024-25, 86.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Database Administrator?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer and Information Sciences, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, Computer Software and Media Applications. Together they graduate about 2,506 people a year in Alabama.

How much do database administrators earn in Alabama?+

The median is $93,900 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 10.2% below the U.S. median of $104,620. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for database administrators growing?+

BLS projects a -0.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 3,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Alabama?+

40 institutions in Alabama reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do database administrators work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Database Analyst, Database Administrator (DBA), Database Administration Manager, Systems Administrator (Systems Admin) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1242.

Database Administrators in other statesTexasGeorgiaUtahFloridaVirginiaNew YorkMarylandCalifornia

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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