North Carolina·Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1242

Best Database Administrator programs in North Carolina, ranked by enrollment

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

27 schools in North Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 930 people a year. The job pays a median of $113,900 in North Carolina across about 1,920 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledDatabase AnalystDatabase Administrator (DBA)Database Administration ManagerSystems Administrator (Systems Admin)Data MinerData EngineerDatabase TesterDatabase Manager
Graduates / yr
930
in North Carolina
Median pay · North Carolina
$113,900
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,920
people employed
Schools
27
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
50%
across those schools
Median net price
$23,331
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job

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

3 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (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 North Carolina page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1627
67.4%
16$48,185$25,250
2166
17.8%
5$33,504$27,000
3137
14.7%
14$57,986$24,286

Top 25 schools in North Carolina

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 6 of the 27 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1MyComputerCareer at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
434Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance60%$26,791
2North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
94Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration85%42%
3University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
87Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance71%64%
4University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
70Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance69%80%
5Appalachian State University
Boone, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
39Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration75%90%
6North Carolina Wesleyan University
Rocky Mount, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
29Computer and Information Sciences, General$42,14242%$18,90580%
7East Carolina University
Greenville, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
23Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration63%89%
8Campbell University
Buies Creek, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
22Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance$54,23261%$23,33187%
9Montreat College
Montreat, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
19Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance50%$25,76369%
10Johnson C Smith University
Charlotte, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
14Computer and Information Sciences, General$29,62134%$21,56345%
11Methodist University
Fayetteville, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
11Computer and Information Sciences, General44%$24,55175%
12North Carolina A & T State University
Greensboro, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
11Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance$72,96157%50%
13Guilford College
Greensboro, NC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
10Computer and Information Sciences, General46%$25,34580%
14Lenoir - Rhyne University
Hickory, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
10Computer and Information Sciences, General48%$23,92085%
15University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
10Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration56%89%
16Pfeiffer University
Misenheimer, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Computer and Information Sciences, General35%$22,35196%
17Strayer University - North Carolina
Greensboro, NC Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance$61,81033%
18High Point University
High Point, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance74%$37,07275%
19Shaw University
Raleigh, NC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
5Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance22%$16,54280%
20Catawba College
Salisbury, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Computer and Information Sciences, General47%$17,91675%
21University of Mount Olive
Mount Olive, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance52%$16,47376%
22Livingstone College
Salisbury, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Computer and Information Sciences, General28%$15,90359%
23Winston - Salem State University
Winston-Salem, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
3Computer and Information Sciences, General$41,81947%78%
24Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
2Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance38%82%
25University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
2Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance44%93%

All 27 schools in North Carolina

Every school in North Carolina 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 North Carolina that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
MyComputerCareer at RaleighRaleighPrivate for-profit4341
North Carolina State University at RaleighRaleighPublic941
University of North Carolina WilmingtonWilmingtonPublic873
University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlottePublic702
Appalachian State UniversityBoonePublic392
North Carolina Wesleyan UniversityRocky MountPrivate not-for-profit291
East Carolina UniversityGreenvillePublic232
Campbell UniversityBuies CreekPrivate not-for-profit221
Montreat CollegeMontreatPrivate not-for-profit191
Johnson C Smith UniversityCharlottePrivate not-for-profit141
Methodist UniversityFayettevillePrivate not-for-profit111
North Carolina A & T State UniversityGreensboroPublic111
Guilford CollegeGreensboroPrivate not-for-profit102
Lenoir - Rhyne UniversityHickoryPrivate not-for-profit101
University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboroPublic102

What database administrators earn in North Carolina

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

Median annual in North Carolina
$113,900
Mean annual
$113,260
Jobs in state
1,920
What the range looks like
10th pct$62,430Median$113,90090th pct$160,160
Versus the national median
+8.9%

U.S. median $104,620. North Carolina pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.86×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in North Carolina

Raleigh-Cary, NC
$122,950median
510 jobs
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
$117,950median
220 jobs
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$113,890median
550 jobs
Asheville, NC
$96,370median
40 jobs
Winston-Salem, NC
$108,510median
70 jobs
Greensboro-High Point, NC
$92,500median
70 jobs

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 North Carolina

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 North Carolina.

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 Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance, which awarded 627 degrees in North Carolina in 2024-25, 67.4% 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/Information Technology Administration and Management, Computer Software and Media Applications, Computer and Information Sciences. Together they graduate about 930 people a year in North Carolina.

How much do database administrators earn in North Carolina?+

The median is $113,900 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 8.9% above 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 North Carolina?+

27 institutions in North Carolina 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

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card