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Studies & Degrees in Database Technology

Database technology is the part of computing that deals with storing, organising, protecting and retrieving data. Almost every organisation depends on it: a bank's accounts, a hospital's patient records and an online shop's orders all sit in databases. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes the people who do this work as creating or organising systems to store and secure a variety of data, and making sure that the data are available to authorised users.

Students learn how to model data and design a database, how to query it, and how to run it day to day. The Database Analytics specialisation of the Master of Science in Data Science at National University, for example, covers requirements collection, conceptual and logical database design, normalisation, an introduction to SQL and the design of a data mart, followed by data warehouses. Administration courses add installation, backup and recovery, performance, user permissions and security. Many programmes now also cover non-relational (NoSQL) and cloud databases.

Qualifications and levels

Few programmes carry the name "database technology". The subject is normally a set of courses, a track or a specialisation inside a computing qualification.

  • Certificates and short courses. Continuing education schools teach databases as a professional subject. The NYU School of Professional Studies, for example, lists "Databases Design, Operations, and Management" among its technology areas. Software vendors and vendor-neutral providers also offer certification, according to the BLS, and employers may require certification in the products they use.
  • Associate degrees in the United States. Community colleges include databases in their information technology programmes. At Somerset Community College in Kentucky, the Associate in Applied Science in Computer and Information Technologies covers database design alongside programming, networking and security, and students then choose a track.
  • Vocational training in Spain. Two official higher vocational qualifications of 2,000 hours each include databases. Administración de Sistemas Informáticos en Red trains students to install and manage databases and has modules on database management and on the administration of database management systems. Desarrollo de Aplicaciones Multiplataforma covers managing databases and verifying the integrity, consistency, security and accessibility of the data.
  • Bachelor's degrees. Databases are a core subject of degrees in computer science, software engineering and information systems. In Spain a bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits.
  • Master's degrees. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. At this level databases usually appear inside data science, data engineering or information systems programmes, as in the National University example.

For private courses outside the official system, ask the school what recognition the qualification has.

Where to study database technology

SpainExchange lists 16 active schools for database technology. Nine are in the United States and four in Spain; Greece, China and Albania have one each.

The US schools include community colleges such as Somerset Community College, Montgomery College, Baltimore City Community College and Union College of Union County, NJ (UCNJ), and universities such as National University, Tennessee Tech University and the State University of New York (SUNY). In Spain the list includes C3S Business School and UIBS / Barcelona Business School in Barcelona and the training centre CENEC in Málaga. Elsewhere it includes City Unity College in Athens, Shanghai Normal University and the University of New York Tirana.

Courses are taught in the language of the country, but the query language SQL, the product documentation and most certification exams use English terms, so a working level of technical English helps everywhere.

Careers

Typical jobs are database administrator (DBA), database developer, data engineer, data warehouse specialist and, with experience, database architect. The BLS notes that experienced database administrators may advance to become database architects.

According to the BLS, there were 144,500 jobs for database administrators and architects in the United States in 2025, and employment is projected to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035. These workers typically need a bachelor's degree in computer and information technology or a related field, and employers may prefer applicants with a master's degree focusing on data or database management. They also need an understanding of database languages such as SQL.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a degree in database technology?

Rarely under that name. Databases are usually studied as courses or a specialisation within computer science, information technology or data science programmes, or through certificates.

Do I need to know programming to study databases?

Some. The BLS states that database administrators and architects need an understanding of database languages such as SQL and must become familiar with the programming language their firm uses. Introductory courses normally start SQL from zero.

Can I study databases through vocational training in Spain?

Yes. The higher vocational qualifications Administración de Sistemas Informáticos en Red and Desarrollo de Aplicaciones Multiplataforma, of 2,000 hours each, both include database modules.

Are vendor certificates required to work as a database administrator?

It depends on the employer. According to the BLS, certification is typically offered by software vendors or vendor-neutral providers, and employers may require it for the products they use.