I know about Oracle and Solaris (now Oracle) certs. You only need to follow some courses (required) in advance certs.
You must find books with tests and tests alone (buy) and in all tests to have scored above 95%.
A lot of repetitions and practice, that's it.
Is not needed College Degree only needed:
- time
- will
- money to pay the fees and the training material
I hold the certs: Solaris 10 Admin 1 and OCA 11g