Informatics

Types of Degrees Informatics Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many informatics graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	1,407
Master’s Degree	1,019
Associate Degree	94
Basic Certificate	78
Graduate Certificate	58
Doctor’s Degree	51
Undergraduate Certificate	19

What Informatics Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, informatics majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Informatics Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Skills for Informatics Majors

A major in informatics prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities for Informatics Majors

Informatics majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

What Can You Do With a Informatics Major?

People with a informatics degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Computer and Information Research Scientists	19.0%	$118,370
Software Developers, Applications	30.7%	$103,620
Software Developers, Systems Software	11.1%	$110,000

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Informatics?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 69% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of informatics majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	266
Black or African American	100
Hispanic or Latino	112
White	651
International Students	184
Other Races/Ethnicities	94

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Informatics, too. About 13.1% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Informatics Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Informatics majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $108,080 to $123,850 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Informatics

Some degrees associated with informatics may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to informatics have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	0.9%
Some College Courses	1.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	70.0%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.7%
Master’s Degree	17.0%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.5%
Doctoral Degree	5.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.9%

Online Informatics Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 72 schools offered some type of informatics program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	3	0
Bachelor’s Degree	17	6
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	31	11
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	10	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Informatics Worth It?

The median salary for a informatics grad is $114,000 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 186% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,482,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Informatics

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to informatics.

Major	Number of Grads
General Computer & Information Sciences	51,681
Information Technology	31,531
Other Computer & Information Sciences	1,887
Artificial Intelligence	518
Human-Centered Technology Design	91

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.