Information Technology

Types of Degrees Information Technology Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	13,241
Master’s Degree	5,927
Basic Certificate	5,925
Associate Degree	5,326
Undergraduate Certificate	583
Graduate Certificate	409
Doctor’s Degree	120

What Information Technology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to IT and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for IT Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in IT should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for IT Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to IT:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for IT Majors

As a IT major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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.
• 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).

What Can You Do With a Information Technology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with IT:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Computer and Information Research Scientists	19.0%	$118,370
Computer and Information Systems Managers	12.0%	$142,530
Computer Network Architects	6.5%	$109,020
Computer Systems Analysts	9.1%	$88,740
Informatics Nurse Specialists	9.1%	$88,740
Information Security Analysts	28.5%	$98,350
Software Developers, Applications	30.7%	$103,620
Software Developers, Systems Software	11.1%	$110,000
Telecommunications Engineering Specialists	6.5%	$109,020

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology?

This major attracts more men than women. About 77% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1,694
Black or African American	1,779
Hispanic or Latino	1,792
White	5,685
International Students	816
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,475

Geographic Diversity

IT appeals to people across the globe. About 6.2% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Information Technology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

IT majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $102,470 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 Information Technology

Some degrees associated with IT 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for IT careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.9%
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)	5.2%
Some College Courses	5.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	9.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	51.6%
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.	6.4%
Master’s Degree	17.5%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.8%
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.	0.2%
Doctoral Degree	2.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.3%

Online Information Technology Programs

In 2020-2021, 766 schools offered a IT program of some type. 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)	110	13
Certificate (2-4 Years)	5	0
Associate’s Degree	360	55
Bachelor’s Degree	38	10
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	131	48
Post-Master’s	5	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	13	3
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Information Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a IT grad is $111,130 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 179% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,424,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Information Technology

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

Major	Number of Grads
General Computer & Information Sciences	51,681
Informatics	2,726
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.