Information Technology

Types of Degrees Information Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many information technology graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	7,824
Basic Certificate	7,770
Bachelor’s Degree	7,229
Associate’s Degree	6,744
Undergraduate Certificate	2,692
Graduate Certificate	1,078
Doctor’s Degree	62

What Information Technology Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, IT 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 IT 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.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• 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.

Skills for IT Majors

When studying IT, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for IT Majors

A major in IT will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

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
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Computer and Information Systems Managers	12.0%	$142,530
Computer Network Architects	6.5%	$109,020
Computer Network Support Specialists	8.2%	$62,770
Computer Systems Engineers/Architects	9.3%	$90,270
Computer User Support Specialists	11.3%	$50,980
Database Administrators	11.5%	$90,070
Document Management Specialists	9.3%	$90,270
Geospatial Information Scientists and Technologists	9.3%	$90,270
Information Security Analysts	28.5%	$98,350
Information Technology Project Managers	9.3%	$90,270
Loss Prevention Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Network and Computer Systems Administrators	6.1%	$82,050
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Security Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers	9.3%	$90,270
Supply Chain Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Telecommunications Engineering Specialists	6.5%	$109,020
Web Developers	14.9%	$69,430
Wind Energy Operations Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Wind Energy Project Managers	8.0%	$107,480

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

This is one of the most frequently chosen computer science majors. It is the 4th most popular in the country with 7,219 students graduating with a bachelor’s in IT in 2019. This major tends to be male dominated. About 83% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	508
Black or African American	825
Hispanic or Latino	776
White	4,210
International Students	213
Other Races/Ethnicities	697

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in IT, too. About 2.9% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• India
• Saudi Arabia
• China
• Nepal
• Nigeria

How Much Do Information Technology Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of information technology students with a bachelor’s degree is $46,100 a year according to 2017-2018 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $45,600 (25th percentile) and $50,475 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in IT, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $75,580 to $111,130 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to IT. 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. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

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

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.2%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	4.2%
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)	8.3%
Some College Courses	6.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	12.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	53.2%
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.	5.1%
Master’s Degree	9.8%
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.	1.0%
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	0.2%

Online Information Technology Programs

In 2018-2019, 1,107 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)	636	101
Certificate (1-2 years)	420	44
Certificate (2-4 Years)	51	4
Associate’s Degree	711	132
Bachelor’s Degree	116	49
Post-Baccalaureate	636	101
Master’s Degree	223	113
Post-Master’s	12	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	10	6
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 $92,030 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 131% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,042,600 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
Computer Information Systems	76,482
Computer Science	47,906
Information Science	17,779
Computer Systems Networking	14,055
Computer Software & Applications	12,793
Computer Programming	10,688
Computer Systems Analysis	2,472
Data Processing	2,138
Data Entry	1,382
Other Computer & Information Sciences	1,243

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
• Image Credit: By Craig Dennis under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.