IT Project Management

Types of Degrees IT Project Management Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	869
Bachelor’s Degree	821
Basic Certificate	187
Graduate Certificate	106
Associate Degree	74
Undergraduate Certificate	13
Doctor’s Degree	6

What IT Project Management Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to IT project management were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for IT Project Management Majors

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

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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.
• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for IT Project Management Majors

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

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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 Project Management Majors

As you progress with your IT project management degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 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.

What Can You Do With a IT Project Management Major?

People with a IT project management degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Computer and Information Systems Managers	12.0%	$142,530
Computer Systems Engineers/Architects	9.3%	$90,270
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
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
Wind Energy Operations Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Wind Energy Project Managers	8.0%	$107,480

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in IT Project Management?

This major attracts more men than women. About 74% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	62
Black or African American	75
Hispanic or Latino	77
White	472
International Students	41
Other Races/Ethnicities	94

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in IT Project Management, too. About 5.0% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do IT Project Management Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $93,350 to $115,590 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to IT project management. 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 IT Project Management

Some careers associated with IT project management require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 project management careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	2.3%
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)	6.7%
Some College Courses	3.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	9.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	58.2%
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.	6.9%
Master’s Degree	11.8%
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.	0.9%
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.	0.3%
Doctoral Degree	0.3%

Online IT Project Management Programs

In 2020-2021, 67 schools offered a IT project management 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)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	5	2
Associate’s Degree	13	3
Bachelor’s Degree	11	7
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	29	11
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in IT Project Management Worth It?

The median salary for a IT project management grad is $102,470 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 157% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,251,400 after 20 years!

Majors Related to IT Project Management

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

Major	Number of Grads
Computer & IS Security	22,829
Network & System Administration/Administrator	5,501
Information Technology Management	4,009
Computer Support Specialist	3,176
System, Networking, & LAN/WAN Management/Manager	2,077
Web/Multimedia Management & Webmaster	887

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.