Types of Degrees Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many system, networking, & lan/wan management/manager graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	825
Bachelor’s Degree	695
Associate Degree	530
Undergraduate Certificate	135
Graduate Certificate	15
Master’s Degree	14

What Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, system, networking, and lan/wan management/manager 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 System, Networking, and LAN/WAN Management/Manager Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in system, networking, and lan/wan management/manager 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.
• Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• 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.
• 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 System, Networking, and LAN/WAN Management/Manager Majors

When studying system, networking, and lan/wan management/manager, 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.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for System, Networking, and LAN/WAN Management/Manager Majors

A major in system, networking, and lan/wan management/manager will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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 Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

What Can You Do With a Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with system, networking, and lan/wan management/manager:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Computer Network Support Specialists	8.2%	$62,770
Information Security Analysts	28.5%	$98,350

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in ?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 90% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of system, networking, and lan/wan management/manager majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	34
Black or African American	59
Hispanic or Latino	109
White	401
International Students	16
Other Races/Ethnicities	76

Geographic Diversity

System, Networking, and LAN/WAN Management/Manager appeals to people across the globe. About 2.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $68,050 to $102,470 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to system, networking, and lan/wan management/manager. 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

Some degrees associated with system, networking, and lan/wan management/manager 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 system, networking, and lan/wan management/manager careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	2.6%
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)	9.1%
Some College Courses	9.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	18.4%
Bachelor’s Degree	50.0%
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.	10.4%
Master’s Degree	1.2%
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%

Online Programs

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)	43	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	4	0
Associate’s Degree	58	9
Bachelor’s Degree	3	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	4	2
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Worth It?

The median salary for a system, networking, and lan/wan management/manager grad is $68,050 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 71% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $563,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to system, networking, and lan/wan management/manager.

Major	Number of Grads
Computer & IS Security	25,918
Network & System Administration/Administrator	4,784
Information Technology Management	3,306
Computer Support Specialist	3,238
Information Technology Project Management	2,307
Web/Multimedia Management & Webmaster	1,133

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.