IT

Types of Degrees IT Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many information technology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	8,449
Graduate Certificate	352
Doctor’s Degree	158

What IT 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.
• 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

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.
• 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

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a it student include the following:

• 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 IT 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 Master’s Degree in IT?

This major attracts more men than women. About 61% 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	687
Black or African American	533
Hispanic or Latino	366
White	1,309
International Students	4,171
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,383

Geographic Diversity

IT appeals to people across the globe. About 49.4% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to IT

Some careers associated with it 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 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 IT 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)	111	19
Certificate (2-4 Years)	5	0
Associate’s Degree	353	64
Bachelor’s Degree	38	13
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	139	51
Post-Master’s	6	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	14	4
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to IT

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

Major	Number of Grads
General Computer & Information Sciences	62,580
Informatics	2,793
Other Computer & Information Sciences	2,304
Artificial Intelligence	1,271
Human-Centered Technology Design	498

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.