Information Technology

Types of Degrees Information Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many information technology graduations there were in 2019-2020 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	10,693
Graduate Certificate	1,277
Doctor’s Degree	102

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

A major in IT prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• 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 Master’s Degree in Information Technology?

Information Technology runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #30 out of all the graduate majors we track. In 2019, about 7,824 graduates completed their master’s degree in this field. This major tends to be male dominated. About 74% 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	654
Black or African American	1,011
Hispanic or Latino	545
White	2,343
International Students	5,517
Other Races/Ethnicities	623

Geographic Diversity

IT appeals to people across the globe. About 51.6% 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?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a master’s degree in IT was $89,300 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $78,700 (25th percentile) and $90,300 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to IT so take that into consideration.

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 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to IT have obtained the following education levels.

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 2019-2020, 1,124 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)	426	43
Certificate (2-4 Years)	54	8
Associate’s Degree	736	135
Bachelor’s Degree	135	57
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	244	110
Post-Master’s	10	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	12	4
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	81,384
Computer Science	53,722
Information Science	18,368
Computer Systems Networking	14,814
Computer Software & Applications	13,180
Computer Programming	10,756
Data Processing	2,320
Computer Systems Analysis	2,269
Other Computer & Information Sciences	1,326

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.