Computer and Information Sciences
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OverviewSalary and DebtIs a Bachelor's EnoughCareersSchoolsRelated ProgramsGenderRace/Origin
Overview
Computer and information sciences is a program that focuses on computing, computer science, and information science and systems. such programs are undifferentiated as to title and content and are not to be confused with specific programs in computer science, information science, or related support services.
Highlights
School with the highest reported median starting salary ($144K) with a Bachelor's Degree: Rice University
Career with the highest median salary ($122K) where most workers have a Bachelor's Degree: Architectural and Engineering Managers
Explore Pathways
Careers for program graduates
Computer and information sciences majors work in these careers, which are sized by percentage of majors in the career (at least 1%) and colored by the predominant level of education.
Software DevelopersSpecialized Computer Occupatio...Computer and Information Syste...Computer User Support Speciali...Specialized ManagersComputer Systems AnalystsComputer ProgrammersNetwork and Computer Systems A...Management AnalystsInformation Security AnalystsDatabase administrators and ar...Customer Service Representativ...Elementary and Middle School S...Software Quality Assurance Ana...Computer Network ArchitectsAccountants and AuditorsFirst-Line Supervisors of Offi...Project Management SpecialistsChief executives and legislato...First-Line Supervisors of Reta...
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Current completions
What level of degree do most graduates achieve, and do they match what your goals?
020K40K60K0-1 Year Certificate1-2 Year Certificate2-4 Year CertificateAssociate's DegreeBachelor's DegreePostbaccalaureate CertMaster's DegreePost-master's CertResearch Doctorate
SOURCES:
Completions over time
Have completions for general computer and information systems changed over time? Increasing completions may mean you'll likely have an easier time finding a school that offers this degree, with the opposite being true as well.
Show percentages
Number of graduates
010,00020,00030,00040,00050,000200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Other Doctorate
Research Doctorate
Post-master's Cert
Master's Degree
Postbaccalaureate Cert
Bachelor's Degree
Associate's Degree
2-4 Year Certificate
1-2 Year Certificate
0-1 Year Certificate
Salary and Debt
How are students who recently completed a degree in computer and information sciences doing?
Below is the distribution of starting salaries along with accumulated federal and private education loans across schools that offer a degree in the field computer and information sciences, general, which includes computer and information sciences.
Median starting salaries
$28K$32K$55K$72K$0$50K$100K$150KMaster'sBachelor'sAssociate'sCertificate
Median cumulative loan amount
$13K$20K$25K$41K$0$20K$40K$60KMaster'sBachelor'sAssociate'sCertificate
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Context: median salaries
How does the median (middle) salary for general computer and information systems majors compare to the median salaries for other college majors?
$75K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K
Distribution: general computer and information systems majors' salaries by education level
What is the salary distribution for graduates with a bachelor's ingeneral computer and information systems by the level of their highest degree (Graduate degrees may not be in the same field as the bachelor’s)
$71K$88K$80K$90K$0$50K$100K$150K$200KBachelor'sMaster'sDoctorateProfessional
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
Is a bachelor's degree all you need?
Education level of workers with a bachelor's in general computer and information systems
Is a bachelor's degree going to be sufficient to make you competative in the job market? We can look at the education level of workers with a bachelors in this degree to see if there is a likely need for a graduate degree. You'll also want to check out the careers section on this page to where they are employed.
This chart shows the level of education of workers with a bachelor's degree in general computer and information systems. The worker's graduate degree may have been completed in a different field.
Education level of workers
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Context: Graduate degrees in any field by undergraduate ACS degree
About 26% of general computer and information systems majors chose to also earn a graduate degree (possibly of a different major). The percentage of general computer and information systems majors also earned a graduate degree is near the middle in comparison to other fields.
26%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Context: Percentage salary boost obtained with a graduate degree
How important is a graduate degree for earning a higher salary? We can see the difference in salary of workers with a bachelors in this degree to workers with a bachelor’s AND a graduate degree.
24%13%27%0%20%40%60%80%Bachelor's to Master'sBachelor's to DoctorateBachelor's to Professional
Careers
Top careers for those with a degree in general computer and information systems
Following are the most frequent jobs held by people who earned a bachelor's degree in General Computer and Information Systems (which combines 6 programs), though may not be limited to just those with a bachelor’s.
  1. Software Developers
  2. Specialized Computer Occupations
  3. Computer and Information Systems Managers
  4. Computer User Support Specialists
  5. Specialized Managers
  6. Computer Systems Analysts
  7. Computer Programmers
  8. Network and Computer Systems Administrators
  9. Management Analysts
  10. Information Security Analysts
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Careers for general computer and information systems majors
Where do general computer and information systems majors work, and how well do those jobs pay? A ** in the job title indicates that the Department of Education recommends this job for this program.
Not so much?
The top ten careers for workers with a bachelor's in general computer and information systems
Take a minute to interact with this sankey diagram. Follow the top ten jobs held by general computer and information systems graduates through to their most hired majors. Learn where it may easiest to find work. Expand the careers to explore other majors that might lead to the job that excites you the most. *For many majors, the top ten jobs don't even include half of graduates!*
Expand careers
Software DevelopersSpecialized Computer...Computer and Informa...Computer User Suppor...Specialized ManagersComputer Systems Ana...Computer ProgrammersNetwork and Computer...Management AnalystsInformation Security...All othersThis degreeTop 10 Careers
What careers hire general computer and information systems majors as one of their top 10?
To the left of this diagram, see all careers that hire general computer and information systems majors as one of their top 10 majors, and on the right, see what proportion of openings for the jobs on the left are filled by general computer and information systems majors.
General Computer and Info...All other degreesSpecialized Computer Occu...Information Security Anal...Network and Computer Syst...Computer User Support Spe...Computer Network Architec...Database administrators a...Computer and Information ...Computer ProgrammersSoftware Quality Assuranc...Software DevelopersWeb DevelopersComputer Systems AnalystsWeb and Digital Interface...Computer Hardware Enginee...Computer and Information ...Landscape ArchitectsAll other careersDegreeDegree in top 10 employed
Where can I complete this degree
Explore schools that offer computer and information sciences degrees and certificates
You can use this table to find schools that offer this program based on location and program level offered. Each entry goes to a school page similar to this one with all our information about that school.
Understanding the columns

The school list includes a few facts about each school that give you an idea of the educational quality each school might offer:

  • Student-Faculty Ratio: A small number of students per full-time instructor suggests individual attention for each student and an up-to-date curriculum.

  • Satisfaction Rate: A high percentage of returning first-year students should correlate with satisfaction (schools call this their retention rate).

  • Repayment Rate: A high repayment rate means most alumni earn enough to make progress repaying loans within 7 years of leaving.

We also show the total enrollment for the school as measured by full-time-equivalent (FTE) students enrolled annually.

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Related Programs
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Careers for general computer and information systems majors
general computer and information systems is part of a larger collection of programs: Computer Sciences and Information Technology. Is there a different program that's close to general computer and information systems that might be a better match for your interests? You can use this table to see a little about the programs that fall under this umbrella. If you click on any of the table headers, that will sort the table by that column, or click on a row and see Ididio's profile for that program.
Gender
Gender of recent graduates
Of all people with any degree in computer and information sciences earned in the last academic year, 22% were women.
Gender
Men
Women
SOURCES:
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Completions over time
Have completions by gender changed over time, or at specific levels of education?
Award level
All levels
010K20K30K40K50KNumber of graduates200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Women
Men
Context: Gender representation
How does the gender distribution in this major compare to all other majors?
26%74%0%20%40%60%80%100%WomenMen
Context: Percentage women
This major has a lower percentage of women than 79% other programs.
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary with this degree? The closer the bar are, the less discrepancy there is.
$77K$68K$0$50K$100K$150K$200K$250KWomenMen
Context: Salary inequity
For general computer and information systems graduates, men have a 14% higher median salary than women, This is better than many: 72% of programs have graduates with higher salary inequities.
14%14%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Race/Origin
Race/Origin of recent graduates
Here is an overview of race/origin for all computer and information sciences graduates from this last academic year. We found a higher percentage of international graduates in this program than in 87% of other programs.
Race/Origin
White
Black
Pacific Islander
Hispanic
Asian
American Indian
Multiracial
Not Reported
International
SOURCES:
Fewer details
Completions over time
Have completions by race/origin changed over time, or at specific levels of education?
Award level
All levels
010K20K30K40K50KNumber of graduates200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
International
Not Reported
Multiracial
American Indian
Asian
Hispanic
Pacific Islander
Black
White
Context: Percentage of Minority Graduates
Minority students comprise a higher percentage of graduates than in 68% of other programs.