Computer Science: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 11.07. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 1,780 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 93 | 422 | $72,159 | $77,690 | $20,668 1 programs |
| Associate's degree | 322 | 5,649 | $41,515 | $62,283 | $11,500 22 programs |
| Bachelor's degree | 835 | 46,148 | $80,182 | $107,009 | $22,000 359 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 6 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Master's degree | 336 | 25,513 | $116,146 | $145,571 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 138 | 1,628 | $154,893 | $178,476 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 1 | 41 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 49 | 372 | $83,406 | $125,742 | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Undergraduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Martin's University WA · Private, nonprofit · 50 graduates measured | $97,962 | $119,807 | Data unavailable |
| Missouri State University-Springfield MO · Public · 26 graduates measured | $73,699 | $88,734 | $20,668 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Associate's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weber State University UT · Public · 43 graduates measured | $81,767 | $102,259 | $18,396 |
| Southern Maine Community College ME · Public · 17 graduates measured | $66,994 | $63,690 | Data unavailable |
| Southern New Hampshire University NH · Private, nonprofit · 27 graduates measured | $57,582 | Data unavailable | $17,944 |
| Montgomery County Community College PA · Public · 29 graduates measured | $51,224 | $64,047 | $17,500 |
| Northern Virginia Community College VA · Public · 42 graduates measured | $47,900 | $83,554 | $8,775 |
| South Hills School of Business & Technology PA · Private, for-profit · 22 graduates measured | $43,660 | $51,162 | Data unavailable |
| Lake Area Technical College SD · Public · 39 graduates measured | $41,083 | $60,752 | $12,000 |
| UCNJ Union College of Union County New Jersey NJ · Public · 16 graduates measured | $39,826 | $47,833 | Data unavailable |
| CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College NY · Public · 43 graduates measured | $37,960 | $57,686 | $9,500 |
| California College San Diego · Private, nonprofit · 18 graduates measured | $35,622 | $48,923 | Data unavailable |
| Connecticut State Community College CT · Public · 23 graduates measured | $35,403 | $64,221 | $6,500 |
| CUNY LaGuardia Community College NY · Public · 42 graduates measured | $27,384 | $74,045 | $6,389 |
| CUNY Queensborough Community College NY · Public · 16 graduates measured | $23,417 | $44,156 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey Mudd College CA · Private, nonprofit · 45 graduates measured | $182,273 | $198,257 | $22,232 |
| Carnegie Mellon University PA · Private, nonprofit · 107 graduates measured | $173,492 | $268,121 | $19,000 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA · Private, nonprofit · 120 graduates measured | $171,815 | $225,141 | $10,000 |
| Harvard University MA · Private, nonprofit · 67 graduates measured | $171,540 | $203,169 | $12,750 |
| University of California-Berkeley CA · Public · 336 graduates measured | $161,143 | $204,379 | $13,750 |
| California Institute of Technology CA · Private, nonprofit · 32 graduates measured | $160,167 | $200,511 | Data unavailable |
| Stanford University CA · Private, nonprofit · 63 graduates measured | $157,763 | $214,907 | $12,000 |
| University of Pennsylvania PA · Private, nonprofit · 42 graduates measured | $156,295 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Princeton University NJ · Private, nonprofit · 85 graduates measured | $155,162 | $217,973 | Data unavailable |
| University of Southern California CA · Private, nonprofit · 139 graduates measured | $153,063 | $192,897 | $18,125 |
| Cornell University NY · Private, nonprofit · 384 graduates measured | $151,551 | $223,309 | $12,500 |
| Duke University NC · Private, nonprofit · 225 graduates measured | $148,493 | $195,809 | $12,000 |
| Brown University RI · Private, nonprofit · 133 graduates measured | $141,816 | $214,479 | $15,000 |
| Dartmouth College NH · Private, nonprofit · 75 graduates measured | $137,406 | $201,702 | $11,000 |
| Columbia University in the City of New York NY · Private, nonprofit · 177 graduates measured | $135,612 | $188,265 | $15,313 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford University CA · Private, nonprofit · 77 graduates measured | $190,776 | $255,667 | Data unavailable |
| Columbia University in the City of New York NY · Private, nonprofit · 53 graduates measured | $180,031 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Chicago IL · Private, nonprofit · 78 graduates measured | $176,945 | $169,765 | Data unavailable |
| Cornell University NY · Private, nonprofit · 128 graduates measured | $175,401 | $235,762 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-San Diego CA · Public · 45 graduates measured | $160,898 | $231,397 | Data unavailable |
| Maharishi International University IA · Private, nonprofit · 34 graduates measured | $158,206 | $139,773 | Data unavailable |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL · Public · 185 graduates measured | $157,956 | $179,395 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-Irvine CA · Public · 22 graduates measured | $153,614 | $175,922 | Data unavailable |
| University of Southern California CA · Private, nonprofit · 132 graduates measured | $152,365 | $188,871 | Data unavailable |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute NY · Private, nonprofit · 24 graduates measured | $152,362 | $200,027 | Data unavailable |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN · Public · 24 graduates measured | $145,488 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Pennsylvania PA · Private, nonprofit · 26 graduates measured | $142,962 | $147,612 | Data unavailable |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo CA · Public · 33 graduates measured | $141,320 | $235,241 | Data unavailable |
| University of Maryland-College Park MD · Public · 20 graduates measured | $141,110 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Boston University MA · Private, nonprofit · 32 graduates measured | $131,725 | $153,937 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Doctoral degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs CO · Private, for-profit · 80 graduates measured | $154,263 | $165,750 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Computer Science
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and information systems managers | $175,140 | +15.8% | Bachelor's degree |
| Information security analysts | $129,180 | +21.0% | Bachelor's degree |
| Computer and information research scientists | $140,300 | +21.8% | Master's degree |
| Computer network support specialists | $76,220 | +1.2% | Associate's degree |
| Database architects | $139,500 | +9.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Computer programmers | $100,390 | -7.3% | Bachelor's degree |
| Software developers | $135,980 | +10.2% | Bachelor's degree |
| Software quality assurance analysts and testers | $104,300 | +5.7% | Bachelor's degree |
| Web developers | $92,650 | +3.8% | Bachelor's degree |
| Web and digital interface designers | $104,000 | +6.0% | Bachelor's degree |
| Computer occupations, all other | $116,580 | +5.1% | Bachelor's degree |
| Data scientists | $120,230 | +34.6% | Bachelor's degree |
| Computer science teachers, postsecondary | $96,980 | +4.9% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (1)
- 11.0701 Computer Science