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Major · Computer & Information Sciences

The platform underneath every modern application

Cloud Computing trains students to design, deploy, and operate the distributed systems that run on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. The major sits between traditional computer science and applied IT, with heavy weight on automation, networking, and security. About 534 students completed degrees in this CIP last year across 31 colleges.

Schools offering
31
Annual completions
534
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$62k

About this major

Cloud Computing as a major teaches you to build and operate the distributed software systems that sit behind almost every modern application. The CIP definition frames it around enterprise software design, service-oriented architecture, distributed and cloud computing, security, and server administration — and that range shows up in the curriculum. You move through Linux and networking foundations into cloud-platform coursework on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, then into automation tools like Terraform and orchestration platforms like Kubernetes. Security threads through almost every course, since identity management, encryption, and network isolation are core to how these systems get assembled.

The major rewards students who like building things and watching them run, especially students who enjoy the operational side — debugging why a deployment failed, understanding why a network route is unreachable, automating away repetitive work. Comfort with the command line helps, as does some patience for the small details of configuration and IAM policy. Strong programming skills are useful but not strictly required at the entry level; many graduates end up in DevOps and platform-engineering roles where scripting and infrastructure-as-code matter more than building applications from scratch.

On scale, this is a small CIP — 534 completions across 31 colleges in the most recent year — but the distribution is unusual. Western Governors University accounts for 356 of those bachelor’s, reflecting the field’s large working-adult audience studying online. The career destinations cluster around the modal cloud-platform roles: Computer Network Architects ($130,390 median wage, 11.9% projected growth), Database Architects ($135,980 median, 8.7% growth), and Software Developers ($133,080 median, 15.8% growth). The associate’s pipeline points more toward Computer Network Support Specialist roles at a $73,340 median.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Software developers $133k +15.8% Bachelor's degree
Computer network architects $130k +11.9% Bachelor's degree
Computer network support specialists $73k +1.8% Associate's degree
Computer programmers $99k -6.0% Bachelor's degree
Database architects $136k +8.7% Bachelor's degree
Computer science teachers, postsecondary $97k +5.3% Doctoral or professional degree
Computer and information research scientists $141k +19.7% Master's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$62k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$57k

Bachelor's

$73k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you like the operational craft of building systems that other people’s software runs on — the kind of student who finds satisfaction in automating a deployment that used to take three hours, or in debugging a misconfigured load balancer at 11pm. You may also fit if you’re entering this from an IT or sysadmin job and want a structured path to architect-track work, since the bachelor’s tier of this CIP correlates with median earnings near $72,592 versus $56,584 at the associate’s tier. Comfort with the command line, networking concepts, and the idea of stacking vendor certifications alongside the degree tends to predict success — the field treats AWS, Azure, and Kubernetes credentials as primary hiring signals, not extras.

Think twice if you want to build user-facing software products from scratch — Computer Science (about 50,272 completions per year) gets you closer to that goal, with broader optionality. Reconsider if you expect a theory-heavy curriculum that goes deep on algorithms, compilers, or formal methods; this is an applied, hands-on major and the academic ceiling is lower than at the four-year CS programs. Be cautious if you’re drawn here mainly for the salary numbers without an interest in operations and infrastructure — the highest-earning roles like Computer Network Architect at $130,390 sit several years past graduation and assume sustained certification work along the way.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Cloud Computing

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT 0 356 356
Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN 0 34 34
Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN 24 0 24
Dallas College Dallas, TX 21 0 21
Madison Area Technical College Madison, WI 13 0 13
Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College Goodland, KS 12 0 12
Victoria College Victoria, TX 12 0 12
Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis, MN 9 0 9
Central Louisiana Technical Community College Alexandria, LA 7 0 7
Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL 6 0 6
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Computer Science

50,272 completions/yr

Information Technology

20,296 completions/yr

Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance

17,632 completions/yr

Information Science/Studies

10,334 completions/yr

Computer Engineering, General

9,312 completions/yr

Management Information Systems, General

7,648 completions/yr

Computer Programming/Programmer, General

5,205 completions/yr

Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications

3,699 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Cloud Computing majors actually study day-to-day?
Coursework moves through Linux fundamentals, networking, scripting in Python or Bash, then into the major cloud platforms — provisioning compute and storage, configuring virtual networks, automating deployments with tools like Terraform, and running containerized workloads on Kubernetes. Security shows up early and often, since the field treats identity, access, and encryption as core skills rather than afterthoughts. Lab time tends to be heavy: you spend hours building, breaking, and rebuilding small distributed systems. Programs that align with vendor certification tracks (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) lean even harder on hands-on consoles and command-line work.
Do I need a bachelor’s, or is an associate’s enough for cloud work?
The data shows a meaningful gap: bachelor’s graduates in this CIP report a five-year median around $72,592, while associate’s graduates land closer to $56,584. The associate’s is enough to enter cloud support, junior systems administration, and tier-1 operations roles, especially when paired with one or two industry certifications. The bachelor’s opens architect-track and software-leaning roles like Computer Network Architect (median wage $130,390) and Software Developer ($133,080), which list a four-year degree as the typical entry credential. Many students pursue the associate’s first, work in the field, and transfer up — Western Governors University and Purdue University Global both run online bachelor’s programs designed for that pathway.
What kinds of jobs do Cloud Computing graduates end up in?
The most common destinations split between platform-engineering roles (cloud engineer, DevOps engineer, site reliability engineer), networking-architect roles, and software-development roles that specialize in cloud services. Computer Network Architects show a $130,390 median wage with 11.9% projected growth. Database Architects ($135,980 median, 8.7% growth) overlap heavily with cloud-data work. Software Developers come in at $133,080 and 15.8% projected growth — the modal landing spot for graduates who lean toward the coding side. Computer Network Support Specialists ($73,340 median) is a more typical entry-level role for associate’s graduates.
How much do certifications matter compared to the degree?
More than in most majors. Hiring managers in cloud, DevOps, and platform engineering treat certifications as primary signals — AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104) and Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305), Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect, plus tool-specific credentials like the HashiCorp Terraform Associate and the Kubernetes CKA or CKAD. A graduate with a bachelor’s, two associate-level certifications, and a public GitHub of working infrastructure-as-code projects often interviews better than a graduate with a stronger GPA but no certs. Several programs in this CIP build certification preparation directly into the curriculum.
How is this different from Computer Science or Information Technology?
Computer Science (about 50,272 completions per year) is the theory-heavy parent — algorithms, math, languages, systems. It produces strong software developers and is the better fit if you want maximum career optionality at the software-engineering ceiling. Information Technology (about 20,296 completions) is broader and more applied, covering enterprise IT, networking, support, and some cloud — a generalist credential. Cloud Computing is narrower and more vendor-aligned, with depth in AWS/Azure/GCP and the operations side of distributed systems. The Computer Systems Networking CIP (3,699 completions) is its closest cousin, but tilts toward traditional on-prem networking; this one is built around the cloud-native shift.
Where does this major actually get studied?
The completions in this CIP are concentrated unusually heavily at one institution: Western Governors University awarded 356 of the 534 bachelor’s degrees in the most recent year — roughly two-thirds of national output. After WGU, the largest contributors are Purdue University Global at 34 bachelor’s and a long tail of associate’s programs at community and technical colleges (Ivy Tech, Dallas College, Madison Area Technical College). The pattern matches the major’s working-adult and career-changer audience: most students complete this CIP online, often while already working in IT.