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Major · Computer & Information Sciences

Design the systems that keep businesses and data running

Information Technology focuses on designing and managing technology systems that solve real business problems — covering hardware, software, databases, networks, and the people who use them. About 20,300 degrees are awarded annually across more than 644 colleges, at both the associate's and bachelor's level.

Schools offering
644
Annual completions
20,296
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$83k

About this major

Information Technology, as a formal major, is positioned closer to the applied end of computing than the theoretical end. The CIP definition frames it as preparing graduates to design technology information systems — including computing systems — as solutions to business and research data and communications support needs. In practice, the curriculum covers computer hardware and software components, networking, databases, telecommunications, application testing, and human interface design. The emphasis is on deploying and managing systems that work within organizations, not on building compilers or proving theorems.

The major tends to attract students who want to work directly with technology infrastructure and the people who use it — who are drawn to the challenge of making systems reliable, secure, and useful rather than to the mathematical foundations beneath them. Comfort with systematic problem-solving and attention to how people interact with technology are more defining traits here than mathematical abstraction. Students who expect a heavy coding curriculum often find IT programs more systems- and process-oriented than they anticipated.

On the career side, the destinations span a useful range. Computer systems analysts, who earn a $103,790 median wage with 8.7% projected growth, serve as the connective tissue between technical teams and organizational needs. Information security analysts earn $124,910 with a 28.5% growth projection, one of the faster-growing paths in the field. With about 20,296 completions recorded annually across more than 644 colleges, IT is among the most widely offered computing programs — available at community colleges and four-year institutions alike, which gives prospective students real flexibility on institution type, cost, and format.

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 and information systems managers $171k +15.2% Bachelor's degree
Computer systems analysts $104k +8.7% Bachelor's degree
Data scientists $113k +33.5% Bachelor's degree
Software quality assurance analysts and testers $103k +10.0% Bachelor's degree
Information security analysts $125k +28.5% Bachelor's degree
Computer network architects $130k +11.9% Bachelor's degree
Database architects $136k +8.7% Bachelor'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

$83k

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

Associate's

$56k

Bachelor's

$90k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you find yourself drawn to making technology work for people and organizations rather than understanding how it is built from first principles. This fits students who enjoy configuring and troubleshooting systems, who are energized by the challenge of keeping complex infrastructure reliable, and who would rather design a network or optimize a database deployment than write a parsing algorithm. The degree-level data also makes IT a reasonable choice if an associate's is your near-term target: associate's completers report median earnings around $55,646, and the path to a bachelor's remains open via transfer — a meaningful option given that this major is offered at more than 644 colleges across both degree levels.

Think twice if your primary interest is in building software from the ground up — Computer Science will serve that goal more directly, and the higher-paying software development roles it targets are accessible from both majors, but CS graduates arrive with deeper programming and algorithmic foundations. Think twice also if you expect the curriculum to be heavily code-intensive; IT programs focus on systems architecture, network configuration, project management, and user-facing design more than on writing complex applications. And if security is your primary target rather than a secondary interest, a dedicated program in Computer and Information Systems Security aligns the coursework more tightly to that career path from the start.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Information Technology

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of Phoenix-Arizona Phoenix, AZ 385 819 1,204
DeVry University-Illinois Lisle, IL 1,055 120 1,175
Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT 0 984 984
Colorado State University Global Denver, CO 0 439 439
George Mason University Fairfax, VA 0 416 416
Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA 396 0 396
Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN 0 356 356
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 0 349 349
Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID 167 147 314
The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX 0 304 304
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Computer Science

50,272 completions/yr

Computer and Information Sciences, General

34,556 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 Information Technology majors actually study day-to-day?
IT coursework focuses on designing and managing technology systems as solutions to organizational needs. You will spend time on computer hardware and software components, networking, databases, application testing, and human interface design. Unlike Computer Science, the emphasis is applied rather than theoretical — you are learning how to deploy and maintain systems, not how to build a language from scratch. Upper-division work typically includes cybersecurity, project management, and systems integration.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough for Information Technology?
The degree level opens meaningfully different doors here. Bachelor's completers in this major report median five-year earnings around $90,129, while associate's completers report about $55,646 — a gap of roughly $34,500. Most of the higher-paying career paths listed for this major, including computer and information systems manager at $171,200 and computer network architect at $130,390, require a bachelor's degree as the typical entry credential. An associate's is a practical entry point into support and technician roles, but the long-term earnings ceiling is considerably lower.
What kinds of jobs do Information Technology graduates end up in?
The most common destinations span a wide range of IT roles. Software development is accessible from this major at a $133,080 median wage with 15.8% projected growth. Computer systems analysts, who serve as translators between technical teams and business needs, earn $103,790 with 8.7% growth. Computer network architects earn $130,390 with 11.9% projected growth. Information security analysts earn $124,910 with a 28.5% growth projection — one of the faster-growing paths. The most senior destination is computer and information systems manager at $171,200 median, though that typically requires substantial experience.
How competitive is the job market for IT graduates?
Growth projections across this major's career destinations are above average across the board. Information security analysts show 28.5% projected growth, data scientists 33.5%, software developers 15.8%, and computer and information systems managers 15.2%. The annual completions figure is about 20,300 — roughly 40% of Computer Science's volume — which means the candidate pool is meaningfully smaller relative to the demand in many of these occupations. IT-specific roles like network architecture and systems analysis are less saturated than pure software development.
Is Information Technology the right fit, or should I consider a related major?
IT sits between Computer Science and pure business on the applied-vs-theoretical spectrum. If you want the deepest technical foundation and are comfortable with heavy mathematics, Computer Science (about 50,272 completions) leads to the same careers with a stronger theoretical base. If security is the primary interest, a dedicated program in Computer and Information Systems Security (about 17,632 completions) targets that career path more directly. If you want to combine technical systems with management strategy, Management Information Systems (about 7,648 completions) skews more toward business decision-making. IT is the right call if you want applied technical breadth without the theory-heavy curriculum of CS.
What's a realistic earnings picture after an IT degree?
Five-year median earnings for this major run about $82,882 across degree levels. Bachelor's completers specifically land around $90,129. The individual career destinations vary considerably: computer and information systems managers earn $171,200 but represent a senior milestone, while computer systems analysts at $103,790 and network architects at $130,390 are more near-term targets for bachelor's graduates. Entry-level IT roles in support and systems administration tend to pay below these medians, but the trajectory for graduates who advance into architecture, security, or management is consistently strong.