undergradly.
Major · Computer & Information Sciences

A vintage CIP title for modern web work that has moved on

Web/Multimedia Management and Webmaster (CIP 11.1004) is a small, mostly-bachelor's program with 444 completions across 88 institutions. Bachelor's grads earn around $84,407 five years out and associate's grads $55,083 — but the title 'Webmaster' itself has largely retired since 1996. Most surviving programs teach modern front-end, CMS, or e-commerce work in disguise.

Schools offering
88
Annual completions
444
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$69k

About this major

Web/Multimedia Management and Webmaster (CIP 11.1004) is a small computer-and-information-sciences program with 444 annual completions across 88 institutions, offered at both associate's and bachelor's levels. The CIP definition still describes preparing students 'to develop and maintain web servers and the hosted web pages at one or a group of web sites, and to function as designated webmasters' — language that has not been refreshed since the dot-com era, when 'Webmaster' was a recognized job title. It largely is not anymore. The role fragmented over the past two decades into full-stack web development, front-end engineering, web platform engineering, CMS administration, digital-marketing operations, and e-commerce platform management.

Most programs marketed under this CIP today are modern web-development, front-end, or digital-marketing programs operating under the legacy label. Coursework typically covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, content management systems (most often WordPress), basic server administration, web policy, accessibility, and elements of UX. Stronger programs add React or another modern front-end framework, TypeScript, headless CMS work (Contentful, Strapi, Sanity), and a cloud platform — those additions are what move graduate earnings from the $50K-$60K marketing-ops band into the $90K-$130K front-end engineering band.

The earnings packet looks healthy on its face: bachelor's grads earn $84,407 five years out and associate's grads $55,083, with named BLS destinations Web developers ($90,930, +7.5% growth) and Web and digital interface designers ($98,090, +7% growth). What the headline number hides is the wide stack-driven spread inside the credential. Top completers are Utah Valley University (80, split evenly between associate's and bachelor's), Georgia College & State University (66 bachelor's), and Bellevue University (33 bachelor's) — a mix of regional state schools and online-friendly programs rather than flagship CS departments. Read the curriculum carefully and validate that the program teaches a modern stack before enrolling.

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
Web and digital interface designers $98k +7.0% Bachelor's degree
Web developers $91k +7.5% 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

$69k

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

Associate's

$55k

Bachelor's

$84k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you have already deployed something on Netlify, Vercel, or Cloudflare and want a structured curriculum to fill specific gaps; you are headed toward a marketing-ops, agency, higher-ed, or nonprofit web-team role and the credential will help you get hired in a credential-gated environment; you are an international student who needs a SEVP-certified program and the curriculum at your target school includes React, TypeScript, and a cloud platform; or you want an associate's-tier transfer pathway into a bachelor's web-development program. The bachelor's pays $84,407 five years out and the named occupations grow 7%-7.5% annually, which is solid for a credential at this scale.

Reasons to pause: NCES has not refreshed this CIP since the dot-com era, and the curriculum at weaker programs reflects that. If you can get into a Computer Science program (CIP 11.0701), take it — the algorithms training and broader employer signal compound across a career, and CS grads regularly hit $110K-$160K early-career at product companies that this credential does not reach. If you want design tilt, CIP 11.0801 (Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design) gives stronger UX and portfolio coverage. Bootcamps plus a public GitHub portfolio compete directly with this degree at commercial employers, often at lower cost and faster timeline. Validate that the specific program teaches React or another modern framework, TypeScript, a headless CMS, and at least one cloud platform — without those, the credential boxes you into the $45K-$65K marketing-ops band rather than the $90K+ engineering band.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Web/Multimedia Management and Webmaster

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Utah Valley University Orem, UT 40 40 80
Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA 0 66 66
Bellevue University Bellevue, NE 0 33 33
Fox Valley Technical College Appleton, WI 27 0 27
Bradley University Peoria, IL 0 21 21
College of Southern Nevada Las Vegas, NV 15 0 15
Madison Area Technical College Madison, WI 13 0 13
Hillsborough Community College Tampa, FL 13 0 13
St Petersburg College St. Petersburg, FL 13 0 13
Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global Marion, IN 0 12 12
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance

17,632 completions/yr

Computer Programming/Programmer, General

5,205 completions/yr

Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design

2,356 completions/yr

Computer Support Specialist

1,690 completions/yr

Network and System Administration/Administrator

1,663 completions/yr

System, Networking, and LAN/WAN Management/Manager

1,265 completions/yr

Computer/Information Technology Services Administration and Management, Other

969 completions/yr

Information Technology Project Management

933 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Web/Multimedia Management and Webmaster field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Web/Multimedia Management and Webmaster worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

Is 'Webmaster' still a real job title in 2026?
Largely no. The title peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s and has since fragmented into a handful of modern roles: full-stack web developer, front-end engineer, web platform engineer, CMS administrator, digital-marketing operations specialist, and e-commerce platform manager. NCES has not refreshed CIP 11.1004 since the dot-com era, which is why the title persists in IPEDS data even though hiring managers rarely write 'Webmaster' on a job requisition anymore. Programs marketed under this CIP are mostly modern web-development, front-end, content-management, or digital-marketing programs in disguise — read the catalog before assuming the curriculum matches the label.
What do graduates actually earn — and where does the wage spread come from?
The packet shows associate's grads at $55,083 and bachelor's grads at $84,407 five years out, with the BLS occupations Web developers ($90,930, +7.5% growth) and Web and digital interface designers ($98,090, +7% growth) attached to the major. The numbers look healthy, but the wage spread inside this credential is wide. Graduates who pick up React, TypeScript, and a cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP) cluster toward $90K-$130K early-mid career as front-end or full-stack engineers. Graduates who stop at the curriculum's default toolset — HTML, CSS, vanilla JavaScript, and WordPress — typically land $45K-$65K marketing-ops or small-agency roles. The credential alone does not produce the high number; the stack you ship does.
How does this compare to Computer Science (CIP 11.0701) or Web Design (CIP 11.0801)?
Computer Science is the gold-standard CS credential — broader algorithms training, stronger employer signal, better positioning for software engineering roles that pay $110K-$160K early-career at large tech employers. Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design (CIP 11.0801) tilts visual and design-heavy with strong UX and front-end coverage. CIP 11.1004 sits between them with neither's strengths — it does not produce the depth of CS algorithms training nor the portfolio polish of a design-tilted program. If you can get into a CS program, take it. Pick this CIP only if you have already validated interest by deploying something on Netlify, Vercel, or Cloudflare and want a structured curriculum to fill specific gaps.
Does a bootcamp or self-taught portfolio compete with this degree?
Yes, more directly than for most CIPs. Front-end and full-stack hiring at SaaS and product companies routinely values a public GitHub repo, a deployed portfolio site, and AWS Cloud Practitioner or DevOps certifications above the credential title. Bootcamps like Hack Reactor, App Academy, and Codesmith place graduates into web-engineering roles at $80K-$110K without any IPEDS-tracked credential. The CIP 11.1004 bachelor's is durable for credential-gated employers (higher-ed, government, regulated industries) and for international students who need a SEVP-certified program — but for typical commercial hiring, what you ship matters more than the diploma's exact wording.
How is AI changing entry-level web work?
Honestly, it is compressing the bottom of the market. Low-code site-builders (Webflow, Framer, Wix Studio, Shopify) plus AI-assisted dev tools (Cursor, GitHub Copilot, v0.dev, Lovable) have made it possible for non-developers to ship sites that would have been billable agency work five years ago. Roles that survive and pay well are the ones that handle complexity AI cannot: enterprise CMS work (Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore, Contentful, Strapi), Shopify Plus development, performance optimization, accessibility (WCAG compliance), and complex back-end integrations. A curriculum that stops at HTML, CSS, and basic WordPress in 2026 is preparing students for the part of the market that is shrinking fastest. Look for programs that teach React, TypeScript, headless CMS, and at least one cloud platform.
Where is this credential genuinely durable?
Four lanes still hire under this CIP without forcing a stack-rewrite: WordPress, Drupal, Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify ecosystem agencies plus freelance work; small and mid-sized business marketing-ops roles that combine HubSpot or Salesforce admin with light front-end, GA4, and tag management; higher-education and nonprofit web-team positions; and e-commerce platform management on Shopify, BigCommerce, or Salesforce Commerce Cloud. These are real careers paying $50K-$85K with reasonable stability. They are not the $130K front-end engineering roles, but they are durable. If you want the higher number, plan to self-teach into front-end engineering with React and Next.js while in school — the wage roughly doubles when you do.