Strong long-run returns — if you're aiming at management, not programming
Management Information Systems earns its reputation as a high-ROI business-tech hybrid. Census PSEO puts the 10-year median earnings at $93,348, with the top quartile reaching $125,750 — real money by any measure. The primary BLS destination, computer and information systems managers (SOC 11-3021), is growing at +15.2% through 2034 — nearly four times the all-occupations average of +4.0% — with ~56k annual openings and a median wage of $171,200. The bachelor's debt-to-income ratio is 0.34, well inside the healthy 0.40 threshold. Two caveats belong in the open: first, that $171,200 management-track wage isn't where you start — Scorecard puts bachelor's year-1 earnings at $59,738. It's a realistic ceiling, not a starting salary. Second, computer programmers (SOC 15-1251) — a common adjacent path for MIS graduates who lean technical — are projected to shrink -6.0% through 2034. Students who drift toward pure coding roles instead of systems-management work face a meaningfully different outlook than the headline numbers suggest.
- ROI A
- Employment A
- Debt burden A−
- Projected demand A+
Management Information Systems occupies an unusual position in the business-tech landscape: it's neither purely technical enough to compete with computer science, nor purely strategic enough to compete with MBA programs. That ambiguity is actually the point — and whether it's a strength or a weakness depends entirely on which career track you're aiming for.
The headline numbers are genuinely strong. Census PSEO puts 10-year median earnings at $93,348, with the top quartile clearing $125,750. The primary BLS destination, computer and information systems managers (SOC 11-3021), is growing at +15.2% through 2034 — nearly four times the all-occupations average of +4.0% — with approximately 56k annual openings. Among the 8,054 entry-level MIS credentials awarded in 2024 (bachelor's at 7,253, associate's at 745, and short certificates accounting for the remainder), the bachelor's dominated, which signals where the labor market has set its expectations. One data gap upfront: College Scorecard doesn't publish field-level debt data for this CIP code. The $20,427 median debt figure throughout this analysis is an institution-level average across 548 schools that produce MIS credentials — not a program-specific number.
The honest tension to work through: the management occupation that anchors this field's outlook isn't where new graduates land. The $171,200 manager wage is a realistic ceiling, not a starting salary — Scorecard puts bachelor's year-1 earnings at $59,738. The rest of this page works through that gap, credential by credential.
- ✓ Computer and information systems managers projected to grow +15.2% through 2034 — nearly 4x the +4.0% all-occupations baseline.
- ✓ Median wage for computer and information systems managers is $171,200 — among the highest BLS-tracked occupation wages in business fields.
- ✓ Census PSEO shows median MIS earnings reach $93,348 at year 10, with the 75th percentile hitting $125,750.
- ✓ Bachelor's debt-to-income ratio is 0.34 (debt $20,427 vs. $59,738 year-1 earnings) — inside the healthy 0.40 threshold.
- ✓ Three-year loan default rate across 548 MIS-producing institutions is 0.001%, essentially zero — borrowers repay without distress.
- ! The $171,200 median wage is for senior management roles; bachelor's year-1 Scorecard earnings are $59,738 — a large gap to close.
- ! Computer programmers (SOC 15-1251) — common MIS adjacents — are projected to shrink -6.0% through 2034 per BLS 2024–2034 projections.
- ! Institution-level 10-yr median ($53,270) diverges sharply from PSEO's $93,348, flagging that top producers (WGU, University of Phoenix) skew outcomes downward.
Where management information systems graduates actually land
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO)
Earnings by credential level
College Scorecard field-level earnings (years 1–4 post-grad, aggregated across institutions)
What it costs, what you earn, what's left over
Field-level debt data isn't published by College Scorecard for this CIP code. Every debt figure here is the institution-level average across 548 schools that produce MIS credentials — meaning the $20,427 median is the same number regardless of whether a student attends a two-year commuter college or a flagship university. That's a real limitation, and it almost certainly understates debt at private four-year schools while overstating it at online institutions like Western Governors University, which produced 1,585 MIS completions in 2024 alone.
With that caveat stated clearly, the ratios are favorable. At the bachelor's level — where 7,253 of 11,418 total credentials were awarded in 2024 — $20,427 in debt against $59,738 in year-1 earnings produces a ratio of 0.34, well inside the healthy threshold of 0.40. The associate's path flips that: the same debt against $42,328 in year-1 earnings pushes the ratio to 0.48, above the threshold. The master's posts the strongest ratio at 0.245, with year-1 earnings of $83,311 — though master's programs in this field typically carry higher actual tuition than the institution-level average captures. The 3-year loan default rate across producing institutions is 0.001% — essentially zero, and far below the roughly 3% Scorecard-wide average for 4-year institutions. At year 10, Census PSEO puts the field-wide median at $93,348, giving bachelor's graduates substantial runway to retire any debt they carry.
The credential paths that actually produce graduates
Scorecard field-level earnings + completions_by_program (most recent year) aggregated by credential tier
Associate's in Management Information Systems
A two-year program covering database fundamentals, networking basics, business applications software, and introductory systems analysis. Leads to roles like IT support specialist, data entry supervisor, or help-desk analyst. Year-1 earnings are $42,328 per College Scorecard; the debt-to-income ratio at this level is 0.48 (debt $20,427 vs. $42,328 year-1 earnings) — above the healthy threshold.
- Completions / yr 745
- Year-1 earnings $42,328
- Year-4 earnings $58,952
- Median debt $20,638
- % women 32.5%
- Schools 111
Best for students who need to enter the workforce quickly or plan to bridge into a bachelor's with employer tuition support, not as a standalone career destination.
Bachelor's in Management Information Systems (BSMIS/BBA-MIS)
The standard four-year path combining business fundamentals (strategy, operations, finance) with information systems coursework (database management, systems analysis and design, enterprise resource planning, cybersecurity basics). Opens roles as business analyst, systems analyst, IT project manager, or entry-level IT manager. Year-1 median earnings are $59,738, rising to $82,068 by year four per College Scorecard.
- Completions / yr 7,253
- Year-1 earnings $59,738
- Year-4 earnings $82,068
- Median debt $22,447
- % women 31.5%
- Schools 435
The right credential for most students — this is what employers hiring MIS talent at the bachelor's level expect, and it's the on-ramp to the management track.
Master's in Management Information Systems (MS/MBA-MIS)
A one-to-two-year graduate program deepening expertise in enterprise systems, data analytics, IT governance, and cybersecurity management. Commonly pursued by bachelor's graduates who want to accelerate into director or VP-level IT roles. Year-1 median earnings jump to $83,311, reaching $104,943 by year four per College Scorecard.
- Completions / yr 2,163
- Year-1 earnings $83,311
- Year-4 earnings $104,943
- Median debt $36,699
- % women 33.7%
- Schools 154
Worthwhile for bachelor's graduates targeting senior IT management or enterprise architecture roles, or for career-switchers entering MIS from another business discipline.
Doctoral
- Completions / yr 28
- Year-1 earnings $122,899
- Year-4 earnings $132,343
- Median debt $76,775
- % women 39.3%
- Schools 17
The bachelor's is the smart default — it's where 7,253 of the 8,054 entry-level MIS credentials awarded in 2024 landed, and the $17,410 year-1 earnings gap over the associate's path justifies the extra time. The master's pays a real premium but is best pursued on an employer's dime after several years of experience.
The bachelor's degree is where the MIS pipeline is concentrated. 7,253 bachelor's completions in 2024 out of 11,418 total — 63.5% of all MIS credentials awarded. Master's programs add another 2,163, and the associate's path produces 745. Those three tiers tell a clear story about where the labor market and the credentialing system have aligned.
The earnings gap between the associate's and bachelor's is immediate and persistent. At year one, bachelor's grads earn $59,738 versus $42,328 for associate's grads — a $17,410 difference. By year four, that spread widens to $82,068 for bachelor's versus $58,952 for associate's, a $23,116 gap. The associate's doesn't serve as a discounted version of the bachelor's — it delivers you into a different, lower-paying segment of the market. The bridge-path logic (associate's to bachelor's part-time with employer tuition support) exists in this field, but the earnings cost of the delay is real and compounds annually. Students who take the associate's route should budget for finishing the bachelor's, not treating the two-year credential as a stopping point.
One demographic pattern worth noting: MIS skews heavily male — 68.5% men at the bachelor's tier in 2024. Women hold 31.5% of bachelor's completions and 33.7% of master's completions. The field's gender ratio differs sharply from adjacent business fields, and students should factor field culture into their program research, particularly for cohort-based programs where peer networks shape early career trajectories.
Who completes these degrees
IPEDS completions_by_program, most recent year, first-major only
- 2023 10,870
- 2024 11,418
Where graduates land professionally
BLS 2024–2034 Employment Projections via CIP-to-SOC crosswalk
| SOC | Occupation | Employed '24 | Growth | Openings/yr | Median wage | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11-3021 | Computer and information systems managers | 667k | +15.2% | 56k | $171,200 | Bachelor's degree |
| 15-1251 | Computer programmers | 121k | -6.0% | 5.5k | $98,670 | Bachelor's degree |
| 15-1243 | Database architects | 67k | +8.7% | 4.0k | $135,980 | Bachelor's degree |
| 25-1021 | Computer science teachers, postsecondary | 45k | +5.3% | 3.5k | $96,690 | Doctoral or professional degree |
The primary BLS destination for MIS graduates is computer and information systems managers (SOC 11-3021): 667.1k employed in 2024, growing at +15.2% through 2034 with approximately 56k annual openings and a median wage of $171,200. That growth rate is nearly four times the all-occupations average of +4.0% — a genuinely strong signal. This is the management track: IT director, CIO, systems manager, VP of technology. BLS's typical education requirement for the role is a bachelor's degree. The gap to acknowledge honestly: this isn't an entry-level role. It takes years of systems and operations experience to reach the managerial tier. The data supports aiming here, but the timeline is 8–12 years, not 4.
The adjacent tier presents a split story. Database architects (SOC 15-1243) employ 66.9k and are growing at +8.7% through 2034 with a median wage of $135,980 — a strong niche for MIS graduates who develop deep data systems skills. Computer programmers (SOC 15-1251), by contrast, employ 121.2k but are projected to shrink -6.0% through 2034 with a median wage of $98,670. That's the red-flag destination: larger employment base than database architects, but heading the wrong direction. MIS graduates who drift into pure software development roles rather than systems-management work are entering a tighter market than the field's primary growth numbers suggest. Computer science teachers at the postsecondary level (SOC 25-1021) are a smaller adjacent path at 44.8k employed, +5.3% growth — relevant primarily for doctoral-track students, not the undergraduate mainstream.
There is no distinct advanced-practice credential tier in this field that changes the occupational landscape the way an advanced degree reshapes outcomes in healthcare or counseling. The bachelor's and master's both feed the same management destination, with the master's accelerating the timeline rather than opening a different occupational ceiling.
Where demand is growing
State workforce agencies publish their own 10-year projections for computer and information systems managers — growth varies sharply by state, and where you plan to live changes the calculus.
| Texas | +34.8% | 5,780 openings/yr |
| Tennessee | +34.7% | 1,050 openings/yr |
| Utah | +34.1% | 630 openings/yr |
| Colorado | +26.9% | 1,220 openings/yr |
| Idaho | +25.6% | 160 openings/yr |
| Arizona | +24.9% | 1,220 openings/yr |
| South Carolina | +24.7% | 420 openings/yr |
| Wyoming | +24.2% | 30 openings/yr |
| California | 8,500/yr | +15.7% growth |
| Texas | 5,780/yr | +34.8% growth |
| Florida | 2,250/yr | +24.0% growth |
| Washington | 1,950/yr | +23.9% growth |
| Illinois | 1,900/yr | +10.5% growth |
Where computer and information systems managers need a license
6 states and territories license computer and information systems managers. The degree alone isn't the finish line — plan for the credential your state requires before you can practice.
Schools producing the most graduates
Volume, not quality — completion counts across all credentials. See our rankings pages for outcome-weighted school scores.
- 1,585
- 354
- 347
- 277
- 226
- 222
- 181
- 168
- 168
- 10162
Pursue the bachelor's. The numbers are clean: $59,738 at year one, $82,068 by year four, $93,348 at the ten-year median — and a debt-to-income ratio of 0.34 that stays inside the healthy threshold. The management destination (computer and information systems managers, +15.2% growth, $171,200 median wage) is one of the stronger long-run career targets in the business-technology space. The bachelor's is the standard entry credential for this field, accounting for 7,253 of the 8,054 entry-level completions in 2024. Don't overthink the path. The master's is worth adding, but do it with employer tuition support after a few years of experience — not before you've worked in the field. The debt-to-income math at the master's level (0.245) looks favorable on paper, but the $20,427 institution-level fallback debt figure understates what a graduate program actually costs at most universities.
The recommendation flips in two scenarios. First: if your plan is to write software full-time. Computer programmers are projected to shrink -6.0% through 2034. The MIS curriculum makes you a capable developer, but the labor market rewards people who manage systems and teams, not those who build them from scratch. A pure computer science degree serves programming roles better; MIS serves management roles better. Pick honestly. Second: if you're drawn to the field because it sounds safer than computer science. MIS graduates who land at Western Governors or University of Phoenix — institutions that produced 1,585 and 277 completions respectively in 2024 — face a different recruiting environment than graduates from flagship programs. The degree level matters; so does where you get it.
Informed inquiries
Is MIS still worth studying given how fast AI and automation are changing tech jobs?
MIS is better-positioned than most tech disciplines against automation pressure because its primary destination is management, not coding. Computer and information systems managers (SOC 11-3021) are projected to grow +15.2% through 2034 — one of the stronger BLS growth rates in business or technology. The risk is concentrated in adjacent programming roles: computer programmers (SOC 15-1251) are projected to shrink -6.0% through 2034. Students who build toward the management and strategy track — not pure software development — are swimming with the current. If your plan is to code full-time after an MIS degree, the outlook is materially weaker.
How much does an MIS graduate actually make starting out versus 10 years in?
The gap is wide and the trajectory is real. Scorecard puts bachelor's year-1 median earnings at $59,738. By year four, that figure rises to $82,068. Census PSEO data shows the 10-year median across all MIS credentials at $93,348, with the 25th percentile at $67,922 and the 75th at $125,750. That spread tells you outcomes vary substantially by career path and employer type. The $171,200 median wage for computer and information systems managers is an accurate long-run ceiling — but it represents senior management roles that take years of experience to reach, not an entry-level salary to plan around.
Is the associate's degree in MIS worth it, or is the bachelor's the minimum that makes sense?
The bachelor's is the minimum that makes strategic sense. Associate's year-1 Scorecard earnings are $42,328 versus $59,738 for bachelor's graduates — a $17,410 gap right out of school. By year four, bachelor's grads earn $82,068 versus $58,952 for associate's holders — a $23,116 difference. The debt-to-income ratio at the associate's level is 0.48 (debt $20,427 vs. $42,328 year-1 earnings), above the healthy 0.40 threshold. The associate's makes sense only as a stepping stone: enter the workforce, earn employer tuition reimbursement, finish the bachelor's part-time. As a standalone credential, it leaves too much earnings on the table.
Is a master's degree in MIS worth the extra cost?
The earnings data says yes, particularly if you're not paying for it yourself. Master's year-1 Scorecard median is $83,311 versus $59,738 for bachelor's graduates — a $23,573 premium out of the gate. By year four, that gap holds: $104,943 for master's versus $82,068 for bachelor's. The debt-to-income ratio at the master's level is 0.245 (debt $20,427 vs. $83,311 year-1 earnings), the healthiest ratio across all paths. One caveat: the $20,427 debt figure is an institution-level fallback across 548 schools — graduate tuition is typically higher, so self-financed master's degrees likely carry more debt than this average reflects. Employer-sponsored or heavily subsidized is the smart play.
What jobs do MIS graduates actually end up in?
The primary BLS destination is computer and information systems managers (SOC 11-3021) — 667.1k employed in 2024, growing at +15.2% through 2034 with ~56k annual openings and a median wage of $171,200. This is the management track: IT director, CIO, systems manager. Adjacent destinations include database architects (SOC 15-1243) at 66.9k employed, +8.7% growth, $135,980 median — and computer programmers (SOC 15-1251) at 121.2k employed but shrinking at -6.0%. Computer science teachers at the postsecondary level (SOC 25-1021) round out the picture for those pursuing doctoral work. The management-track outcome is the strongest; the programmer-adjacent path is the one to plan away from.
How does the debt load compare to what MIS graduates actually earn?
The debt figures here use an institution-level fallback across 548 MIS-producing schools — College Scorecard doesn't publish field-level debt data for this CIP code, so every credential tier shows the same $20,427 median debt. That's a real limitation. At the bachelor's level, $20,427 against $59,738 in year-1 earnings produces a debt-to-income ratio of 0.34 — inside the 0.40 healthy threshold. The associate's path sits at 0.48, above the threshold. The master's is the cleanest at 0.245. The 3-year loan default rate across producing institutions is 0.001%, which is effectively zero. These are directional estimates; actual debt varies significantly by school type, with public institutions and WGU likely well below the average.
Still exploring?
See every business, management, marketing, major with career paths and earnings.
Explore related majors →