Computer Science

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2017

41,793

growing 18.3%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$6,670

growing 2.96%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$32,522

growing 2.89%

Average Wage

$99,998

growing 3.98%

People in Workforce

2.06M

growing 4.78%

Average Employee Age

40.7

growing 0.389%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Computer Science degree recipients are Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, and Chicago, IL. The locations with a relatively high number of Computer Science degree recipients are Fairfield, IA, Palo Alto, CA, and Warrensburg, MO. The most common degree awarded to students studying Computer Science is a bachelors degree.

Photo by Andrew Hart

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services Computer Science

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Computer Science and the types of students that study this field. University of Central Missouri awards the most degrees in Computer Science in the US, but Maharishi University of Management and Virginia International University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Computer Science.

Tuition costs for Computer Science majors are, on average, $6,670 for in-state public colleges, and $32,522 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Computer Science programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (417 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (24,682 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Computer Science

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Computer Science, is Public, 4-year or above (24,682 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Computer Science programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$6,670

Median In-State Public

$32,522

Median Out of State Private

University of Central Missouri has the most Computer Science degree recipients, with 1,430 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Computer Science.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Maharishi University of Management
61.6%
Virginia International University
44.3%
University of Illinois at Springfield
37.3%

Out of all institutions that offer Computer Science programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Maharishi University of Management and Virginia International University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Computer Science, with 61.6% and 44.3%, respectively.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Computer Science

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Computer Science by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Computer Science.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors is $99,998 and the most common occupations are Software developers, Computer occupations, all other, and Computer programmers.

The industry that employs the most Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors is Computer Systems Design, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

$99,998

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,419

3.98%

1 Year Growth

± 1.91%

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

The most common occupations Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors, by number of employees, are Software developers, Computer occupations, all other, and Computer programmers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors working as Software developers, Computer and information research scientists, and Computer programmers.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors are Magnetic resonance imaging technologists, Diagnostic medical sonographers, and Architectural & engineering managers.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

2.06M

2018 Workforce

± 34,997

4.78%

1 Year Growth

± 2.32%

The number of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 4.78%, from 1.97M in 2017 to 2.06M in 2018.

The largest single share of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services graduates go on to work as Software developers (20.2%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

The most common industries that employ Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors, by number of employees, are Computer Systems Design, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Management, scientific & technical consulting services.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

The highest paying industries of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors, by average wage, are Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, Other consumer goods rental, and Sound recording industries.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

2.06M

2018 Workforce

± 34,997

4.78%

1 Year Growth

± 2.32%

The number of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 4.78%, from 1.97M in 2017 to 2.06M in 2018.

The industry which employs the most Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services graduates by share is Computer Systems Design, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors.

Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services is 40.7, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services degrees, and White students earn the majority (14,479) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

40.7

Average Age in 2018

± 0.189 Years

0.389%

1 Year Change

± 0.66%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services. The most common ages of employees with this major are 37 and 36 years old, which represent 3.75% and 3.74% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Computer Science are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctorate degree.

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (78.6%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Computer Science.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
14,479 degrees awarded
Non-resident Alien
14,466 degrees awarded
Asian
6,202 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Computer Science for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Male
10,072 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded
Asian Male
3,587 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded
Hispanic or Latino Male
1,821 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Computer Science. White Male students, who earn most of the degree-grads_ethnicity_genders in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
239,903 degree recipients
China
64,017 degree recipients
Philippines
26,622 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

India
5.36 times more than expected
Libya
5.26 times more than expected
Sri Lanka
3.46 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in India that hold Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services degrees (5.36 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (239,903 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Computer Science field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Computer Science majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Computer Science majors need more than the average amount of Programming, Equipment Selection, and Troubleshooting.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Computer Science majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Programming is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.