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Knowledge Management

Types of Degrees Knowledge Management Majors Are Earning

Those studying Knowledge Management may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10
Associate’s Degree	38
Bachelor’s Degree	94
Master’s Degree	84

What Knowledge Management Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Knowledge Management build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Knowledge Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Knowledge Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Knowledge Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Knowledge Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Knowledge Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Knowledge Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	—
C#	Object or component oriented development software	—
Operating system software	Operating system software	✓
Linux	Operating system software	—
Firewall software	Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment software	—
Management information systems MIS	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
PHP	Web platform development software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Knowledge Management graduates include:

• Computer Networking Instructor
• Computer Science Assistant Professor
• Computer Information Systems Professor (CIS Professor)
• Computer Science Instructor
• Cybersecurity Instructor
• College Professor
• Computer Technology Instructor
• Information Technology Professor (IT Professor)
• Computer Science Adjunct Professor
• Computer Science Teacher
• Adjunct Computer Science Professor
• Lecturer
• Computer Engineering Professor
• IT Adjunct Faculty Member (Information Technology Adjunct Faculty Member)
• Computer Applications Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Knowledge Management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	46.1%
Doctoral degree	40.1%
Bachelor’s degree	12.4%
Some college courses	1.0%
Postsecondary certificate	0.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Knowledge Management?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 40.3% women and 59.7% men among Knowledge Management graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	91	40.3%
Men	135	59.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Knowledge Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	100	44.2%
Asian	18	8.0%
Hispanic or Latino	39	17.3%
Black or African American	30	13.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.4%
Two or More Races	6	2.7%
Race Unknown	8	3.5%
International Students	22	9.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Knowledge Management Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Knowledge Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$68,818
4 years	$76,884
5 years	$85,819

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $85,819 — roughly 25% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Knowledge Management Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Knowledge Management. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	4	0
Bachelor’s	2	0
Master’s	5	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Knowledge Management Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Knowledge Management graduates earn a median of $76,884 four years after completion — roughly 102% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Management Information Systems and Services	52.12
Information Resources Management	52.1206
Management Information Systems and Services, Other	52.1299
Management Information Systems, General	52.1201

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.