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Information Systems

Types of Degrees Information Systems Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Information Systems can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	14
Associate’s Degree	133
Bachelor’s Degree	947
Master’s Degree	1,933
Doctor’s Degree	2

What Information Systems Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Information Systems emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Information Systems program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Information Systems careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Information Systems graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Information Systems professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
UNIX	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Linux	Operating system software	✓
Operating system software	Operating system software	✓
Microsoft Visual Basic	Development environment software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Information Systems graduates include:

• Computer Science Adjunct Instructor
• Computer Applications Instructor
• Lecturer
• Adjunct Instructor
• C++ Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Computer Science Assistant Professor
• Adjunct Computer Science Professor
• Information Systems Professor (IS Professor)
• Network Technology Instructor
• IT Adjunct Faculty Member (Information Technology Adjunct Faculty Member)
• Computer Science Teacher
• Computer Programming Professor
• Java Programming Professor
• Computer Engineering Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	30.2%
Bachelor’s degree	30.0%
Doctoral degree	19.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.9%
Postsecondary certificate	4.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.1%
Some college courses	2.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.7%
First professional degree	0.3%
Less than a high school diploma	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Information Systems?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 68.3% of Information Systems degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	963	31.7%
Men	2,071	68.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Information Systems graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	806	26.6%
Asian	290	9.6%
Hispanic or Latino	443	14.6%
Black or African American	209	6.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	5	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.1%
Two or More Races	84	2.8%
Race Unknown	75	2.5%
International Students	1,120	36.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Information Systems Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Information Systems graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$53,073
4 years	$65,915
5 years	$75,229

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $75,229 — roughly 42% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Information Systems Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Information Systems. 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	6	4
Bachelor’s	6	8
Master’s	4	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 Information Systems Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Information Systems graduates earn a median of $65,915 four years after completion — roughly 73% 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
Computer Systems Analysis	11.05
Computer and Information Sciences, General	11.0101
Cloud Computing	11.0902
Computer Science	11.0701
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications	11.0901
Information Technology	11.0103
Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	11.1003
Computer Programming/Programmer, General	11.0201
Information Science/Studies	11.0401

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.