Networking

Types of Degrees Networking Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many computer systems networking graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	5,120
Basic Certificate	4,058
Associate Degree	2,733
Bachelor’s Degree	1,055
Master’s Degree	593
Graduate Certificate	172
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Networking Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, networking majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Networking Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Skills for Networking Majors

When studying networking, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Networking Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a networking student include the following:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Networking Major?

People with a networking degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Computer Network Architects	6.5%	$109,020
Computer Network Support Specialists	8.2%	$62,770
Informatics Nurse Specialists	9.1%	$88,740
Information Security Analysts	28.5%	$98,350

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Networking?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 1,254 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer systems networking in 2021, making it rank #153 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 88% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of networking majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	104
Black or African American	124
Hispanic or Latino	159
White	563
International Students	9
Other Races/Ethnicities	96

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Networking. About 0.9% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Networking

Some degrees associated with networking may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for networking careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	5.3%
Some College Courses	6.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	12.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	45.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	9.9%
Master’s Degree	16.6%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.4%
Doctoral Degree	0.9%

Online Networking Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	252	22
Certificate (2-4 Years)	13	2
Associate’s Degree	360	46
Bachelor’s Degree	20	6
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	38	11
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Networking

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to networking.

Major	Number of Grads
Computer Information Systems	105,098
Computer Science	72,693
Information Technology	46,791
Information Science	20,202
Computer Software & Applications	14,684
Computer Programming	12,983
Computer Systems Analysis	2,864
Other Computer & Information Sciences	2,000
Data Processing	1,927
Data Entry	542

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Ludovic.ferre under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.