IS
Types of Degrees IS Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many information science graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Bachelor’s Degree | 9,632 |
Master’s Degree | 8,428 |
Associate Degree | 968 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 375 |
Graduate Certificate | 327 |
Basic Certificate | 286 |
Doctor’s Degree | 186 |
What IS Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to is were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
Knowledge Areas for IS Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in is should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:
- 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.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- 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 IS Majors
When studying is, 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 IS Majors
Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a is student include the following:
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- 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.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
What Can You Do With a IS Major?
People with a is degree often go into the following careers:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Business Intelligence Analysts | 9.3% | $90,270 |
Computer and Information Research Scientists | 19.0% | $118,370 |
Computer and Information Systems Managers | 12.0% | $142,530 |
Computer Science Professors | 8.1% | $82,220 |
Data Warehousing Specialists | 9.3% | $90,270 |
Database Architects | 9.3% | $90,270 |
Document Management Specialists | 9.3% | $90,270 |
Geographic Information Systems Technicians | 9.3% | $90,270 |
Geospatial Information Scientists and Technologists | 9.3% | $90,270 |
Search Marketing Strategists | 9.3% | $90,270 |
Software Developers, Systems Software | 11.1% | $110,000 |
Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers | 9.3% | $90,270 |
Web Administrators | 9.3% | $90,270 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in IS?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of is majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 1,680 |
Black or African American | 1,512 |
Hispanic or Latino | 1,064 |
White | 4,011 |
International Students | 617 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 748 |
Geographic Diversity
IS appeals to people across the globe. About 6.4% of those with this major are international students.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to IS
Some careers associated with is require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.
Find out what the typical degree level is for is careers below.
Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 1.9% |
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) | 3.9% |
Some College Courses | 4.5% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 5.8% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 57.8% |
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. | 2.6% |
Master’s Degree | 17.3% |
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. | 0.6% |
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. | 0.1% |
Doctoral Degree | 5.5% |
Post-Doctoral Training | 0.2% |
Online IS 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) | 50 | 24 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 3 | 1 |
Associate’s Degree | 98 | 22 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 69 | 31 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 169 | 60 |
Post-Master’s | 11 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 33 | 2 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
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Majors Related to IS
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to is.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Computer Information Systems | 105,098 |
Computer Science | 72,693 |
Information Technology | 46,791 |
Computer Software & Applications | 14,684 |
Computer Systems Networking | 13,734 |
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 The Opte Project under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.