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IT Project Management

Types of Degrees IT Project Management Majors Are Earning

Those studying IT Project Management can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	19
Associate’s Degree	53
Bachelor’s Degree	918
Master’s Degree	1,954
Doctor’s Degree	2

What IT Project Management Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in IT Project Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a IT Project Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

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

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to IT Project Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, IT Project Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by IT Project Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Linux	Operating system software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Azure software	Development environment software	✓
JavaScript	Web platform development software	✓
Amazon Web Services AWS software	Data base user interface and query software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for IT Project Management graduates include:

• Systems Engineer
• Security Analyst
• Security Engineer
• IT Architect (Information Technology Architect)
• Cloud Engineer
• Network Engineer
• Engineer
• AI Security Specialist (Artificial Intelligence Security Specialist)
• Cybersecurity Engineer
• Cloud Security Architect
• Cloud Security Engineer
• Firmware Engineer
• Web Site Project Manager
• Security Consultant
• Cyber Defense Analyst

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	48.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	15.2%
Postsecondary certificate	12.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	6.9%
Master’s degree	5.7%
Some college courses	5.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.6%
Post-master’s certificate	1.5%
Less than a high school diploma	0.7%
Doctoral degree	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in IT Project Management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 63% of IT Project Management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,104	37.0%
Men	1,883	63.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	786	26.3%
Asian	238	8.0%
Hispanic or Latino	288	9.6%
Black or African American	245	8.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	8	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	8	0.3%
Two or More Races	78	2.6%
Race Unknown	103	3.4%
International Students	1,233	41.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do IT Project Management Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of IT Project Management 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	$64,248
4 years	$56,780
5 years	$64,307

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,307 — roughly 0% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online IT Project Management Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for IT Project 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	5	2
Bachelor’s	11	1
Master’s	17	6
Doctoral (Research)	2	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 IT Project Management Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, IT Project Management graduates earn a median of $56,780 four years after completion — roughly 49% 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/Information Technology Administration and Management	11.10
Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	11.1003
Computer Support Specialist	11.1006
Computer/Information Technology Services Administration and Management, Other	11.1099
Network and System Administration/Administrator	11.1001
System, Networking, and LAN/WAN Management/Manager	11.1002
Web/Multimedia Management and Webmaster	11.1004
Computer Science	11.0701
Computer and Information Sciences, General	11.0101
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications	11.0901
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.