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MASTER'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 1101

Computer and Information Sciences, General: is this master's degree worth it?

National picture across 78 reporting college programs.

Personal baseline needed

$125,902 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$125,902Median year-4 earnings

$20,590Average institution net-price context

Not availableMedian federal debt

Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$125,902Median reported earnings · year 4

$128,720Average reported earnings · year 5

Not availableMedian federal debt

88thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

78Reporting programs

78With year-4 earnings

COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $51,790
Federal debt: $10,938
Reporting programs: 53

45 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $54,238
Federal debt: $14,440
Reporting programs: 142

130 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $84,860
Federal debt: $25,000
Reporting programs: 489

470 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $125,902
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 78

78 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings: $158,849
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 1

1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $105,731
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 2

2 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings: $87,038
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 3

3 report earnings →

COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median

25th percentile$103,720National median$125,90275th percentile$148,614

78 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of Pennsylvania$222,544 2University of California, San Diego$201,287 3University of Wisconsin-Madison$196,985 4Cornell University$196,882 5Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$195,622 6Carnegie Mellon University$193,154 7Harvard University$189,806 8Stony Brook University$184,407 9Johns Hopkins University$176,945 10New York University$173,716

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

Computer and Information Research ScientistsSOC 15-1221 · 5 crosswalk linksComputer Science Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1021 · 3 crosswalk linksSoftware DevelopersSOC 15-1252 · 3 crosswalk linksSoftware Quality Assurance Analysts and TestersSOC 15-1253 · 3 crosswalk linksWeb and Digital Interface DesignersSOC 15-1255 · 3 crosswalk linksComputer Network ArchitectsSOC 15-1241 · 2 crosswalk linksComputer Systems AnalystsSOC 15-1211 · 2 crosswalk linksComputer and Information Systems ManagersSOC 11-3021 · 2 crosswalk linksData ScientistsSOC 15-2051 · 2 crosswalk linksDatabase ArchitectsSOC 15-1243 · 2 crosswalk linksComputer Occupations, All OtherSOC 15-1299 · 1 crosswalk linksDatabase AdministratorsSOC 15-1242 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES, GENERAL

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	ROI status	Cost context
1	University of PennsylvaniaMaster's Degree	Philadelphia, PA	$222,544	Not available	Baseline needed	$28,699
2	University of California, San DiegoMaster's Degree	La Jolla, CA	$201,287	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,470
3	University of Wisconsin-MadisonMaster's Degree	Madison, WI	$196,985	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,354
4	Cornell UniversityMaster's Degree	Ithaca, NY	$196,882	Not available	Baseline needed	$28,690
5	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusMaster's Degree	Atlanta, GA	$195,622	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,116
6	Carnegie Mellon UniversityMaster's Degree	Pittsburgh, PA	$193,154	Not available	Baseline needed	$31,944
7	Harvard UniversityMaster's Degree	Cambridge, MA	$189,806	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,066
8	Stony Brook UniversityMaster's Degree	Stony Brook, NY	$184,407	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,784
9	Johns Hopkins UniversityMaster's Degree	Baltimore, MD	$176,945	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,809
10	New York UniversityMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$173,716	Not available	Baseline needed	$37,050
11	University of Washington-Seattle CampusMaster's Degree	Seattle, WA	$170,194	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,091
12	University of Washington-Bothell CampusMaster's Degree	Bothell, WA	$170,194	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,319
13	University of Washington-Tacoma CampusMaster's Degree	Tacoma, WA	$170,194	Not available	Baseline needed	$10,163
14	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State HarrisburgMaster's Degree	Middletown, PA	$166,387	Not available	Baseline needed	$23,330
15	Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusMaster's Degree	University Park, PA	$166,387	Not available	Baseline needed	$32,875
16	Pennsylvania State University-World CampusMaster's Degree	University Park, PA	$166,387	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,550
17	Brandeis UniversityMaster's Degree	Waltham, MA	$159,137	Not available	Baseline needed	$35,736
18	Syracuse UniversityMaster's Degree	Syracuse, NY	$155,598	Not available	Baseline needed	$38,793
19	University of San FranciscoMaster's Degree	San Francisco, CA	$155,125	Not available	Baseline needed	$41,431
20	Columbia University in the City of New YorkMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$150,951	Not available	Baseline needed	$21,590
21	Stevens Institute of TechnologyMaster's Degree	Hoboken, NJ	$148,614	Not available	Baseline needed	$41,346
22	Northeastern University OaklandMaster's Degree	Oakland, CA	$145,909	Not available	Baseline needed	$25,181
23	Northeastern UniversityMaster's Degree	Boston, MA	$145,909	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,915
24	Northeastern University Professional ProgramsMaster's Degree	Boston, MA	$145,909	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
25	George Mason UniversityMaster's Degree	Fairfax, VA	$142,690	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,915
26	Purdue University-Main CampusMaster's Degree	West Lafayette, IN	$140,205	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,600
27	New Jersey Institute of TechnologyMaster's Degree	Newark, NJ	$139,346	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,504
28	Saint Louis UniversityMaster's Degree	Saint Louis, MO	$137,327	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,398
29	Dakota State UniversityMaster's Degree	Madison, SD	$137,285	Not available	Baseline needed	$21,057
30	Georgia State UniversityMaster's Degree	Atlanta, GA	$136,876	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,931
31	Bellevue UniversityMaster's Degree	Bellevue, NE	$136,523	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,550
32	Marymount UniversityMaster's Degree	Arlington, VA	$133,718	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,137
33	University of ArizonaMaster's Degree	Tucson, AZ	$133,301	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,674
34	University of Massachusetts-LowellMaster's Degree	Lowell, MA	$132,707	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,163
35	The University of Texas at DallasMaster's Degree	Richardson, TX	$130,924	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,267
36	Marquette UniversityMaster's Degree	Milwaukee, WI	$130,564	Not available	Baseline needed	$31,487
37	Illinois Institute of TechnologyMaster's Degree	Chicago, IL	$129,201	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,425
38	Lipscomb UniversityMaster's Degree	Nashville, TN	$127,250	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,739
39	Florida State UniversityMaster's Degree	Tallahassee, FL	$126,240	Not available	Baseline needed	$11,297
40	Regis UniversityMaster's Degree	Denver, CO	$125,564	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,397
41	Michigan State UniversityMaster's Degree	East Lansing, MI	$123,621	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,680
42	University of Central FloridaMaster's Degree	Orlando, FL	$123,587	Not available	Baseline needed	$10,411
43	University of Cincinnati-Main CampusMaster's Degree	Cincinnati, OH	$121,485	Not available	Baseline needed	$25,648
44	Rutgers University-CamdenMaster's Degree	Camden, NJ	$121,183	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,745
45	Rutgers University-New BrunswickMaster's Degree	New Brunswick, NJ	$121,183	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,406
46	Rutgers University-NewarkMaster's Degree	Newark, NJ	$121,183	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,703
47	Columbus State UniversityMaster's Degree	Columbus, GA	$119,397	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,115
48	University of St ThomasMaster's Degree	Saint Paul, MN	$118,888	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,155
49	Marist UniversityMaster's Degree	Poughkeepsie, NY	$115,873	Not available	Baseline needed	$41,544
50	Florida International UniversityMaster's Degree	Miami, FL	$113,980	Not available	Baseline needed	$9,288
51	University of West FloridaMaster's Degree	Pensacola, FL	$110,932	Not available	Baseline needed	$9,364
52	Middle Tennessee State UniversityMaster's Degree	Murfreesboro, TN	$109,171	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,359
53	Montclair State UniversityMaster's Degree	Montclair, NJ	$108,975	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,566
54	University of North Carolina at CharlotteMaster's Degree	Charlotte, NC	$108,285	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,435
55	Grand Canyon UniversityMaster's Degree	Phoenix, AZ	$107,641	Not available	Baseline needed	$22,472
56	Kennesaw State UniversityMaster's Degree	Kennesaw, GA	$106,491	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,048
57	Walsh CollegeMaster's Degree	Troy, MI	$106,055	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
58	University of DenverMaster's Degree	Denver, CO	$105,701	Not available	Baseline needed	$36,131
59	Nova Southeastern UniversityMaster's Degree	Fort Lauderdale, FL	$103,720	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,371
60	University of Michigan-FlintMaster's Degree	Flint, MI	$103,038	Not available	Baseline needed	$7,007
61	Colorado State University GlobalMaster's Degree	Denver, CO	$102,553	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,510
62	Central Connecticut State UniversityMaster's Degree	New Britain, CT	$102,450	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,857
63	Colorado Technical University-Colorado SpringsMaster's Degree	Colorado Springs, CO	$101,101	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,745
64	Central Michigan UniversityMaster's Degree	Mount Pleasant, MI	$99,708	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,597
65	Metropolitan State UniversityMaster's Degree	Saint Paul, MN	$97,987	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,863
66	Southern New Hampshire UniversityMaster's Degree	Manchester, NH	$97,644	Not available	Baseline needed	$36,708
67	University of MemphisMaster's Degree	Memphis, TN	$96,546	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,397
68	Walden UniversityMaster's Degree	Minneapolis, MN	$91,087	Not available	Baseline needed	$33,817
69	Middle Georgia State UniversityMaster's Degree	Macon, GA	$89,839	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,361
70	Florida Atlantic UniversityMaster's Degree	Boca Raton, FL	$89,110	Not available	Baseline needed	$8,752
71	Central Washington UniversityMaster's Degree	Ellensburg, WA	$85,817	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,476
72	Purdue University GlobalMaster's Degree	West Lafayette, IN	$84,248	Not available	Baseline needed	$7,770
73	American InterContinental University-AtlantaMaster's Degree	Atlanta, GA	$83,657	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,482
74	American InterContinental University SystemMaster's Degree	Chandler, AZ	$83,657	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,172
75	American InterContinental University-HoustonMaster's Degree	Houston, TX	$83,657	Not available	Baseline needed	$20,249
76	University of Phoenix-ArizonaMaster's Degree	Phoenix, AZ	$72,183	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,520
77	University of BaltimoreMaster's Degree	Baltimore, MD	$71,726	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,868
78	University of Arkansas GranthamMaster's Degree	LIttle Rock, AR	$65,334	Not available	Baseline needed	$8,370

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.