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MASTER'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 1104

Information Science/Studies: is this master's degree worth it?

National picture across 72 reporting college programs.

Personal baseline needed

$99,838 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.

$99,838Median year-4 earnings

$21,330Average 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

$99,838Median reported earnings · year 4

$107,788Average reported earnings · year 5

Not availableMedian federal debt

68thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

72Reporting programs

72With 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: $91,498
Federal debt: $14,616
Reporting programs: 5

3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $63,006
Federal debt: $24,788
Reporting programs: 26

25 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $83,331
Federal debt: $26,000
Reporting programs: 162

149 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $141,703
Federal debt: $24,773
Reporting programs: 1

1 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $99,838
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 72

72 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

First Professional Degree

Year-4 earnings: $209,391
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 1

1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $52,761
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 1

1 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$93,933National median$99,83875th percentile$122,669

72 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Southern Methodist University$173,816 2Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Great Valley$158,815 3Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg$158,815 4Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$158,815 5Pennsylvania State University-World Campus$158,815 6George Washington University$149,469 7Norwich University$146,592 8Syracuse University$146,546 9University of Washington-Seattle Campus$142,909 10Northwestern University$141,026

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 Occupations, All OtherSOC 15-1299 · 1 crosswalk linksComputer Science Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1021 · 1 crosswalk linksComputer and Information Research ScientistsSOC 15-1221 · 1 crosswalk linksComputer and Information Systems ManagersSOC 11-3021 · 1 crosswalk linksDatabase ArchitectsSOC 15-1243 · 1 crosswalk linksSoftware DevelopersSOC 15-1252 · 1 crosswalk linksWeb and Digital Interface DesignersSOC 15-1255 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE/STUDIES

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	Southern Methodist UniversityMaster's Degree	Dallas, TX	$173,816	Not available	Baseline needed	$40,892
2	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Great ValleyMaster's Degree	Malvern, PA	$158,815	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
3	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State HarrisburgMaster's Degree	Middletown, PA	$158,815	Not available	Baseline needed	$23,330
4	Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusMaster's Degree	University Park, PA	$158,815	Not available	Baseline needed	$32,875
5	Pennsylvania State University-World CampusMaster's Degree	University Park, PA	$158,815	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,550
6	George Washington UniversityMaster's Degree	Washington, DC	$149,469	Not available	Baseline needed	$36,586
7	Norwich UniversityMaster's Degree	Northfield, VT	$146,592	Not available	Baseline needed	$22,257
8	Syracuse UniversityMaster's Degree	Syracuse, NY	$146,546	Not available	Baseline needed	$38,793
9	University of Washington-Seattle CampusMaster's Degree	Seattle, WA	$142,909	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,091
10	Northwestern UniversityMaster's Degree	Evanston, IL	$141,026	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,167
11	New Jersey Institute of TechnologyMaster's Degree	Newark, NJ	$140,197	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,504
12	Florida Institute of TechnologyMaster's Degree	Melbourne, FL	$139,174	Not available	Baseline needed	$35,639
13	Boston UniversityMaster's Degree	Boston, MA	$136,425	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,402
14	The University of Texas at San AntonioMaster's Degree	San Antonio, TX	$132,174	Not available	Baseline needed	$10,836
15	University of Maryland-Baltimore CountyMaster's Degree	Baltimore, MD	$129,398	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,467
16	University of RedlandsMaster's Degree	Redlands, CA	$128,274	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,031
17	University of UtahMaster's Degree	Salt Lake City, UT	$127,158	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,200
18	Johns Hopkins UniversityMaster's Degree	Baltimore, MD	$123,217	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,809
19	The University of Texas at DallasMaster's Degree	Richardson, TX	$122,669	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,267
20	DePaul UniversityMaster's Degree	Chicago, IL	$121,391	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,902
21	University of Maryland Global CampusMaster's Degree	Adelphi, MD	$120,148	Not available	Baseline needed	$22,063
22	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusMaster's Degree	Denver, CO	$118,649	Not available	Baseline needed	$11,900
23	University of Nebraska at OmahaMaster's Degree	Omaha, NE	$118,446	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,441
24	Texas Tech UniversityMaster's Degree	Lubbock, TX	$118,405	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,070
25	Kent State University at KentMaster's Degree	Kent, OH	$117,198	Not available	Baseline needed	$20,787
26	The University of Texas at ArlingtonMaster's Degree	Arlington, TX	$112,015	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,951
27	Tarleton State UniversityMaster's Degree	Stephenville, TX	$111,578	Not available	Baseline needed	$20,783
28	Ball State UniversityMaster's Degree	Muncie, IN	$111,444	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,940
29	Utah State UniversityMaster's Degree	Logan, UT	$111,384	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,936
30	Northern Kentucky UniversityMaster's Degree	Highland Heights, KY	$110,142	Not available	Baseline needed	$8,191
31	Drexel UniversityMaster's Degree	Philadelphia, PA	$109,576	Not available	Baseline needed	$38,509
32	Colorado State University-Fort CollinsMaster's Degree	Fort Collins, CO	$106,679	Not available	Baseline needed	$21,279
33	Nova Southeastern UniversityMaster's Degree	Fort Lauderdale, FL	$105,187	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,371
34	University of Michigan-Ann ArborMaster's Degree	Ann Arbor, MI	$105,088	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,138
35	Bellevue UniversityMaster's Degree	Bellevue, NE	$102,118	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,550
36	Pace UniversityMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$101,275	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,892
37	Strayer University-District of ColumbiaMaster's Degree	Washington, DC	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
38	Strayer University-VirginiaMaster's Degree	Arlington, VA	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,578
39	Strayer University-MarylandMaster's Degree	Baltimore, MD	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
40	Strayer University-TennesseeMaster's Degree	Nashville, TN	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	$11,645
41	Strayer University-PennsylvaniaMaster's Degree	Philadelphia, PA	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
42	Strayer University-FloridaMaster's Degree	Tampa, FL	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,064
43	Strayer University-DelawareMaster's Degree	Wilmington, DE	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	$22,593
44	Strayer University-AlabamaMaster's Degree	Birmingham, AL	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
45	Strayer University-North CarolinaMaster's Degree	Greensboro, NC	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
46	Strayer University-New JerseyMaster's Degree	Piscataway, NJ	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
47	Strayer University-West VirginiaMaster's Degree	Scott Depot, WV	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
48	Strayer University-ArkansasMaster's Degree	Little Rock, AR	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
49	Strayer University-GeorgiaMaster's Degree	Chamblee, GA	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,318
50	Strayer University-MississippiMaster's Degree	Jackson, MS	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
51	Strayer University-South CarolinaMaster's Degree	Greenville, SC	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,979
52	Strayer University-TexasMaster's Degree	Farmers Branch, TX	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
53	Strayer University-Global RegionMaster's Degree	Washington, DC	$98,401	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,833
54	Stevenson UniversityMaster's Degree	Owings Mills, MD	$96,835	Not available	Baseline needed	$26,505
55	University of South FloridaMaster's Degree	Tampa, FL	$93,933	Not available	Baseline needed	$9,812
56	University of Cincinnati-Main CampusMaster's Degree	Cincinnati, OH	$88,102	Not available	Baseline needed	$25,648
57	University of North Carolina at Chapel HillMaster's Degree	Chapel Hill, NC	$81,473	Not available	Baseline needed	$11,655
58	South University-MontgomeryMaster's Degree	Montgomery, AL	$78,782	Not available	Baseline needed	$27,807
59	South University-SavannahMaster's Degree	Savannah, GA	$78,782	Not available	Baseline needed	$28,743
60	South University-TampaMaster's Degree	Tampa, FL	$78,782	Not available	Baseline needed	$20,434
61	South University-RichmondMaster's Degree	Glen Allen, VA	$78,782	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,442
62	South University-Virginia BeachMaster's Degree	Virginia Beach, VA	$78,782	Not available	Baseline needed	$27,843
63	South University-Savannah OnlineMaster's Degree	Savannah, GA	$78,782	Not available	Baseline needed	$28,049
64	South University-AustinMaster's Degree	Round Rock, TX	$78,782	Not available	Baseline needed	$25,680
65	North Carolina Central UniversityMaster's Degree	Durham, NC	$77,440	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,359
66	SUNY Polytechnic InstituteMaster's Degree	Utica, NY	$76,927	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,164
67	Rutgers University-New BrunswickMaster's Degree	New Brunswick, NJ	$76,249	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,406
68	The University of Texas at AustinMaster's Degree	Austin, TX	$68,652	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,857
69	University at AlbanyMaster's Degree	Albany, NY	$58,314	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,167
70	University of North TexasMaster's Degree	Denton, TX	$55,765	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,649
71	Florida State UniversityMaster's Degree	Tallahassee, FL	$55,518	Not available	Baseline needed	$11,297
72	University of Puerto Rico-Rio PiedrasMaster's Degree	San Juan, PR	$40,414	Not available	Baseline needed	$9,175

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.