BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
What Can You Do With a Computer Science Degree? Jobs (2026)
Key takeaway: A computer science degree opens the widest occupational range of any technology major, spanning software development (median $135,980), information security ($129,180), data and network architecture ($139,500 and $134,050), systems analysis ($105,850), web and interface work ($92,650 to $104,000), user support ($61,860 to $76,220), and IT management ($175,140). Nearly all of these roles are reachable with a bachelor's degree; what separates the top of the range from the bottom is specialization and years of experience, not additional academic credentials.
Computer science is a foundations degree. You learn data structures, algorithms, systems architecture, operating systems, networks, databases, and enough theory to reason about problems that have not been invented yet. That breadth is why the same degree feeds jobs as different as writing production software, defending a corporate network, designing a database schema, and running an IT department. The occupations below are the ones most directly tied to computer science programs, with the real work each one involves.
Jobs you can get with a computer science degree
| Occupation | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Computer and Information Systems Manager | $175,140 |
| Database Architect | $139,500 |
| Software Developer | $135,980 |
| Computer Network Architect | $134,050 |
| Information Security Analyst | $129,180 |
| Computer Systems Analyst | $105,850 |
| Database Administrator | $104,620 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designer | $104,000 |
| Web Developer | $92,650 |
| Computer Network Support Specialist | $76,220 |
| Computer User Support Specialist | $61,860 |
View the data behind this chart
| Occupation | Avg. annual openings |
|---|---|
| Software Developer | 115,200/yr |
| Computer and Information Systems Manager | 55,600/yr |
| Computer User Support Specialist | 40,800/yr |
| Computer Systems Analyst | 34,200/yr |
| Information Security Analyst | 16,000/yr |
| Computer Network Architect | 11,200/yr |
| Computer Network Support Specialist | 9,600/yr |
| Web and Digital Interface Designer | 9,100/yr |
Wage source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. These are national midpoints across all experience levels; entry-level pay sits well below the median and senior pay well above it, and metro area matters substantially in software roles.
Software developer. The largest destination for computer science graduates. Developers design, write, test, and maintain the applications and services a business runs on, working in a cycle of requirements, implementation, code review, deployment, and on-call support. The daily reality involves as much reading of existing code and coordinating with product and QA colleagues as it does writing new logic. Specializations diverge quickly: backend services, mobile, embedded systems, infrastructure, and machine learning engineering all draw from the same degree but reward different follow-on skills.
Computer and information systems manager. The highest median on the list, and a role reached by promotion rather than by hiring off the street. IT managers set technology direction, own budgets and vendor relationships, hire and lead engineering or infrastructure teams, and answer for uptime and security posture at the executive level. Most arrive after eight to fifteen years in a hands-on role, and many add an MBA or a management-focused master’s along the way.
Database architect and database administrator. Architects design how data is structured, partitioned, secured, and moved between systems, making the schema and platform decisions that an organization lives with for years. Administrators keep those systems running: performance tuning, backups and recovery, access control, capacity planning, and upgrades. The architect role generally requires the administrator’s experience first, which is reflected in the gap between their medians.
Computer network architect. Network architects design the data communication networks that connect an organization, from local networks and WANs to cloud interconnects and segmentation for security. The job involves capacity modeling, hardware and carrier selection, redundancy planning, and translating business growth into infrastructure that will support it. Vendor certifications tend to matter here alongside the degree.
Information security analyst. Security analysts monitor networks for intrusions, investigate alerts and incidents, run vulnerability assessments, harden systems, and write the standards other teams follow. A computer science degree is a strong entry point because the work rewards understanding how systems actually fail at the code and protocol level. If security is the target, compare the dedicated cybersecurity degree path against a computer science degree with security coursework.
Computer systems analyst. Analysts sit between the business and the technology, studying how an organization’s systems work, identifying where they fall short, and specifying improvements. The role involves requirements gathering, cost-benefit analysis, testing, and often managing the implementation of a new system. It suits graduates who like the technical material but prefer working across departments to writing code full time.
Web developer and web and digital interface designer. Web developers build and maintain sites and web applications, handling front-end behavior, server-side logic, performance, and accessibility. Digital interface designers focus on the structure and visual behavior of the interface itself, working closely with the developers who implement it. Both are reachable with a bachelor’s degree, and both are common first jobs that lead into broader software work.
Computer network support specialist and computer user support specialist. Support roles diagnose and resolve problems for network infrastructure and for end users respectively. These are the most accessible entries in the list, often open to associate degree holders and certificate holders, and they are a legitimate on-ramp: a great deal of network and systems administration talent starts on a help desk. They are also the two lowest medians on the table, so treat them as a starting point rather than a destination.
What the degree level changes
Computer science is unusual among the fields on this site: no occupation on the table above requires a license, and almost none require a graduate degree.
An online associate in computer science supports user support and network support roles and transfers cleanly into a bachelor’s program. It is a cost-effective start, not a terminal credential for engineering work.
The online bachelor’s in computer science is the working standard. It is the credential employers screen for in software developer, security analyst, systems analyst, database administrator, network architect, and web developer postings. Every occupation on the table is reachable from a bachelor’s, including the highest-paid one, since IT management is an experience-based promotion rather than a degree-gated title.
An online master’s in computer science earns its cost in specific situations: moving into research-adjacent specializations such as machine learning, computer vision, or distributed systems; switching into computer science from an unrelated undergraduate major; or meeting an employer or immigration requirement. For a graduate already working as a developer, additional experience and depth in a specialty typically move compensation more than a master’s does. Be skeptical of any claim that a master’s is required for standard software roles, because the hiring evidence does not support it.
Doctoral study matters for academic research and for a narrow band of industrial research labs. It is not a path to higher pay in ordinary engineering roles.
Certificates, including short computer science certificates, are best used to add a specific skill on top of a degree or existing experience rather than to substitute for one.
Common questions
What jobs can you get with a computer science degree?
Software developer, information security analyst, computer systems analyst, database administrator, database architect, computer network architect, web developer, web and digital interface designer, computer network support specialist, computer user support specialist, and with experience, computer and information systems manager. The degree also transfers well into adjacent specializations such as data science, machine learning engineering, and cloud infrastructure.
How much do computer science majors make?
By Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 OEWS national medians: computer and information systems managers earn $175,140, database architects $139,500, software developers $135,980, computer network architects $134,050, information security analysts $129,180, computer systems analysts $105,850, database administrators $104,620, web and digital interface designers $104,000, web developers $92,650, computer network support specialists $76,220, and computer user support specialists $61,860.
Do you need a master’s degree in computer science?
No, not for most jobs in the field. A bachelor’s is the standard credential for software development, security analysis, systems analysis, database work, and network architecture, and IT management is reached through experience. A master’s is genuinely useful for research-heavy specializations like machine learning, for career changers entering computer science from another field, and where a specific employer requires it.
Is computer science the same as software engineering?
They overlap heavily but are not identical. Computer science emphasizes theory, algorithms, and systems foundations, while software engineering emphasizes the process of building and maintaining large software systems. Both lead to developer roles. The computer science vs. software engineering comparison walks through the curriculum differences.
Is a computer science degree worth it?
The occupational range and the wage medians on this page make it one of the stronger returns available from a bachelor’s degree, provided you finish and build real projects along the way. Cost, completion, and your target role still decide the individual case, which the is a computer science degree worth it page works through.
Keep exploring
- Start at the computer science program hub, then compare levels: associate, bachelor’s, and master’s.
- Weigh the decision on the is it worth it page, review the curriculum and concentrations, or browse by location at the computer science states index.
- Compare related fields: software development, cybersecurity, and data analytics.
Data verified: August 12, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.