Connecticut·Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1221

Best Computer programs in Connecticut, ranked by enrollment

Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors.

20 schools in Connecticut run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,493 people a year. The job pays a median of $131,650 in Connecticut across about jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledComputer ScientistResearch ScientistComputer SpecialistControl System Computer ScientistScientistCryptologistApplied ScientistResearch Engineer
Graduates / yr
2,493
in Connecticut
Median pay · Connecticut
$131,650
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
people employed
Schools
20
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
63%
across those schools
Median net price
$27,183
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Connecticut that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

11 programs in Connecticut that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Connecticut (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Connecticut page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
11,100
44.1%
12$57,986$24,286
2
Computer Sciencemain feeder
987
39.6%
8$70,374$23,250
3163
6.5%
2$47,775$25,000
4102
4.1%
3$57,986$24,286
561
2.4%
6
638
1.5%
2$57,313$25,833
719
0.8%
1$57,986$24,286
811
0.4%
2$57,986$24,286
99
0.4%
2$72,338$18,500
102
0.1%
1$43,901$22,822
111
0.0%
1

Top 20 schools in Connecticut

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 8 of the 20 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Sacred Heart University
Fairfield, CT Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
672Computer and Information Sciences, General$58,21473%$42,70565%
2University of Bridgeport
Bridgeport, CT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
473Computer Science41%$25,14983%
3University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT Public · 5 feeder programs
335Computer Science$79,60583%52%
4Yale University
New Haven, CT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
259Computer and Information Sciences, General$133,29396%$27,0254%
5University of New Haven
West Haven, CT Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
146Computer Science63%$32,61460%
6Central Connecticut State University
New Britain, CT Public · 3 feeder programs
144Computer and Information Sciences, General$69,33448%73%
7Southern Connecticut State University
New Haven, CT Public · 2 feeder programs
74Computer and Information Sciences, General$58,48050%91%
8Connecticut State Community College
New Britain, CT Public · 3 feeder programs
66Computer Science24%
9Post University
Waterbury, CT Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
58Computer and Information Sciences, General25%$14,659
10Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
51Computer Science93%$16,46716%
11Quinnipiac University
Hamden, CT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
50Computer Science76%$36,13772%
12Eastern Connecticut State University
Willimantic, CT Public · 1 feeder programs
37Computer and Information Sciences, General58%83%
13Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
37Computer and Information Sciences, General84%$36,84533%
14Connecticut College
New London, CT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
29Computer Science$86,40382%$27,18337%
15Trinity College
Hartford, CT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
19Computer and Information Sciences, General84%$25,24529%
16University of Hartford
West Hartford, CT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
17Computer and Information Sciences, General$34,81254%$28,31196%
17Western Connecticut State University
Danbury, CT Public · 1 feeder programs
13Computer and Information Sciences, General$77,96952%87%
18University of Saint Joseph
West Hartford, CT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
6Computer and Information Sciences, General64%$25,84179%
19Charter Oak State College
New Britain, CT Public · 1 feeder programs
5Medical Informatics67%
20Mitchell College
New London, CT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Computer and Information Sciences, General42%$30,73495%

All 20 schools in Connecticut

Every school in Connecticut with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Connecticut that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Sacred Heart UniversityFairfieldPrivate not-for-profit6723
University of BridgeportBridgeportPrivate not-for-profit4732
University of ConnecticutStorrsPublic3355
Yale UniversityNew HavenPrivate not-for-profit2592
University of New HavenWest HavenPrivate not-for-profit1463
Central Connecticut State UniversityNew BritainPublic1443
Southern Connecticut State UniversityNew HavenPublic742
Connecticut State Community CollegeNew BritainPublic663
Post UniversityWaterburyPrivate for-profit582
Wesleyan UniversityMiddletownPrivate not-for-profit511
Quinnipiac UniversityHamdenPrivate not-for-profit502
Eastern Connecticut State UniversityWillimanticPublic371
Fairfield UniversityFairfieldPrivate not-for-profit372
Connecticut CollegeNew LondonPrivate not-for-profit291
Trinity CollegeHartfordPrivate not-for-profit191

What computer and information research scientists earn in Connecticut

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Connecticut
$131,650
Mean annual
$133,580
Jobs in state
What the range looks like
10th pct$129,690Median$131,65090th pct$131,650
Versus the national median
-6.2%

U.S. median $140,300. Connecticut pays below the national figure.

Metro areas in Connecticut

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
$131,650median

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+19.7%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
3,200
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
7,900
40,300 → 48,300
Typical entry education
Master's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Computer and Information Research Scientists page.

How to become a Computer

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above
Typical entry education
Master's degree

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Top skills

Critical ThinkingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingActive LearningWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Connecticut

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 15 majors mapped to Computer and Information Research Scientists14 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 11.0101Computer and Information Sciences, General
  • 11.0102Artificial Intelligence
  • 11.0103Information Technology
  • 11.0104Informatics
  • 11.0199Computer and Information Sciences, Other
  • 11.0401Information Science/Studies
  • 11.0701Computer Science
  • 11.0804Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
  • 11.0902Cloud Computing
  • 26.1103Bioinformatics
  • 30.3101Human Computer Interaction
  • 30.7001Data Science, General
  • 30.7099Data Science, Other
  • 40.0512Cheminformatics/Chemistry Informatics(no graduates reported)
  • 51.2706Medical Informatics

Common questions

Answers for people weighing computer and information research scientists programs in Connecticut.

What degree do you need to become a Computer?+

Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer and Information Sciences, General, which awarded 1,100 degrees in Connecticut in 2024-25, 44.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Computer?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 11 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer and Information Sciences, Computer Science, Medical Illustration and Informatics, Data Science, plus 3 more. Together they graduate about 2,493 people a year in Connecticut.

How much do computer and information research scientists earn in Connecticut?+

The median is $131,650 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 6.2% below the U.S. median of $140,300. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for computer and information research scientists growing?+

BLS projects a +19.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 3,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Connecticut?+

20 institutions in Connecticut reported graduates from at least one of the 11 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do computer and information research scientists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Computer Scientist, Research Scientist, Computer Specialist, Control System Computer Scientist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1221.

Computer and Information Research Scientists in other statesCaliforniaTexasNew YorkIllinoisFloridaNorth CarolinaMassachusettsPennsylvania

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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