Best Computer programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors.
74 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 13,752 people a year. The job pays a median of $136,540 in Illinois across about 630 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
13 programs in Illinois that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (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 Illinois page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Sciencemain feeder CIP 11.0701In Illinois → | 5,709 | 41.5% | 42 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | Information Technologymain feeder CIP 11.0103In Illinois → | 4,799 | 34.9% | 28 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 3 | Information Science/Studiesmain feeder CIP 11.0401In Illinois → | 1,234 | 9.0% | 21 | $57,313 | $25,833 |
| 4 | CIP 30.7001In Illinois → | 610 | 4.4% | 10 | — | — |
| 5 | Computer and Information Sciences, Othermain feeder CIP 11.0199In Illinois → | 383 | 2.8% | 8 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 6 | Computer and Information Sciences, Generalmain feeder CIP 11.0101In Illinois → | 299 | 2.2% | 17 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 7 | CIP 51.2706In Illinois → | 219 | 1.6% | 7 | $47,775 | $25,000 |
| 8 | CIP 30.3101In Illinois → | 155 | 1.1% | 3 | $57,986 | $25,812 |
| 9 | Artificial Intelligencemain feeder CIP 11.0102In Illinois → | 151 | 1.1% | 3 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 10 | Informaticsmain feeder CIP 11.0104In Illinois → | 99 | 0.7% | 2 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 11 | CIP 26.1103In Illinois → | 68 | 0.5% | 5 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 12 | CIP 11.0902In Illinois → | 24 | 0.2% | 1 | $43,901 | $22,822 |
| 13 | CIP 11.0804In Illinois → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
Top 25 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 26 of the 74 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeVry University - Illinois Lisle, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3,921 | Information Technology | — | 37% | $32,381 | 98% |
| 2 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 5 feeder programs | 2,661 | Computer Science | $124,530 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 3 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 1,276 | Computer Science | $86,005 | 75% | $19,899 | 55% |
| 4 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Public · 5 feeder programs | 840 | Computer Science | $78,040 | 62% | — | 77% |
| 5 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 616 | Computer Science | $99,981 | 95% | $14,799 | 8% |
| 6 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 605 | Information Science/Studies | $60,468 | 68% | $28,141 | 76% |
| 7 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 528 | Computer Science | $117,578 | 96% | $13,333 | 4% |
| 8 | Lewis University Romeoville, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 490 | Computer Science | $60,726 | 67% | $17,632 | 71% |
| 9 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 358 | Computer Science | $77,257 | 49% | — | 70% |
| 10 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 288 | Computer Science | $72,657 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 11 | Governors State University University Park, IL Public · 3 feeder programs | 245 | Computer Science | $52,115 | 22% | — | 48% |
| 12 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 148 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $68,950 | 73% | $33,454 | 82% |
| 13 | Bradley University Peoria, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 138 | Data Science, General | — | 76% | $21,768 | 77% |
| 14 | College of Lake County Grayslake, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 132 | Information Technology | — | 37% | — | — |
| 15 | Roosevelt University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 130 | Computer Science | $41,976 | 35% | $21,085 | 97% |
| 16 | Southern Illinois University - Carbondale Carbondale, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 120 | Computer Science | $70,053 | 62% | — | 87% |
| 17 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL Public · 3 feeder programs | 113 | Computer Science | $76,106 | 57% | — | 97% |
| 18 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 105 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $62,578 | 45% | — | 71% |
| 19 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 101 | Computer Science | $62,831 | 22% | — | 75% |
| 20 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 100 | Computer Science | $81,363 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 21 | Judson University Elgin, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 92 | Informatics | — | 60% | $25,200 | 48% |
| 22 | Chicago State University Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 75 | Computer Science | — | 15% | — | 43% |
| 23 | National Louis University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 63 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 30% | $18,904 | 95% |
| 24 | Saint Xavier University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 41 | Computer Science | $45,889 | 57% | $12,935 | 84% |
| 25 | Oakton College Des Plaines, IL Public · 3 feeder programs | 40 | Information Science/Studies | — | 37% | — | — |
All 74 schools in Illinois
Every school in Illinois 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeVry University - Illinois | Lisle | Private for-profit | 3,921 | 1 |
| University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign | Champaign | Public | 2,661 | 5 |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 1,276 | 6 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public | 840 | 5 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 616 | 7 |
| DePaul University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 605 | 7 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 528 | 3 |
| Lewis University | Romeoville | Private not-for-profit | 490 | 4 |
| Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public | 358 | 2 |
| University of Illinois Springfield | Springfield | Public | 288 | 2 |
| Governors State University | University Park | Public | 245 | 3 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 148 | 7 |
| Bradley University | Peoria | Private not-for-profit | 138 | 3 |
| College of Lake County | Grayslake | Public | 132 | 2 |
| Roosevelt University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 130 | 3 |
What computer and information research scientists earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $140,300. Illinois pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Illinois
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Illinois
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 Illinois.
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 Science, which awarded 5,709 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 41.5% 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 13 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer and Information Sciences, Computer Science, Information Science/Studies, Data Science, plus 5 more. Together they graduate about 13,752 people a year in Illinois.
How much do computer and information research scientists earn in Illinois?+
The median is $136,540 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.7% 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 Illinois?+
74 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 13 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.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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