Kentucky·Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1231

Best Computer Network Support Specialist programs in Kentucky, ranked by enrollment

Analyze, test, troubleshoot, and evaluate existing network systems, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), cloud networks, servers, and other data communications networks.

14 schools in Kentucky run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,626 people a year. The job pays a median of in Kentucky across about 1,720 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledNetwork SpecialistNetwork TechnicianSystems SpecialistNetwork Technical AnalystCloud EngineerNetwork AnalystSupport EngineerCustomer Engineer
Graduates / yr
1,626
in Kentucky
Median pay · Kentucky
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,720
people employed
Schools
14
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
55%
across those schools
Median net price
$18,824
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Kentucky that lead to this job

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

6 programs in Kentucky that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Kentucky (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 Kentucky page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 11.0701In Kentucky
985
60.6%
9$70,374$23,250
2
CIP 11.1003In Kentucky
485
29.8%
8$48,185$25,250
3
CIP 11.0902In Kentucky
73
4.5%
1$43,901$22,822
4
CIP 11.1002In Kentucky
59
3.6%
1$48,185$25,250
5
CIP 11.1006In Kentucky
15
0.9%
1$48,185$25,250
6
CIP 11.0201In Kentucky
9
0.6%
2$46,719$20,729

Top 14 schools in Kentucky

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 14 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Campbellsville University
Campbellsville, KY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
883Computer Science42%$18,82480%
2University of the Cumberlands
Williamsburg, KY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
209Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance50%$11,67299%
3Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY Public · 2 feeder programs
130Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance52%68%
4University of Louisville
Louisville, KY Public · 2 feeder programs
83Computer Science61%79%
5Murray State University
Murray, KY Public · 2 feeder programs
72Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance61%86%
6Lindsey Wilson University
Columbia, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
59Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance44%$14,471
7Union Commonwealth University
Barbourville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
59System, Networking, and LAN/WAN Management/Manager32%$28,38663%
8Sullivan University
Louisville, KY Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs
45Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance$39,74571%$29,703
9Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY Public · 1 feeder programs
34Computer Science56%94%
10Centre College
Danville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
19Computer Science81%$18,40754%
11University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY Public · 1 feeder programs
19Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance71%93%
12Bellarmine University
Louisville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Computer Science64%$22,54286%
13Midway University
Midway, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Computer Science41%$23,65895%
14American National University - Louisville
Louisville, KY Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance50%$17,427

All 14 schools in Kentucky

Every school in Kentucky 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 Kentucky that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Campbellsville UniversityCampbellsvillePrivate not-for-profit8832
University of the CumberlandsWilliamsburgPrivate not-for-profit2093
Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland HeightsPublic1302
University of LouisvilleLouisvillePublic832
Murray State UniversityMurrayPublic722
Lindsey Wilson UniversityColumbiaPrivate not-for-profit591
Union Commonwealth UniversityBarbourvillePrivate not-for-profit591
Sullivan UniversityLouisvillePrivate for-profit453
Western Kentucky UniversityBowling GreenPublic341
Centre CollegeDanvillePrivate not-for-profit191
University of KentuckyLexingtonPublic191
Bellarmine UniversityLouisvillePrivate not-for-profit91
Midway UniversityMidwayPrivate not-for-profit41
American National University - LouisvilleLouisvillePrivate for-profit11

What computer network support specialists earn in Kentucky

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

Median annual in Kentucky
Mean annual
Jobs in state
1,720
Job concentration
0.91×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Kentucky

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
$73,160median
660 jobs
Elizabethtown, KY
$72,030median
40 jobs
Lexington-Fayette, KY
$70,980median
200 jobs
Bowling Green, KY
$61,200median
70 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+1.8%
Little or no change
Openings per year
9,600
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
2,800
152,700 → 155,500
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
Plus moderate-term on-the-job training

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 Network Support Specialists page.

How to become a Computer Network Support Specialist

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Critical ThinkingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionActive LearningMonitoringSpeaking

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Kentucky

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 9 majors mapped to Computer Network Support Specialists9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 11.0201Computer Programming/Programmer, General
  • 11.0501Computer Systems Analysis/Analyst
  • 11.0701Computer Science
  • 11.0901Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
  • 11.0902Cloud Computing
  • 11.1001Network and System Administration/Administrator
  • 11.1002System, Networking, and LAN/WAN Management/Manager
  • 11.1003Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance
  • 11.1006Computer Support Specialist

Common questions

Answers for people weighing computer network support specialists programs in Kentucky.

What degree do you need to become a Computer Network Support Specialist?+

Associate'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 985 degrees in Kentucky in 2024-25, 60.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Computer Network Support Specialist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications, Computer Programming. Together they graduate about 1,626 people a year in Kentucky.

Is demand for computer network support specialists growing?+

BLS projects a +1.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 9,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

14 institutions in Kentucky reported graduates from at least one of the 6 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 network support specialists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Network Specialist, Network Technician, Systems Specialist, Network Technical Analyst among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1231.

Computer Network Support Specialists in other statesCaliforniaTexasUtahNew YorkIllinoisFloridaMarylandIndiana

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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