Best Computer programs in Maryland, ranked by enrollment
Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors.
43 schools in Maryland run programs that feed this job, graduating 9,164 people a year. The job pays a median of $145,310 in Maryland across about 2,870 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Maryland that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
13 programs in Maryland that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Maryland (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 Maryland page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Information Science/Studiesmain feeder CIP 11.0401In Maryland → | 3,534 | 38.6% | 17 | $57,313 | $25,833 |
| 2 | Computer Sciencemain feeder CIP 11.0701In Maryland → | 2,598 | 28.4% | 16 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 3 | Computer and Information Sciences, Generalmain feeder CIP 11.0101In Maryland → | 1,680 | 18.3% | 27 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 4 | Information Technologymain feeder CIP 11.0103In Maryland → | 680 | 7.4% | 8 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 5 | CIP 30.7001In Maryland → | 334 | 3.6% | 13 | — | — |
| 6 | Artificial Intelligencemain feeder CIP 11.0102In Maryland → | 109 | 1.2% | 4 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 7 | CIP 30.3101In Maryland → | 104 | 1.1% | 3 | $57,986 | $25,812 |
| 8 | CIP 11.0804In Maryland → | 33 | 0.4% | 1 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 9 | CIP 26.1103In Maryland → | 30 | 0.3% | 5 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 10 | CIP 51.2706In Maryland → | 27 | 0.3% | 3 | $47,775 | $25,000 |
| 11 | CIP 11.0902In Maryland → | 17 | 0.2% | 4 | $43,901 | $22,822 |
| 12 | CIP 30.7099In Maryland → | 15 | 0.2% | 2 | — | — |
| 13 | Informaticsmain feeder CIP 11.0104In Maryland → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
Top 25 schools in Maryland
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 15 of the 43 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · 6 feeder programs | 2,673 | Computer Science | $99,756 | 89% | — | 45% |
| 2 | University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD Public · 6 feeder programs | 2,531 | Information Science/Studies | $72,140 | 33% | — | — |
| 3 | University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD Public · 4 feeder programs | 876 | Information Science/Studies | $63,334 | 70% | — | 72% |
| 4 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 682 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $109,514 | 94% | $11,888 | 6% |
| 5 | Towson University Towson, MD Public · 3 feeder programs | 566 | Information Technology | $53,171 | 69% | — | 82% |
| 6 | Montgomery College Rockville, MD Public · 3 feeder programs | 360 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 32% | — | — |
| 7 | Prince George's Community College Largo, MD Public · 3 feeder programs | 157 | Information Science/Studies | — | 18% | — | — |
| 8 | Morgan State University Baltimore, MD Public · 6 feeder programs | 123 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $66,950 | 41% | — | 82% |
| 9 | Bowie State University Bowie, MD Public · 3 feeder programs | 98 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 38% | — | 72% |
| 10 | Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 95 | Information Science/Studies | — | 79% | $26,585 | 75% |
| 11 | Strayer University - Maryland Baltimore, MD Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 85 | Information Technology | $67,315 | 38% | $18,092 | — |
| 12 | Community College of Baltimore County Baltimore, MD Public · 3 feeder programs | 83 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 19% | — | — |
| 13 | College of Southern Maryland La Plata, MD Public · 4 feeder programs | 79 | Information Technology | — | 33% | — | — |
| 14 | Salisbury University Salisbury, MD Public · 3 feeder programs | 76 | Information Science/Studies | $61,290 | 68% | — | 87% |
| 15 | United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD Public · 2 feeder programs | 75 | Data Science, General | — | 93% | — | 9% |
| 16 | Capitol Technology University Laurel, MD Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 74 | Artificial Intelligence | $63,334 | 43% | $27,179 | 74% |
| 17 | Hood College Frederick, MD Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 66 | Computer Science | — | 57% | $23,244 | 78% |
| 18 | Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD Public · 3 feeder programs | 58 | Computer Science | $54,349 | 50% | — | 89% |
| 19 | Anne Arundel Community College Arnold, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 57 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 31% | — | — |
| 20 | Frederick Community College Frederick, MD Public · 2 feeder programs | 36 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 37% | — | — |
| 21 | Howard Community College Columbia, MD Public · 2 feeder programs | 36 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 24% | — | — |
| 22 | Hagerstown Community College Hagerstown, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 39% | — | — |
| 23 | Harford Community College Bel Air, MD Public · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 39% | — | — |
| 24 | University of Baltimore Baltimore, MD Public · 2 feeder programs | 25 | Information Science/Studies | $37,417 | 38% | — | 79% |
| 25 | St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's City, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $72,926 | 70% | — | 69% |
All 43 schools in Maryland
Every school in Maryland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Maryland - College Park | College Park | Public | 2,673 | 6 |
| University of Maryland Global Campus | Adelphi | Public | 2,531 | 6 |
| University of Maryland - Baltimore County | Baltimore | Public | 876 | 4 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore | Private not-for-profit | 682 | 6 |
| Towson University | Towson | Public | 566 | 3 |
| Montgomery College | Rockville | Public | 360 | 3 |
| Prince George's Community College | Largo | Public | 157 | 3 |
| Morgan State University | Baltimore | Public | 123 | 6 |
| Bowie State University | Bowie | Public | 98 | 3 |
| Loyola University Maryland | Baltimore | Private not-for-profit | 95 | 2 |
| Strayer University - Maryland | Baltimore | Private for-profit | 85 | 3 |
| Community College of Baltimore County | Baltimore | Public | 83 | 3 |
| College of Southern Maryland | La Plata | Public | 79 | 4 |
| Salisbury University | Salisbury | Public | 76 | 3 |
| United States Naval Academy | Annapolis | Public | 75 | 2 |
What computer and information research scientists earn in Maryland
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $140,300. Maryland pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: Maryland employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Maryland
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 Maryland
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 Maryland.
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 Information Science/Studies, which awarded 3,534 degrees in Maryland in 2024-25, 38.6% 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 Information Science/Studies, Computer Science, Computer and Information Sciences, Data Science, plus 5 more. Together they graduate about 9,164 people a year in Maryland.
How much do computer and information research scientists earn in Maryland?+
The median is $145,310 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.6% above 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 Maryland?+
43 institutions in Maryland 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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