Massachusetts·Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1232

Best Computer User Support Specialist programs in Massachusetts, ranked by enrollment

Provide technical assistance to computer users. Answer questions or resolve computer problems for clients in person, via telephone, or electronically.

4 schools in Massachusetts run programs that feed this job, graduating 71 people a year. The job pays a median of $75,070 in Massachusetts across about 17,570 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledComputer Support SpecialistComputer Tech (Computer Technician)IS Tech (Information Systems Technician)IT Specialist (Information Technology Specialist)Desktop AnalystCustomer LiaisonSupport EngineerComputer Operator
Graduates / yr
71
in Massachusetts
Median pay · Massachusetts
$75,070
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
17,570
people employed
Schools
4
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
42%
across those schools
Median net price
$18,778
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Massachusetts that lead to this job

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

1 programs in Massachusetts that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Massachusetts (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 Massachusetts page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
171
100.0%
4$48,185$25,250

Top 4 schools in Massachusetts

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 4 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Motoring Technical Training Institute
Seekonk, MA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
50Computer Support Specialist89%$18,778
2Quinsigamond Community College
Worcester, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
8Computer Support Specialist22%
3Middlesex Community College
Bedford, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
7Computer Support Specialist23%
4Springfield Technical Community College
Springfield, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
6Computer Support Specialist$25,47832%

All 4 schools in Massachusetts

Every school in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Motoring Technical Training InstituteSeekonkPrivate for-profit501
Quinsigamond Community CollegeWorcesterPublic81
Middlesex Community CollegeBedfordPublic71
Springfield Technical Community CollegeSpringfieldPublic61

What computer user support specialists earn in Massachusetts

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

Median annual in Massachusetts
$75,070
Mean annual
$76,460
Jobs in state
17,570
What the range looks like
10th pct$48,740Median$75,07090th pct$104,950
Versus the national median
+21.4%

U.S. median $61,860. Massachusetts pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
1.05×

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

Metro areas in Massachusetts

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$77,850median
13,580 jobs
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$64,470median
240 jobs
Springfield, MA
$63,960median
610 jobs
Barnstable Town, MA
$62,770median
210 jobs
Worcester, MA
$62,280median
1,150 jobs
Pittsfield, MA
$60,100median
160 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-3.7%
Decline
Openings per year
40,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-27,000
729,500 → 702,500
Typical entry education
Some college, no 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 User Support Specialists page.

How to become a Computer User Support Specialist

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Some college, no degree
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionSpeakingActive ListeningCritical ThinkingWritingMonitoring

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Massachusetts

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 3 majors mapped to Computer User Support Specialists3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 01.0106Agricultural Business Technology/Technician
  • 11.1006Computer Support Specialist
  • 51.0709Medical Office Computer Specialist/Assistant

Common questions

Answers for people weighing computer user support specialists programs in Massachusetts.

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

Some college, no degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer Support Specialist, which awarded 71 degrees in Massachusetts in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

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

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Together they graduate about 71 people a year in Massachusetts.

How much do computer user support specialists earn in Massachusetts?+

The median is $75,070 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 21.4% above the U.S. median of $61,860. 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 user support specialists growing?+

BLS projects a -3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 40,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

4 institutions in Massachusetts reported graduates from at least one of the 1 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 user support specialists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Computer Support Specialist, Computer Tech (Computer Technician), IS Tech (Information Systems Technician), IT Specialist (Information Technology Specialist) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1232.

Computer User Support Specialists in other statesIndianaArizonaUtahWisconsinCaliforniaWest VirginiaTennesseeWashington
Programs in MassachusettsComputer Support Specialist

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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