Missouri·Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1231

Best Computer Network Support Specialist programs in Missouri, 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.

40 schools in Missouri run programs that feed this job, graduating 4,521 people a year. The job pays a median of $72,780 in Missouri across about 3,910 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledNetwork SpecialistNetwork TechnicianSystems SpecialistNetwork Technical AnalystCloud EngineerNetwork AnalystSupport EngineerCustomer Engineer
Graduates / yr
4,521
in Missouri
Median pay · Missouri
$72,780
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
3,910
people employed
Schools
40
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
51%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,939
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Missouri that lead to this job

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

5 programs in Missouri that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Missouri (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 Missouri 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 Missouri
3,311
73.2%
19$70,374$23,250
2
CIP 11.1003In Missouri
658
14.6%
17$48,185$25,250
3
CIP 11.0201In Missouri
228
5.0%
9$46,719$20,729
4
CIP 11.0901In Missouri
207
4.6%
13$43,901$22,822
5
CIP 11.0501In Missouri
117
2.6%
3$51,805$46,000

Top 25 schools in Missouri

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 15 of the 40 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO Public · 4 feeder programs
1,969Computer Science$67,04054%64%
2University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
472Computer Science$69,23955%72%
3Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
300Computer Science54%86%
4Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
280Computer Science$110,30294%$14,12612%
5Missouri State University - Springfield
Springfield, MO Public · 3 feeder programs
247Computer Science$64,94958%91%
6Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
213Computer Science$69,84980%$24,88675%
7University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, MO Public · 3 feeder programs
146Computer Science$72,81057%63%
8Ozarks Technical Community College
Springfield, MO Public · 3 feeder programs
138Computer Programming/Programmer, General$37,07433%
9University of Missouri - Columbia
Columbia, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
95Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance75%78%
10Saint Louis Community College
Bridgeton, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
89Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications$38,23521%
11Maryville University of Saint Louis
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
68Computer Science66%$24,92195%
12St Charles Community College
Cottleville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
60Computer Programming/Programmer, General25%
13State Technical College of Missouri
Linn, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
52Computer Programming/Programmer, General84%
14Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
51Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance$62,89158%74%
15Crowder College
Neosho, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
43Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications$32,28949%
16Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
42Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance$66,96549%$17,43657%
17Columbia College
Columbia, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
36Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance42%$23,247
18Webster University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
30Computer Science$70,40064%$25,09086%
19Missouri Southern State University
Joplin, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
20Computer Programming/Programmer, General42%97%
20Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Computer Science$49,62951%$25,58257%
21Jefferson College
Hillsboro, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
16Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications38%
22Ranken Technical College
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Computer Programming/Programmer, General$43,57353%$17,520
23East Central College
Union, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
15Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications48%
24Central Methodist University - College of Graduate and Extended Studies
Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
13Computer Science$49,6290%$14,53588%
25Missouri Western State University
Saint Joseph, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
12Computer Science39%

All 40 schools in Missouri

Every school in Missouri 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 Missouri that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of Central MissouriWarrensburgPublic1,9694
University of Missouri - Kansas CityKansas CityPublic4721
Northwest Missouri State UniversityMaryvillePublic3002
Washington University in St LouisSt. LouisPrivate not-for-profit2802
Missouri State University - SpringfieldSpringfieldPublic2473
Saint Louis UniversitySaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit2131
University of Missouri - St LouisSaint LouisPublic1463
Ozarks Technical Community CollegeSpringfieldPublic1383
University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbiaPublic951
Saint Louis Community CollegeBridgetonPublic892
Maryville University of Saint LouisSaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit681
St Charles Community CollegeCottlevillePublic601
State Technical College of MissouriLinnPublic522
Southeast Missouri State UniversityCape GirardeauPublic511
Crowder CollegeNeoshoPublic431

What computer network support specialists earn in Missouri

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

Median annual in Missouri
$72,780
Mean annual
$80,440
Jobs in state
3,910
What the range looks like
10th pct$42,440Median$72,78090th pct$129,510
Versus the national median
-4.5%

U.S. median $76,220. Missouri pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.42×

Concentrated here: Missouri employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Missouri

Springfield, MO
$72,170median
220 jobs
St. Louis, MO-IL
$75,060median
2,080 jobs
Kansas City, MO-KS
$77,040median
850 jobs
Jefferson City, MO
$77,810median
140 jobs
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
$72,950median
40 jobs
Columbia, MO
$66,380median
80 jobs
Joplin, MO-KS
$61,750median
60 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 Missouri

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 Missouri.

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 3,311 degrees in Missouri in 2024-25, 73.2% 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 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, Computer Programming, Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 4,521 people a year in Missouri.

How much do computer network support specialists earn in Missouri?+

The median is $72,780 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.5% below the U.S. median of $76,220. 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 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 Missouri?+

40 institutions in Missouri reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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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