Missouri·Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1244

Best Network programs in Missouri, ranked by enrollment

Install, configure, and maintain an organization's local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), data communications network, operating systems, and physical and virtual servers.

33 schools in Missouri run programs that feed this job, graduating 3,028 people a year. The job pays a median of $80,870 in Missouri across about 5,810 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledNetwork AdministratorSystems Administrator (Systems Admin)Information Technology Specialist (IT Specialist)Local Area Network Administrator (LAN Administrator)Network ManagerSoftware ManagerSystems OperatorSystems Specialist
Graduates / yr
3,028
in Missouri
Median pay · Missouri
$80,870
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
5,810
people employed
Schools
33
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.

2 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 11.0101In Missouri
2,370
78.3%
27$57,986$24,286
2
CIP 11.1003In Missouri
658
21.7%
17$48,185$25,250

Top 25 schools in Missouri

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 33 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1,062Computer and Information Sciences, General$64,43680%$24,88675%
2Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
431Computer and Information Sciences, General$58,96458%74%
3University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
261Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance$57,50254%64%
4University of Missouri - Columbia
Columbia, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
258Computer and Information Sciences, General$72,88675%78%
5Missouri University of Science and Technology
Rolla, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
244Computer and Information Sciences, General$76,86964%73%
6Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
232Computer and Information Sciences, General$65,44454%86%
7Park University
Parkville, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
101Computer and Information Sciences, General$59,66438%$16,013
8Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
64Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance$66,96549%$17,43657%
9University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
60Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance57%63%
10Columbia College
Columbia, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
59Computer and Information Sciences, General$67,91742%$23,247
11Saint Louis Community College
Bridgeton, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
52Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance21%
12Missouri State University - Springfield
Springfield, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
47Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance58%91%
13Ozarks Technical Community College
Springfield, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
24Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance33%
14Avila University
Kansas City, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
21Computer and Information Sciences, General52%$16,72188%
15Truman State University
Kirksville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
19Computer and Information Sciences, General$74,79469%84%
16Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
18Computer and Information Sciences, General34%
17Missouri Southern State University
Joplin, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
17Computer and Information Sciences, General42%97%
18Evangel University
Springfield, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Computer and Information Sciences, General65%$17,88172%
19Harris - Stowe State University
Saint Louis, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
8Computer and Information Sciences, General28%
20Drury University
Springfield, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance62%$20,48258%
21Westminster College
Fulton, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Computer and Information Sciences, General55%$25,18579%
22Southwest Baptist University
Bolivar, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Computer and Information Sciences, General55%$20,93968%
23Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance94%$14,12612%
24Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Computer and Information Sciences, General51%$25,58257%
25Lincoln University
Jefferson City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
3Computer and Information Sciences, General21%

All 33 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
Saint Louis UniversitySaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit1,0621
Southeast Missouri State UniversityCape GirardeauPublic4312
University of Central MissouriWarrensburgPublic2612
University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbiaPublic2582
Missouri University of Science and TechnologyRollaPublic2441
Northwest Missouri State UniversityMaryvillePublic2322
Park UniversityParkvillePrivate not-for-profit1012
Lindenwood UniversitySaint CharlesPrivate not-for-profit642
University of Missouri - St LouisSaint LouisPublic601
Columbia CollegeColumbiaPrivate not-for-profit592
Saint Louis Community CollegeBridgetonPublic522
Missouri State University - SpringfieldSpringfieldPublic472
Ozarks Technical Community CollegeSpringfieldPublic241
Avila UniversityKansas CityPrivate not-for-profit212
Truman State UniversityKirksvillePublic191

What network and computer systems administrators earn in Missouri

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

Median annual in Missouri
$80,870
Mean annual
$88,280
Jobs in state
5,810
What the range looks like
10th pct$52,190Median$80,87090th pct$129,610
Versus the national median
-18.4%

U.S. median $99,130. Missouri pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.98×

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

Metro areas in Missouri

Kansas City, MO-KS
$91,980median
2,760 jobs
St. Louis, MO-IL
$88,940median
2,840 jobs
Joplin, MO-KS
$84,590median
110 jobs
Springfield, MO
$79,420median
260 jobs
Columbia, MO
$78,610median
240 jobs
St. Joseph, MO-KS
$74,110median
40 jobs
Jefferson City, MO
$70,890median
310 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-4.2%
Decline
Openings per year
14,300
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-13,800
331,500 → 317,700
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

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 Network and Computer Systems Administrators page.

How to become a Network

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

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 ThinkingReading ComprehensionMonitoringActive ListeningSpeakingWriting

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 3 majors mapped to Network and Computer Systems Administrators3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 11.0101Computer and Information Sciences, General
  • 11.1001Network and System Administration/Administrator
  • 11.1003Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance

Common questions

Answers for people weighing network and computer systems administrators programs in Missouri.

What degree do you need to become a Network?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer and Information Sciences, General, which awarded 2,370 degrees in Missouri in 2024-25, 78.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Network?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer and Information Sciences, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Together they graduate about 3,028 people a year in Missouri.

How much do network and computer systems administrators earn in Missouri?+

The median is $80,870 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 18.4% below the U.S. median of $99,130. 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 network and computer systems administrators growing?+

BLS projects a -4.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 14,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

33 institutions in Missouri reported graduates from at least one of the 2 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 network and computer systems administrators work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Network Administrator, Systems Administrator (Systems Admin), Information Technology Specialist (IT Specialist), Local Area Network Administrator (LAN Administrator) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1244.

Network and Computer Systems Administrators in other statesTexasGeorgiaFloridaVirginiaUtahNew YorkMarylandCalifornia

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

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card