Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1244

Best degree programs for Network and Computer Systems Administrators, ranked by enrollment

Q: 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 73,454 degrees in 2024-25, 57.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Q: Which college majors lead to becoming a Network?

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer and Information Sciences, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Together they graduate about 127,025 people a year.

Q: How much do network and computer systems administrators earn?

The median is $99,130 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $62,640 at the 10th percentile to $155,050 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Q: 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.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

1,500 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 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.

Q: 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.

3 college programs and 1,500 schools train Network and Computer Systems Administrators. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $99,130 median wage, 314,340 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

3 college programs at 1,500 schools train network and computer systems administrators, graduating 127,025 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Computer and Information Sciences, General. The job pays a median of $99,130 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

127,025

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$99,130

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

-4.2%

Decline

Openings / yr

14,300

new plus replacement

Schools

1,500

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About network and computer systems administrators

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. Perform system monitoring and verify the integrity and availability of hardware, network, and server resources and systems. Review system and application logs and verify completion of scheduled jobs, including system backups. Analyze network and server resource consumption and control user access. Install and upgrade software and maintain software licenses. May assist in network modeling, analysis, planning, and coordination between network and data communications hardware and software.

Also calledNetwork AdministratorSystems Administrator (Systems Admin)Information Technology Specialist (IT Specialist)Local Area Network Administrator (LAN Administrator)Network ManagerSoftware ManagerSystems OperatorSystems SpecialistInformation AnalystNetwork CoordinatorServer AdministratorWindows Administrator

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services

CIP 11.01

Computer and Information Sciences

73,454graduates / yr

879 schools · 1 specialization · 57.8% of pipeline

Grad earnings $57,986

Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services

CIP 11.10

Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management

53,571graduates / yr

905 schools · 2 specializations · 42.2% of pipeline

Grad earnings $48,185

3 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#	Program	Graduates / yr	Share of pipeline	Schools	Grad earnings (1 yr)	Median debt
1	Computer and Information Sciences, General CIP 11.0101	73,454	57.8%	879	$57,986	$24,286
2	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance CIP 11.1003	48,110	37.9%	905	$48,185	$25,250
3	Network and System Administration/Administrator CIP 11.1001	5,461	4.3%	204	$48,185	$25,250

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#	School	Graduates / yr	Top feeder program	Grad rate	Net price	Acceptance
1	Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs	4,976	Computer and Information Sciences, General	94%	—	14%
2	Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	4,814	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	46%	$11,580	—
3	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	3,363	Computer and Information Sciences, General	43%	$34,565	100%
4	University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD Public · 2 feeder programs	2,902	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	33%	—	—
5	Northeastern University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	2,127	Computer and Information Sciences, General	91%	$18,925	5%
6	University of the People Pasadena, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	1,826	Computer and Information Sciences, General	34%	—	—
7	University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	1,637	Computer and Information Sciences, General	61%	—	72%
8	Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs	1,635	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	50%	—	—
9	New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	1,527	Computer and Information Sciences, General	88%	$29,023	9%
10	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	1,417	Computer and Information Sciences, General	76%	—	65%
11	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs	1,414	Computer and Information Sciences, General	93%	—	16%
12	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	1,358	Computer and Information Sciences, General	89%	—	27%
13	Collin County Community College District McKinney, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	1,354	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	20%	—	—
14	University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 1 feeder programs	1,194	Computer and Information Sciences, General	90%	—	45%
15	Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	1,062	Computer and Information Sciences, General	80%	$24,886	75%
16	University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs	1,050	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	21%	$15,478	—
17	University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	1,020	Computer and Information Sciences, General	91%	—	24%
18	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 2 feeder programs	991	Computer and Information Sciences, General	86%	—	55%
19	ECPI University Virginia Beach, VA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs	984	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	42%	$21,909	75%
20	Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs	983	Computer and Information Sciences, General	84%	—	58%
21	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	957	Computer and Information Sciences, General	97%	$22,055	5%
22	Florida International University Miami, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	938	Computer and Information Sciences, General	74%	—	55%
23	Wilmington University New Castle, DE Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	931	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	20%	$16,588	—
24	Jefferson Community and Technical College Louisville, KY Public · 1 feeder programs	913	Computer and Information Sciences, General	35%	—	—
25	Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 2 feeder programs	913	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	86%	—	61%
26	The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	913	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	53%	—	87%
27	Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA Public · 2 feeder programs	912	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	33%	—	—
28	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	857	Computer and Information Sciences, General	78%	—	40%
29	George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 2 feeder programs	852	Computer and Information Sciences, General	68%	—	87%
30	New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs	848	Computer and Information Sciences, General	73%	—	65%
31	Gwinnett Technical College Lawrenceville, GA Public · 2 feeder programs	847	Network and System Administration/Administrator	32%	—	—
32	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	768	Computer and Information Sciences, General	54%	—	80%
33	MyComputerCareer at Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs	735	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	69%	$26,295	—
34	American Public University System Charles Town, WV Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs	714	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	57%	$10,199	—
35	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	711	Computer and Information Sciences, General	63%	—	66%
36	University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA Public · 2 feeder programs	703	Computer and Information Sciences, General	96%	—	17%
37	California Institute of Arts & Technology National City, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs	698	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	56%	$34,431	—
38	MyComputerCareer at Columbus Columbus, OH Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs	666	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	70%	$26,186	—
39	Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA Public · 2 feeder programs	661	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	46%	—	90%
40	Salt Lake Community College Salt Lake City, UT Public · 2 feeder programs	651	Computer and Information Sciences, General	29%	—	—
41	University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	650	Computer and Information Sciences, General	65%	—	74%
42	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	610	Computer and Information Sciences, General	94%	$11,888	6%
43	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	600	Computer and Information Sciences, General	96%	$15,315	4%
44	Miami Dade College Miami, FL Public · 3 feeder programs	564	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	46%	—	—
45	Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia, AR Public · 1 feeder programs	564	Computer and Information Sciences, General	49%	—	75%
46	SANS Technology Institute North Bethesda, MD Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs	550	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	—	—	—
47	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 1 feeder programs	547	Computer and Information Sciences, General	81%	—	85%
48	Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, TX Public · 3 feeder programs	546	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	34%	—	—
49	Valencia College Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	540	Network and System Administration/Administrator	48%	—	—
50	Chattahoochee Technical College Marietta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs	539	Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance	38%	—	—

What network and computer systems administrators earn

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

Median annual wage

$99,130

Mean annual

$103,680

Median hourly

$47.66/hr

People employed

314,340

What the range looks like

10th pct$62,640Median$99,13090th pct$155,050

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

$133,360median

2,460 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$129,680median

3,910 jobs

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

$122,950median

4,620 jobs

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

$125,430median

9,920 jobs

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

$119,390median

17,690 jobs

Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT

$117,200median

480 jobs

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

$116,770median

6,760 jobs

Boulder, CO

$109,790median

980 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

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
State	Median pay	Jobs	Concentration	Schools	Graduates / yr
Texas	$101,240	34,840	1.22×	101	14,627
Georgia	$97,170	9,190	0.93×	51	9,689
Florida	$95,200	26,890	1.34×	80	8,375
Virginia	$109,610	12,430	1.50×	51	6,907
Utah	$95,820	2,050	0.58×	15	6,459
New York	$105,810	18,220	0.93×	77	6,411
Maryland	$118,290	9,230	1.65×	34	6,358
California	$106,440	26,170	0.71×	104	5,653
Kentucky	$87,020	2,800	0.69×	31	5,120
Pennsylvania	$86,140	7,750	0.63×	86	4,402
New Hampshire	$100,230	1,660	1.21×	12	3,987
Michigan	$92,750	6,900	0.78×	47	3,686
New Jersey	$116,420	9,280	1.07×	41	3,623
Indiana	$84,550	4,310	0.67×	26	3,450
Massachusetts	$110,980	8,270	1.13×	38	3,194
Missouri	$80,870	5,810	0.98×	33	3,028
Arizona	$90,280	5,810	0.89×	30	2,698
Ohio	$97,570	15,130	1.35×	45	2,697
Alabama	$81,400	5,040	1.18×	41	2,490
Wisconsin	$83,650	8,470	1.42×	36	2,092
Illinois	$100,080	9,820	0.80×	56	1,607
Washington	$103,910	8,600	1.20×	25	1,503
Arkansas	$81,590	1,750	0.66×	28	1,413
Connecticut	$105,880	2,170	0.63×	16	1,361
Nebraska	$84,700	1,560	0.75×	15	1,335
Colorado	$103,370	8,360	1.44×	22	1,309
South Carolina	$92,520	3,580	0.77×	30	1,245
Delaware	$94,200	850	0.87×	5	1,181
Minnesota	$101,870	4,550	0.76×	32	1,075
Oklahoma	$83,990	2,580	0.75×	38	1,055
West Virginia	$74,490	1,510	1.06×	19	974
North Carolina	$95,230	13,850	1.39×	26	868
Mississippi	$79,990	1,380	0.58×	19	761
Oregon	$102,000	4,880	1.23×	19	670
South Dakota	$75,010	1,690	1.83×	9	582
Kansas	$83,340	4,100	1.41×	13	568
New Mexico	$90,790	1,220	0.69×	13	556
Nevada	$103,440	1,980	0.63×	7	488
Idaho	$91,880	1,010	0.58×	9	453
District of Columbia	$110,970	1,320	0.93×	5	369
Tennessee	$88,100	5,070	0.77×	18	366
Iowa	$84,500	3,110	0.99×	17	359
Louisiana	$90,160	1,790	0.46×	13	331
Vermontmoderate	$86,020	560	0.92×	4	308
Rhode Island	$103,100	1,060	1.05×	6	303
Hawaiimoderate	$101,450	1,490	1.17×	3	188
Maine	$83,890	920	0.71×	12	160
North Dakota	$86,450	930	1.08×	10	158
Montana	$80,950	850	0.82×	7	108
Wyoming	$75,220	610	1.08×	6	62
Alaskalimited	$97,500	920	1.39×	2	10

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

Maintain and administer computer networks and related computing environments, including computer hardware, systems software, applications software, and all configurations.
Perform data backups and disaster recovery operations.
Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve hardware, software, or other network and system problems, and replace defective components when necessary.
Configure, monitor, and maintain email applications or virus protection software.
Operate master consoles to monitor the performance of computer systems and networks and to coordinate computer network access and use.
Monitor network performance to determine whether adjustments are needed and where changes will be needed in the future.
Plan, coordinate, and implement network security measures to protect data, software, and hardware.
Analyze equipment performance records to determine the need for repair or replacement.

Skills

Critical Thinking3.9
Reading Comprehension3.9
Monitoring3.8
Active Listening3.8
Speaking3.4
Writing3.1
Active Learning3.1
Mathematics3.0

Knowledge areas

Computers and Electronics4.9
English Language3.8
Customer and Personal Service3.6
Engineering and Technology3.6
Telecommunications3.2
Mathematics3.2

Abilities

Problem Sensitivity4.0
Written Comprehension3.9
Information Ordering3.9
Oral Expression3.8
Inductive Reasoning3.8
Deductive Reasoning3.8

Core activities

Working with Computers4.9
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.3
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.2
Getting Information4.2
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.1
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.0

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

Adobe AcrobathotAJAXhotAmazon DynamoDBhotAmazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2hotAmazon RedshifthotAmazon Web Services AWS CloudFormationhotAmazon Web Services AWS softwarehotAnsible softwarehotApache CassandrahotApache Hadoophot

How to get in

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.

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

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

15-1231

Computer Network Support Specialists

$76,220146,190 jobs+1.8%

15-1242

Database Administrators

$104,62069,990 jobs-0.7%

15-1241

Computer Network Architects

$134,050179,740 jobs+11.9%

15-1299

Computer Occupations, All Other

$116,580435,370 jobs+8.2%

15-1211

Computer Systems Analysts

$105,850519,530 jobs+8.7%

15-1212

Information Security Analysts

$129,180190,650 jobs+28.5%

Common questions

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 73,454 degrees in 2024-25, 57.8% 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 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer and Information Sciences, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Together they graduate about 127,025 people a year.

How much do network and computer systems administrators earn?+

The median is $99,130 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $62,640 at the 10th percentile to $155,050 at the 90th. 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?+

1,500 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 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.

↑ Zoom outAll occupations Computer and Mathematical Occupations

Network and Computer Systems Administrators by stateTexas Georgia Florida Virginia Utah New York Maryland California Kentucky Pennsylvania New Hampshire Michigan

Programs that lead hereComputer and Information Sciences Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management

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.
Official source →
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34
Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
Official source →
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)
Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
Official source →
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohorts
Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Official source →
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest available
Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
Official source →
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018
Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
Official source →
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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