Best Computer programs in Pennsylvania, ranked by enrollment
Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors.
122 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 10,441 people a year. The job pays a median of $130,300 in Pennsylvania across about 330 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
14 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (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 Pennsylvania page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer and Information Sciences, Generalmain feeder CIP 11.0101In Pennsylvania → | 2,749 | 26.3% | 56 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 2 | Computer Sciencemain feeder CIP 11.0701In Pennsylvania → | 2,529 | 24.2% | 55 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 3 | CIP 30.7001In Pennsylvania → | 1,366 | 13.1% | 20 | — | — |
| 4 | Information Technologymain feeder CIP 11.0103In Pennsylvania → | 1,187 | 11.4% | 29 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 5 | Information Science/Studiesmain feeder CIP 11.0401In Pennsylvania → | 1,107 | 10.6% | 36 | $57,313 | $25,833 |
| 6 | Artificial Intelligencemain feeder CIP 11.0102In Pennsylvania → | 431 | 4.1% | 7 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 7 | Informaticsmain feeder CIP 11.0104In Pennsylvania → | 330 | 3.2% | 9 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 8 | Computer and Information Sciences, Othermain feeder CIP 11.0199In Pennsylvania → | 292 | 2.8% | 16 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 9 | CIP 51.2706In Pennsylvania → | 154 | 1.5% | 11 | $47,775 | $25,000 |
| 10 | CIP 11.0804In Pennsylvania → | 105 | 1.0% | 4 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 11 | CIP 30.3101In Pennsylvania → | 98 | 0.9% | 3 | $57,986 | $25,812 |
| 12 | CIP 26.1103In Pennsylvania → | 89 | 0.9% | 7 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 13 | CIP 11.0902In Pennsylvania → | 3 | 0.0% | 2 | $43,901 | $22,822 |
| 14 | CIP 30.7099In Pennsylvania → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
Top 25 schools in Pennsylvania
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 42 of the 122 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 1,489 | Information Technology | — | 94% | $23,803 | 12% |
| 2 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 1,384 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $146,204 | 97% | $22,055 | 5% |
| 3 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 6 feeder programs | 1,199 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $84,050 | 86% | — | 61% |
| 4 | Eastern University Saint Davids, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 918 | Data Science, General | — | 54% | $25,146 | 91% |
| 5 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 7 feeder programs | 633 | Computer Science | $77,599 | 85% | — | 58% |
| 6 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 9 feeder programs | 533 | Computer Science | $86,930 | 78% | $36,004 | 79% |
| 7 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA Public · 5 feeder programs | 432 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $73,393 | 75% | — | 80% |
| 8 | Harrisburg University of Science and Technology Harrisburg, PA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 284 | Computer Science | — | 34% | $14,140 | 87% |
| 9 | Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 221 | Information Science/Studies | $62,375 | 66% | $24,175 | 90% |
| 10 | Pennsylvania State University - World Campus University Park, PA Public · 5 feeder programs | 216 | Information Science/Studies | $66,209 | 34% | — | 91% |
| 11 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 212 | Computer Science | $88,587 | 88% | $26,912 | 26% |
| 12 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA Public · 5 feeder programs | 173 | Information Science/Studies | $49,369 | 66% | — | 71% |
| 13 | Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Harrisburg Middletown, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 140 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 26% | — | 98% |
| 14 | Gannon University Erie, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 130 | Information Technology | — | 66% | $21,409 | 74% |
| 15 | Community College of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 122 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $21,223 | 24% | — | — |
| 16 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 100 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 71% | — | 78% |
| 17 | Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Abington Abington, PA Public · 5 feeder programs | 99 | Computer Science | — | 20% | — | 97% |
| 18 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 94 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $48,056 | 54% | — | 91% |
| 19 | Villanova University Villanova, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 89 | Computer Science | — | 92% | $33,774 | 27% |
| 20 | Pennsylvania Western University California, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 86 | Computer Science | — | 52% | — | 94% |
| 21 | Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 83 | Computer Science | — | 28% | — | — |
| 22 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 73 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $54,561 | 56% | — | 91% |
| 23 | Delaware County Community College Media, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 56 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | 24% | — | — |
| 24 | Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 55 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $47,235 | 54% | — | 93% |
| 25 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 55 | Computer Science | $62,647 | 79% | $34,418 | 89% |
All 122 schools in Pennsylvania
Every school in Pennsylvania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh | Private not-for-profit | 1,489 | 7 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 1,384 | 6 |
| Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus | University Park | Public | 1,199 | 6 |
| Eastern University | Saint Davids | Private not-for-profit | 918 | 2 |
| University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh | Public | 633 | 7 |
| Drexel University | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 533 | 9 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia | Public | 432 | 5 |
| Harrisburg University of Science and Technology | Harrisburg | Private not-for-profit | 284 | 5 |
| Robert Morris University | Moon Township | Private not-for-profit | 221 | 2 |
| Pennsylvania State University - World Campus | University Park | Public | 216 | 5 |
| Lehigh University | Bethlehem | Private not-for-profit | 212 | 3 |
| Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Slippery Rock | Public | 173 | 5 |
| Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Harrisburg | Middletown | Public | 140 | 4 |
| Gannon University | Erie | Private not-for-profit | 130 | 3 |
| Community College of Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Public | 122 | 2 |
What computer and information research scientists earn in Pennsylvania
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $140,300. Pennsylvania pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania.
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 Computer and Information Sciences, General, which awarded 2,749 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 26.3% 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 14 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer and Information Sciences, Computer Science, Data Science, Information Science/Studies, plus 5 more. Together they graduate about 10,441 people a year in Pennsylvania.
How much do computer and information research scientists earn in Pennsylvania?+
The median is $130,300 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 7.1% below 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 Pennsylvania?+
122 institutions in Pennsylvania reported graduates from at least one of the 14 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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