Information Technology major
Information Technology: courses, careers, and where to study
Information Technology (IT) focuses on applying computing systems to organizational needs, administering networks, supporting users, building business systems, and managing IT operations.
An Information Technology major emphasizes systems integration, network administration, IT project management, business systems analysis, and the operational side of computing. IT differs from Computer Science in that it leans toward applying existing technology to solve business problems rather than designing new computing systems from first principles.
IT graduates often start in help-desk, systems-administration, or junior-network-engineering roles and can grow into senior infrastructure, IT-management, cloud-architecture, or solutions-architect tracks. The major pairs well with vendor certifications (CompTIA, Cisco, Microsoft, AWS, Azure).
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Information Technology maps to CIP 11.0103, Information Technology, within the COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES family. The official definition:
A program that focuses on the design of technological information systems, including computing systems, as solutions to business and research data and communications support needs. Includes instruction in the principles of computer hardware and software components, algorithms, databases, telecommunications, user tactics, application testing, and human interface design.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Information Technology is awarded as
Of the 41,835 Information Technology credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate24%10,226
- Associate16%6,663
- Bachelor's33%13,951
- Graduate26%10,995
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 40 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 36 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Network architecture and administration (LAN/WAN, routing, switching)
- Systems administration on Windows, Linux, and macOS
- Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
- Database administration and SQL
- IT project management and ITIL fundamentals
- Business systems analysis and requirements
- Information assurance and basic security operations
- Web technologies and scripting (Bash, PowerShell, Python)
Typical careers
- Systems Administrator
- Network Administrator
- IT Project Manager
- Cloud Engineer
- Solutions Architect
- IT Manager
Typical salary range: $60,000–$95,000 early-career (BLS, 2024 network and computer systems administrators median $96,800)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Information Technology, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $133,080 | 115,200 | +15.8% | Bachelor's degree |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $171,200 | 55,600 | +15.2% | Bachelor's degree |
| Computer Systems Analysts | $103,790 | 34,200 | +8.7% | Bachelor's degree |
| Data Scientists | $112,590 | 23,400 | +33.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Information Security Analysts | $124,910 | 16,000 | +28.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | $102,610 | 14,000 | +10% | Bachelor's degree |
| Computer Network Architects | $130,390 | 11,200 | +11.9% | Bachelor's degree |
| Database Architects | $135,980 | 4,000 | +8.7% | Bachelor's degree |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $140,910 | 3,200 | +19.7% | Master's degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 9 of these 9 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Information Technology does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Information Technology major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Information Technology program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Information Technology department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Information Technology program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Information Technology credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- DeVry University-IllinoisIL · 3,533
- Western Governors UniversityUT · 1,551
- University of Phoenix-ArizonaAZ · 1,230
- Wake Technical Community CollegeNC · 1,031
- University of the CumberlandsKY · 1,025
- University of Cincinnati-Main CampusOH · 923
- Colorado State University GlobalCO · 759
- Central Piedmont Community CollegeNC · 716
- Carnegie Mellon UniversityPA · 697
- University of North TexasTX · 607
- Northern Arizona UniversityAZ · 551
- Broward CollegeFL · 539
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Information Technology credentials were awarded
32 states have a distinct enough set of Information Technology colleges to be worth its own page.
- California93
- North Carolina64
- Florida38
- New York33
- Pennsylvania32
- Illinois26
- Tennessee25
- Texas23
- Georgia17
- New Jersey17
- Massachusetts16
- Virginia15
- Ohio14
- Michigan12
- Missouri12
- West Virginia12
- Washington12
- Indiana11
- Maryland9
- Colorado8
- Arkansas8
- Minnesota8
- Kentucky7
- Wisconsin7
- Alabama6
- District of Columbia6
- New Hampshire6
- Louisiana5
- New Mexico5
- South Carolina5
- Kansas5
- Hawaii5
Search Information Technology schools by state
- Information Technology in California
- Information Technology in Florida
- Information Technology in Georgia
- Information Technology in Illinois
- Information Technology in Maryland
- Information Technology in Massachusetts
- Information Technology in New York
- Information Technology in North Carolina
- Information Technology in Pennsylvania
- Information Technology in Texas
Related majors
Computer Science
Computer Science combines the mathematical foundations of computation with practical software engineering, preparing graduates for careers in software, AI/ML, security, data, and research.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity prepares graduates to defend networks, systems, and data, combining computing fundamentals with offensive and defensive security techniques and the policy frameworks that govern them.
Data Science
Data Science combines statistics, programming, and domain expertise to turn raw data into decisions, drawing on machine learning, visualization, and data engineering.
Still deciding between Information Technology and something else?
These guides put Information Technologyside by side with the major it is most often confused with, using the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk to show where the two actually lead.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Information Technology degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Computing & Math careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Management careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Information Technology degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Information Technology path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.