Computer and Information science encompass computer design and function. A degree in this area can lead to a career as a computer scientist, computer software engineer, computer hardware engineer, or a computer programmer. Computer Engineers design everything from the Central Processing Unit to primary and secondary memory storage, and even input/output methods. If they are using off-the-shelf components, they’re responsible for making sure the integration works flawlessly.
Computer and Information Science Salary
Depending on the job and amount in terms of salary, according to salary.com, a faculty member in a university can expect to have an average salary of $109,111 annually. However, they can make anywhere between $86,245 – $152,756 annually, depending on the years of experience and knowledge base. This means students with master’s or Ph.D. can easily enter this field.
On the other hand, if the students have only completed a bachelor’s degree in computer science or information technology, they can earn about $76,194 as a Software Engineer. On average, Software Engineers can earn anywhere between $53,000 to $117,000. With years of experience, this range can increase from $66,000 to $133,000 as a Senior Software Engineer/Developer/Programmer, according to Payscale.com.
Education Needed for Computer and Information Science
The US faces a shortage of computer science faculty and experts, according to Stanford University. Since the field is exponentially expanding and there’s a shortage of people in the industry, a lot of universities have been showing the importance of this field. While a bachelor’s degree in computer science can take the students far in career, some companies have been giving importance to those with a master’s degree. In other words, they’ll need to complete at least a master’s degree to reach a higher cap in salary and claim top positions. Furthermore, if the students are looking into research and development where most of the money is invested, they need to have completed a Ph.D.
Computer and Information Science Careers
There are so many career paths a graduate of computer and information science can delve into. Here are some of the jobs available for those who have graduated in this field of study:
- Professor – Computer Science
- Instructor – Computer Science
- Computer Scientist
- Associate Professor – Computer Science
- Assistant Professor – Computer Science
- Computer Operators I, II, or III (dependent on years of experience – from entry level to tenure positions)
- Computer Operations Manager
- Computer Operations Supervisor
- Computer Numeric Control Machine Programmer I, II, or II (dependent on years of experience)
For more information, refer to Jobs, Salaries and Career after Masters in Computer and Information Sciences.
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