Who should get a master’s degree in computer science

Laptop and information and facts experts are among the highest paid out specialists with master’s degrees, getting a median wage of $131,500 in 2021, according to the U.S. Division of Labor. So it’s no shock that far more and more people today are gravitating towards the field 3,200 position openings for laptop or computer and details research experts are designed just about every calendar year, according to the Bureau of Labor Studies. 

“Computing is building a tremendous influence on modern society and has turn into an indispensable—if not central—part of culture,” claims Ljubomir Perkovic, a professor and director at DePaul University’s School of Computing. DePaul rated No. 4 on Fortune’s listing of the best online master’s degree courses in computer science.  

A master’s diploma in laptop or computer science is one promising way to break into the area, or to enhance your present skills. To uncover out additional about who is finest suited for a master’s degree in laptop science degree application, and the resulting profession prospects that await graduates, Fortune spoke with Perkovic, and a few alumni of master’s diploma programs in personal computer science. 

You don’t need to have a bachelor’s diploma in laptop science, or even a qualifications in tech, to pursue a master’s degree in the industry. Get it from Daniel Steilen, who invested 7 years as an editor for an instructional book publisher immediately after acquiring a bachelor’s diploma in English in 2007. 

Whilst Steilen enjoyed his operate, he wished additional opportunities—so he began to contemplate a job pivot. He experienced been curious about programming for a when, so he made the decision to try it out on his own by doing work by way of an introductory e book on the subject.

“The master’s degree aided me move into a new area with each much more possibilities and far better compensation,” Steilan states. “Even if I had been ready to understand the capabilities by different implies, I think it would have been complicated to convince employers to choose me very seriously with out a diploma.” 

Steilan graduated from DePaul University’s master’s degree system in laptop or computer science in 2017. Shortly right after graduating, he landed a occupation as a program engineer for a company that tends to make units for the telecommunications industry.

And Steilan’s oblique route into a computer science job is rarely unique. “A number of universities have created pathways for pupils with a bachelor’s diploma in a non-computing discipline to go after a master’s in computing,” Perkovic claims. “DePaul College, for example, provides a master’s in computer science that is accessible to higher education graduates who have in no way programmed ahead of.”

In this variation of the software, pupils consider a established of introductory courses that prepare them for graduate get the job done in computing. And far more than fifty percent of the 2,500 students who graduated from DePaul’s master’s degree plan in the previous five many years took benefit of this pathway.

That reported, it is also frequent for learners to already have computing experience—and they return to faculty to update their expertise and capabilities. 

“The program complimented my do the job knowledge as an engineer, offering specialized skills and concepts I did not get as a liberal arts undergrad,” claims Jake Gerstein, who graduated from DePaul’s master’s diploma method in computer system science in 2019. “In parallel with my specialist work, the lessons accelerated my understanding of computer software improvement and IT capabilities,” he added. 

Gerstein is now a director of cloud approach and enablement for a monetary companies business. 

The continual desire for people with a laptop or computer science track record also affords specialists with alternatives. “Choosing computing as a profession is at present the finest way to reach monetary stability and a comfortable way of life,” Perkovic states, introducing that 11 of the top rated 15 employment on Glassdoor’s record of the best jobs in The united states for 2022 are in computing. 

Amid the common occupations for people today with a master’s degree in laptop science are details scientist, complete stack engineer, application engineer, and extra specialized roles in equipment discovering engineering, cloud engineering, and organization architect—which ranked No.1 for work pleasure on Glassdoor’s record. 

And salaries for these varieties of roles are pretty higher. In accordance to Glassdoor, the median foundation wage for an business architect, a person who prospects the maintenance of a firm’s IT networks and providers, is $144,997. For a complete stack engineer, it’s $101,794, and for a info scientist, it’s $120,000. 

“Most students moving into a master’s in pc science application have a purpose to come to be software package developers,” Perkovic says. “Many graduates attain that, with ‘software engineer’ normally currently being their 1st job title.”

Tech isn’t the only market wherever computing careers are on the increase companies throughout all industries are seeking to expand their computing ability. Enormous progress in the quantity of obtainable facts warrants the need to have for a lot more experts to deal with and generate value out of that data. Finally, as Fortune described in June, cybersecurity is a developing issue throughout all industries—and far more than 700,000 positions even now want to be loaded in the U.S. 

“Every sector of the economic climate now depends on computing and computing pros,” Perkovic states. “A master’s in pc science is a pathway for pupils to make an effects on modern society, while also providing social mobility and financial stability.”