College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 47 colleges (47 of 47 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$50,307

Graduates only, early career.$53,718 two years out.

Median federal debt

$27,000

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.62×

62% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications report early-career pay between $49,122 and $50,910 — a spread of $1,788 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $49,122 median $50,307 75th pct $50,910

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 17 colleges $32,164 $10,779 0.34×

Associate's 77 colleges $39,531 $24,410 0.62×

Bachelor's 47 colleges $50,307 $27,000 0.62×

Master's 13 colleges $68,726 $38,939 0.57×

Grad cert. 10 colleges $61,444 $30,617 0.50×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Wentworth Institute of Technology MA $76,201 $27,000 debt

Rochester Institute of Technology NY $72,401 $31,000 debt

Utah Valley University UT $71,493 $19,043 debt

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN $64,669 $20,000 debt

Johnson & Wales University-Providence RI $63,561 —

Park University MO $60,450 —

DePaul University IL $56,840 $22,166 debt

University of Phoenix-Arizona AZ $54,894 $35,301 debt

University of Minnesota-Duluth MN $53,217 $25,000 debt

University of Wisconsin-Stout WI $53,164 $22,881 debt

Florida State College at Jacksonville FL $52,977 $22,330 debt

Stevenson University MD $51,295 $27,000 debt

Weber State University UT $50,526 —

DeVry College of New York NY $50,307 $41,421 debt

DeVry University-Arizona AZ $50,307 $41,421 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard