The national median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $86,320 in May 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additionally, this median salary is $38,640 greater than all other occupations. Your salary will depend on several factors, including your position, experience, and education. But in general, salaries for applied computing graduates are high across the country due to the widespread demand for qualified IT applicants.
Which Applied Computing Jobs Have the Highest Salaries?
Your applied computing salary will depend greatly on your position. See the list below for job titles, median salaries, and projected growth, according to data from Emsi and Salary.com. With an Applied Computing bachelor’s degree, you will qualify for each of these positions:
| Rank | Job Title | Median Salary | 2019-2029 Projected Growth |
| 1 | Software Engineer | $110,011 | 12.4% |
| 2 | Application/Full Stack Developer | $103,626 | 27.2% |
| 3 | Database Developer | $90,085 | 12% |
| 4 | Project Manager | $85,900 | 13.6% |
| 5 | Systems Administrator | $82,056 | 8.9% |
| 6 | Business Analyst | $75,462 | 10% |
| 7 | Video Game Developer | $72,530 | 3% |
| 8 | Web Developer | $69,430 | 15.5% |
| 9 | Systems Analyst | $61,652 | 10% |
One of Highest-Paid Majors
Regardless of which college degree salary report you read, applied computing is near the top of the list. NACE’s Fall 2019 Salary Survey states that starting salaries for Class of 2019 graduates “shows substantial growth” compared to recently stagnant salary data. 2019 college graduates are earning 10.6% more compared to 2018 graduates, and computer and information science graduates are experiencing the highest salary increases.
Payscale’s 2019 College Salary Report listed that computer science graduates earned an average early career salary of $68,600 and a mid-career salary of $114,700.
Want to compare salaries for computer science and other majors? The Hamilton Project created a tool that compares earnings for different majors over the course of a career. Try it here.
When It Comes to IT Salary, Education Matters
According to salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, earning a bachelor’s level degree leads to higher pay for computer and information technology positions compared to associate-level degrees.
Average Salary for IT Positions Requiring a Bachelor’s Degree—$90,146
Average Salary for IT Positions Requiring an Associate Degree—$69,430
With the right education, you could be making an average of $20,000 more a year.
What’s next?
Discover
The University of Wisconsin offers an online, 61-credit Bachelor of Science in Applied Computing degree completion program. Start your journey.
Explore
Curious about what you’ll learn in UW Applied Computing courses? See the curriculum.
Ask
Have questions about University of Wisconsin Applied Computing? Contact an adviser at 608-262-2011 or learn@uwex.wisconsin.edu.
