Is a Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications degree worth it?
Across 47 schools, graduates of Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications earn a median $73,315 five years out on $27,000 of debt — most often working as Software Developers. Every figure is a real, published federal number.
Median 5-yr pay
$73,315
Median debt
$27,000
Years to pay off
4.4
at 10% of pay
AI task exposure
74%
GPT-4-era overlap
10-yr job growth
+13.8%
BLS 2024–2034
Gender pay gap
10.2%
$74,316 vs $66,711
Net price
$17,996/yr
Debt-test failures
2.7%
of programs
'Real' premium
+$15,767
vs avg, adjusted
See where this degree leads, who's hiring, and whether the pay covers the rent.
Explore Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications in full →Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, O*NET, AI-exposure measures (Eloundou/AIOE), Zillow. Earnings reflect federally-aided graduates; see the full story for methodology and limitations.