- 1.IT Managers earn a median salary of $98,740 with 15% projected job growth through 2032 (BLS OES 2024)
- 2.Top-ranked Information Technology programs include University of California-Berkeley, University of Washington-Seattle Campus, Carnegie Mellon University based on graduation rates, program strength, and career outcomes
- 3.Best value: University of California-Berkeley offers information technology education at $11,834/year with 96% graduation rate
- 4.50 accredited Information Technology programs analyzed using IPEDS 2023 completion data
Best Information Technology Programs - Top 10 Online
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley's School of Information is uniquely positioned as both a global bellwether in information science and a bridge between world-class laboratory research and Silicon Valley innovation, with deep connections to state policymakers and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Program Overview
UC Berkeley's School of Information stands as a global bellwether in the information age, offering four graduate degrees that bridge technology with social impact. The Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS) is a two-year full-time program based in the iconic South Hall, training interdisciplinary information professionals who combine computer science, cognitive science, psychology, economics, and policy. The Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) delivers a 20-month online program for working professionals, distinguished by its disciplinary breadth that goes beyond mathematics and modeling to include social science and policy research. The Master of Information and Cybersecurity (MICS) is also a 20-month online program preparing cybersecurity leaders for complex challenges in both private and government sectors. The school also offers a Ph.D. in Information Science for next-generation scholars.
What sets Berkeley's I School apart is its commitment to translating fundamental research into real-world solutions. The school houses several active research centers including the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC), the Center for Technology, Society & Policy, and the BioSENSE Lab. Faculty and doctoral students conduct cutting-edge research across areas from human-computer interaction to information policy, keeping the school at the vanguard of contemporary information needs. The school's location in the San Francisco Bay Area provides unparalleled access to Silicon Valley's innovation ecosystem while maintaining the rigorous academic standards of a top-tier research university.
Degree Programs
Research Labs & Institutes
Long-term cybersecurity research and policy
Technology policy and societal impact research
Biosensing and health technology research
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
UW's Information School uniquely combines technical expertise with social science perspectives, offering one of the few undergraduate programs that equally emphasizes the human side of technology alongside technical skills, while UW Tacoma provides the only ABET-accredited IT program in the region with mandatory industry internships.
Program Overview
The University of Washington's Information School offers a comprehensive Bachelor of Science in Informatics, uniquely positioned at the intersection of people, information, and technology. Located in Mary Gates Hall, this program prepares students to design, build, manage, and secure information systems through an experiential learning approach emphasizing problem-solving, group work, and real-world applications. Students can choose from three specialized tracks: the standard Informatics degree, Biomedical and Health Informatics (developed in partnership with UW Medicine's BIME department), or Data Science. The curriculum combines technical skills with social science perspectives, requiring courses from computer science, statistics, and information architecture. Meanwhile, UW Tacoma offers an ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, focusing on practical, application-based learning in system design, networking, security, and web development. This program emphasizes hands-on experience including mandatory internships and real-world problem-solving.
Degree Programs
Admissions
Carnegie Mellon University
CMU's IT programs uniquely leverage the university's position as birthplace of many transformational technologies—from artificial intelligence and robotics to machine learning and neural networks—providing students unparalleled access to the researchers and labs where tomorrow's digital innovations are created today.
Program Overview
Carnegie Mellon's Information Technology programs represent a convergence of the university's world-renowned computer science leadership with practical business applications and social impact. The flagship Information Systems (IS) undergraduate program, jointly offered between Heinz College and Dietrich College, combines rigorous technical training with humanities and social sciences to produce graduates who can envision and drive technological change in organizations. For graduate students, CMU offers the Master of Information Technology Strategy (MITS), a STEM-designated 12-16 month program that creates IT strategy leaders through four specialization tracks: Data Analytics, Information Security, Technology Strategy & Governance, and Software and Networked Systems. The Master of Science in Health Care Analytics & Information Technology (MSHCA) targets the rapidly growing healthcare informatics sector, while specialized programs through the Language Technologies Institute advance natural language processing and computational linguistics research.
What sets CMU's IT programs apart is their integration across multiple top-tier colleges and institutes, allowing students unprecedented access to cutting-edge research in AI, machine learning, cybersecurity, and data science. The programs emphasize real-world application through required capstone projects where student teams partner with companies to solve strategic problems. With an average starting salary of nearly $120,000 for MITS graduates and strong placement rates across all programs, CMU's IT education combines academic rigor with immediate professional relevance in an increasingly digital world.
Degree Programs
Research Labs & Institutes
Cutting-edge security and privacy research with experts from multiple disciplines collaborating on AI security, IoT devices, and blockchain
Natural language processing, computational linguistics, machine translation, speech processing, and multimodal computing
Political science and international relations with focus on technology strategy and governance
Industry Partners
Admissions
University of Maryland-College Park
UMD is #1 in the USA for producing computer science and information science bachelor's degrees among non-online universities, with unique access to 400+ top industry partners and federal agencies in the National Capital Region including NSA, NIST, and the Laboratory for Physical Sciences.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Illinois operates one of the nation's premier information schools with a unique interdisciplinary approach that combines advanced technical skills with deep understanding of organizational and social challenges, producing graduates who work at major tech companies and organizations worldwide.
Cornell University
Cornell pioneered the interdisciplinary study of information science with its unique approach of examining technology through social, cultural, and human lenses - combining technical mastery with critical thinking about technology's impact on society.
University of California-San Diego
UCSD's CSE program operates within the prestigious Jacobs School of Engineering at a top-10 public university, offering unique access to cutting-edge research facilities including the Qualcomm Institute Innovation Space where students can collaborate directly with industry startups and established companies in a 6,000-square-foot incubation facility.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
UM-Dearborn's Information Systems and Technology program uniquely positions students at the intersection of traditional engineering and digital transformation, with direct access to Detroit's automotive industry evolution and Michigan's broader technology corridor.
University of Central Florida
UCF's IT program uniquely positions students at America's Space University, where they contribute to groundbreaking space technologies and work alongside NASA partnerships, while being embedded in Central Florida Research Park with over 12,300 employees collaborating on cutting-edge projects.
Syracuse University
Syracuse University's iSchool boasts the highest job placement rate (96%) and starting salaries of any school at the university, with graduates earning an average of $80,243 upon graduation - significantly above the national average for IT programs.
Best Information Technology Programs - Compare Top 5 Online
| School | Location | Type | Tuition | Grad Rate | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | Public | $11,834 | 96% | 100/100 |
| #2 University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA | Public | $11,524 | 97% | 92.5/100 |
| #3 Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | Private | $62,260 | 98% | 85.6/100 |
| #4 University of Maryland-College Park | College Park, MD | Public | $9,889 | 84% | 84.9/100 |
| #5 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL | Public | $14,768 | 90% | 84.4/100 |
Top 50 Online IT Degree Programs 2026
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | Public | $11,834 | 96% | — | 100 |
| 2 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA | Public | $11,524 | 97% | — | 92.5 |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | Private | $62,260 | 98% | — | 85.6 |
| 4 | University of Maryland-College Park | College Park, MD | Public | $9,889 | 84% | — | 84.9 |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL | Public | $14,768 | 90% | — | 84.4 |
| 6 | Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | Private | $65,204 | 95% | — | 84.3 |
| 7 | University of California-San Diego | La Jolla, CA | Public | $11,834 | 81% | — | 79.9 |
| 8 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI | Public | $17,977 | 92% | — | 79 |
| 9 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL | Public | $4,478 | 93% | — | 78.9 |
| 10 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY | Private | $61,310 | 99% | — | 78.6 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | University Park, PA | Public | $19,672 | 87% | — | 77.9 |
| 12 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA | Public | $10,095 | 80% | — | 77.7 |
| 13 | Purdue University-Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN | Public | $9,718 | 83% | — | 76.8 |
| 14 | University of Maryland Global Campus | Adelphi, MD | Public | $7,632 | 74% | — | 76.1 |
| 15 | University of South Florida | Tampa, FL | Public | $4,559 | 85% | — | 74.2 |
| 16 | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CA | Private | $60,816 | 88% | — | 73.6 |
| 17 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY | Public | $7,070 | 95% | — | 73.4 |
| 18 | Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken, NJ | Private | $58,680 | 74% | — | 73.3 |
| 19 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ | Public | $13,674 | 82% | — | 72.6 |
| 20 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | Public | $11,678 | 89% | — | 72.3 |
| 21 | Texas A & M University-College Station | College Station, TX | Public | $9,003 | 84% | — | 72 |
| 22 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | Private | $66,640 | 92% | — | 70.8 |
| 23 | Towson University | Towson, MD | Public | $7,382 | 91% | — | 70.3 |
| 24 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson, TX | Public | $14,564 | 77% | — | 70.1 |
| 25 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA | Public | $8,982 | 99% | — | 70.1 |
Showing 1–25 of 50
Online IT Degree Rankings Overview
Online Information Technology degrees have become the preferred path for working professionals and career changers entering the tech industry. Our comprehensive analysis of 230 accredited programs reveals that top-ranked online IT programs deliver comparable career outcomes to traditional on-campus programs while offering the flexibility needed for adult learners.
The demand for IT professionals continues to surge, with network and computer systems administrators expected to see 5% job growth through 2032. Online IT programs have responded by incorporating hands-on virtual labs, industry certifications, and real-world capstone projects that prepare graduates for immediate employment in high-demand IT careers.
Key differentiators among top online IT programs include access to virtual computing labs, industry partnership programs with companies like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, dedicated career services for online students, and integration of professional certifications like CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+ into degree curricula. Students considering IT bootcamps vs degree programs should note that online IT degrees provide broader foundational knowledge and typically result in higher long-term earning potential.
Career Paths
Network and Computer Systems Administrator
SOC 15-1244Manage and maintain computer networks, servers, and systems infrastructure for organizations
Information Security Analyst
SOC 15-1212Protect organizational computer systems and networks from security threats and breaches
Computer Systems Analyst
SOC 15-1211Study computer systems and procedures to design solutions that help organizations operate efficiently
Database Administrator
SOC 15-1242Store and organize data using specialized software and ensure database security and performance
Computer Support Specialist
SOC 15-1232Provide technical assistance to computer users and organizations, resolving IT problems
Software Developer
SOC 15-1252Design and create computer applications and systems software for various platforms
Cloud Solutions Architect
SOC 15-1241Design and implement cloud computing strategies and infrastructure for organizations
IT Project Manager
SOC 11-3021Plan, coordinate, and manage technology projects from initiation to completion
Top States for Online IT Education
California
Texas
New York
Florida
Pennsylvania
Illinois
Ohio
Virginia
North Carolina
Georgia
Financial Aid for Online IT Students
Online IT students are eligible for the same federal financial aid programs as traditional on-campus students, including Pell Grants, federal student loans, and work-study programs. Many students overlook employer tuition reimbursement programs, which can cover 50-100% of degree costs for working professionals.
Technology-specific scholarships from organizations like the Computing Research Association, IEEE, and CompTIA provide additional funding opportunities. Military members and veterans should explore GI Bill benefits that often cover full tuition for online programs at in-state rates.
- Federal Pell Grant: Up to $7,395 per year for eligible undergraduate students
- Federal Direct Loans: $5,500-$12,500 annually depending on dependency status and year in school
- Employer Tuition Reimbursement: Average of $5,250 per year, with some companies offering unlimited benefits
- Military Benefits: GI Bill covers full in-state tuition plus housing allowance for qualifying veterans
- State Grants: Many states offer need-based grants for residents attending in-state online programs
- Technology Scholarships: $1,000-$10,000 awards from professional organizations and technology companies
Choose the Right Program for Your Situation
- You want the largest online platform with proven scale and stability
- 24/7 virtual lab access is essential for hands-on learning
- You prefer comprehensive student support with multiple contact methods
- Industry partnerships with Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM appeal to you
- You want integrated certification preparation for CompTIA and cloud platforms
- You value the prestige and alumni network of Penn State University
- You want identical curriculum and degree to the on-campus program
- IBM Skills Academy partnership aligns with your career interests
- You prefer established online education with 25+ years of experience
- You're willing to pay moderate premium for brand recognition and quality
- You want to complete your degree quickly with 8-week accelerated terms
- You need generous transfer credit acceptance (up to 90 credits)
- 24/7 support and massive scale appeal to your learning preferences
- You're a working adult seeking maximum flexibility and acceleration
- You value project-based learning with real-world scenarios
- You're interested in government IT, cybersecurity, or federal contracting
- You're military personnel or veteran seeking career transition
- You want specialized training in security frameworks and compliance
- Location near Washington, D.C. provides networking advantages
- You prefer programs designed specifically for adult learners
- You want exceptional value with lowest tuition among top programs
- Competency-based learning allowing flexible pacing appeals to you
- You're interested in Colorado's growing technology industry
- You prefer year-round enrollment with accelerated options
- You want Colorado State University degree recognition and alumni network
Frequently Asked Questions About Online IT Degrees
Based on 230 programs from IPEDS 2023, BLS OES May 2024
Degree completions (sqrt normalized, capped at 500)
6-year completion rate from IPEDS 2023
State-specific salary data from BLS OES 2024
Admission rate (lower = more selective)
Institution type (R1/R2 research bonus)
CAE-CD designation, curator bonuses
Data completeness proxy
Reporting completeness
Data Sources and Methodology
Institutional characteristics, graduation rates, tuition costs, and enrollment data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
Occupational employment and wage statistics for computer and information technology occupations
Job growth projections, typical education requirements, and career descriptions for IT occupations
Enrollment and completion data for verification of institutional reporting accuracy
Taylor Rupe
Full-Stack Developer (B.S. Computer Science, B.A. Psychology)
Taylor combines formal training in computer science with a background in human behavior to evaluate complex search, AI, and data-driven topics. His technical review ensures each article reflects current best practices in semantic search, AI systems, and web technology.