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UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 30 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$49,524 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$49,524Median year-4 earnings
$19,061Average institution net-price context
$11,588Median federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$49,524Typical earnings four years after completion
$48,386Average earnings five years after completion
$11,588Typical federal student debt
48thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
3,564Degrees awarded in 2024–25
25College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 23 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications

How much do Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?

The national median is $49,524 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $11,588. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $47,754 to $56,403 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 11 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

CURRENT VIEW

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$49,524
Federal debt
$11,588
Programs in the comparison
30
25 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$55,935
Federal debt
$21,874
Programs in the comparison
103
95 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$73,884
Federal debt
$27,000
Programs in the comparison
49
48 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$92,609
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
13
13 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$91,271
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
10
10 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$54,763
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$47,754National median$49,52475th percentile$56,403
25 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$56,40375th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$11,588Median federal debt across programs that report it
1Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Bunker Hill Community College

$68,014 four years after completionBoston, MA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

College of DuPage

$6,680 among completer borrowersGlen Ellyn, IL · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

MyComputerCareer at Raleigh

1,427 reported awards in 2024–25Raleigh, NC · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$60,993Observed year-4 earnings$32,347
$5,723Annual college-wide average net price$37,819
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Bunker Hill Community College$68,0142Front Range Community College$64,0443Dallas College$60,9934College of DuPage$59,0925Austin Community College District$56,5206P C Age-Jersey City$56,4037PC AGE-Metropark$56,4038Henry Ford College$55,8689Western Dakota Technical College$53,18510Porter & Chester Institute$51,748

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Computer Network Architects$134,050 median wage179,740 jobs nationwide+7.7% projected growth through 2035 · 9,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$79,900–$202,680 typical wage rangeComputer Science Teachers, Postsecondary$96,980 median wage35,480 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 3,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$49,460–$170,200 typical wage rangeComputer Network Support Specialists$76,220 median wage146,190 jobs nationwide+1.2% projected growth through 2035 · 9,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$47,120–$127,780 typical wage rangeComputer and Information Systems Managers$175,140 median wage670,570 jobs nationwide+15.8% projected growth through 2035 · 53,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$107,550–$297,510 typical wage rangeComputer and Information Research Scientists$140,300 median wage37,200 jobs nationwide+21.8% projected growth through 2035 · 2,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$82,200–$230,630 typical wage rangeDatabase Architects$139,500 median wage67,140 jobs nationwide+9.4% projected growth through 2035 · 3,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$86,240–$204,000 typical wage rangeSoftware Developers$135,980 median wage1,687,890 jobs nationwide+10.2% projected growth through 2035 · 95,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$82,460–$214,670 typical wage rangeInformation Security Analysts$129,180 median wage190,650 jobs nationwide+21.0% projected growth through 2035 · 14,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$75,090–$199,850 typical wage rangeComputer Systems Analysts$105,850 median wage519,530 jobs nationwide+7.9% projected growth through 2035 · 32,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$67,340–$167,710 typical wage rangeComputer Programmers$100,390 median wage92,230 jobs nationwide-7.3% projected growth through 2035 · 4,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$57,710–$160,460 typical wage rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management

Year-4 earnings
$62,163
Federal debt
$12,812
63 reporting programs →Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Computer and Information Sciences, General

Year-4 earnings
$51,790
Federal debt
$10,938
53 reporting programs →Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Computer Programming

Year-4 earnings
$58,693
Federal debt
$14,250
22 reporting programs →Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Computer Software and Media Applications

Year-4 earnings
$40,090
Federal debt
$11,606
21 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

NJ5 programs$51,449 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.