UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Information Science/Studies worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 5 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$91,498 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.
$91,498Median year-4 earnings
$20,803Average institution net-price context
$14,616Median federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$91,498Typical earnings four years after completion
$78,739Average earnings five years after completion
$14,616Typical federal student debt
95thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
1,921Degrees awarded in 2024–25
3College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 5 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Information Science/Studies
How much do Information Science/Studies undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?
The national median is $91,498 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 $14,616. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Information Science/Studies?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $42,353 to $91,498 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Information Science/Studies?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
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
- $91,498
- Federal debt
- $14,616
- Programs in the comparison
- 5
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $63,006
- Federal debt
- $24,788
- Programs in the comparison
- 26
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $83,331
- Federal debt
- $26,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 162
Post-baccalaureate Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $141,703
- Federal debt
- $24,773
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $99,838
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 72
First Professional Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $209,391
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $52,761
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
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$42,353National median$91,49875th percentile$91,498
3 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
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
University of Maryland Global Campus
$103,046 four years after completionAdelphi, MD · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtAce Institute of Technology
$6,777 among completer borrowersNew York, NY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classIvy Tech Community College
385 reported awards in 2024–25Indianapolis, IN · inspect the full program →Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
5 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 5 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1University of Maryland Global Campus$103,0462University of Massachusetts-Lowell$91,4983Ace Institute of Technology$42,3534Ivy Tech Community CollegeNot available5University of Maryland-Baltimore CountyNot availableObserved year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
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
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →24%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Computer 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 rangeComputer Occupations, All Other$116,580 median wage435,370 jobs nationwide+5.1% projected growth through 2035 · 27,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$55,940–$188,470 typical wage rangeWeb and Digital Interface Designers$104,000 median wage113,330 jobs nationwide+6.0% projected growth through 2035 · 8,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$53,750–$201,550 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 range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
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.