TL;DR

Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification maps to BLS occupations averaging about $143,798, with roughly 961,420 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $4,376; common paths include Computer Hardware Engineers and Computer Systems Analysts.

Key Statistics

$4,376
Median In-State Public Tuition
$22,480
Median Out-of-State Private Tuition
$143,798
Avg. Wage (related occupations)
961,420
Workers (related occupations)

Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification: what the data shows

Common questions about computer programming, vendor/product certification degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.

What is a computer programming, vendor/product certification degree?

A Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification program is classified under NCES CIP 11.0203 in the Computer Programming field family (11.02).

A program that prepares individuals to fulfill the requirements set by vendors for professional qualification as certified installation, customization, and maintenance engineers for specific software products and/or processes. Includes training in specific vendor-supported software products and their installation and maintenance

Types of computer programming, vendor/product certification degrees and related programs

Other NCES program codes in the 11.02 family with pages on EDsmart Data:

How long does it take to get a computer programming, vendor/product certification degree?

Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 11.0203 in our file:

  • 5 Associate (100.0% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study

Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.

What degree do you need?

For Computer Hardware Engineers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.

What jobs can you get with a computer programming, vendor/product certification degree?

Our degree→occupation mapping links Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian annual wage
Computer Hardware Engineers75,710$155,020
Computer Systems Analysts497,800$103,790
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer93,940$127,590
Information Security Analysts179,430$124,910
Budget Analysts47,170$87,930
Credit Analysts67,370$80,970

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a computer programming, vendor/product certification degree worth it?

College Scorecard national medians for the Computer Programming bachelor's program family: median debt $64,481, median earnings $83,439 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.28.

About 5.8% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.

Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $4,376 and median net price is $9,298.

We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification and the types of students that study this field.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$4,376 Median In-State Public

$22,480 Median Out of State Private

Tuition costs for Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification majors are, on average, $4,376 for in-state public colleges, and $22,480 for out of state private colleges.

Tuition costs comparison for Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification programs.

Degrees Awarded Over Time

100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification from 2015 to 2023.

Historical trend of degrees awarded in Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification.

Top 5 Schools by Enrollment

Schools with the largest enrollment offering Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification programs.

Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition

Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification programs.

Top 5 Lowest Net Price

Schools with the lowest average net price for Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification programs.

Graduation Rates

Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.

Graduation/completion rates for Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification programs across institutions.

Related specializations

Other NCES program codes in the 11.02 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.

Degree Levels (IPEDS)

Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 11.0203 in the survey year used in our extract (5 total across levels below).

  • 5 Associate (100.0% of IPEDS total)

Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.

Careers & Jobs

Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.

Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $143,798. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification graduates alone.

Related occupations (BLS OEWS)

Occupation Mean annual wage U.S. employment
Computer Hardware Engineers$188,33375,710
Computer Systems Analysts$136,553497,800
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer$162,23293,940
Information Security Analysts$156,788179,430
Budget Analysts$110,15547,170
Credit Analysts$110,53267,370

Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.

Program outcomes (College Scorecard)

National medians across bachelor's programs in the Computer Programming CIP family (3 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification graduate.

  • $64,481 median federal loan debt among completers
  • $83,439 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
  • 1.28 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
  • 5.8% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)

Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.

Employment

Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$143,798 Average Wage in Workforce

The average salary for Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification majors is $143,798.

Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification majors.

Occupations by Share

961,420 2023 Workforce

The number of Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification graduates in the workforce has been growing.

Various jobs filled by those with a major in Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification by share of the total number of graduates.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification in the United States.

Workforce Age

N/A Average Age in 2023

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification.

Age distribution for Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification degree holders in the workforce.

Gender Distribution

420 Total Degrees Awarded

302 Male (71.90%)

118 Female (28.10%)

Gender distribution of Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification degree recipients.

Race and Ethnicity Distribution

269 White (64.05%)

46 Hispanic or Latino (10.95%)

42 Black or African American (10.00%)

23 Asian (5.48%)

21 Two or More Races (5.00%)

Racial and ethnic distribution of Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification degree recipients.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Distribution of degree types awarded in Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification.

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Required Skills

Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.

Rating of how necessary various skills are for Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification majors.

Skills Bar Chart

This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.

Skill importance ratings for Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification majors.

About

A program that prepares individuals to fulfill the requirements set by vendors for professional qualification as certified installation, customization, and maintenance engineers for specific software products and/or processes. Includes training in specific vendor-supported software products and their installation and maintenance

In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification.

CIP Code

11.0203 - Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification

What the data shows

At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $64,481 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $83,439, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.28. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification graduate.

Men earned 28.1% of 420 Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification completions in the IPEDS file used here.

Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $143,798. The largest mapped role by headcount is Computer Hardware Engineers (75,710 U.S. jobs in OEWS).

Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $4,376 in-state at public colleges and $22,480 at private institutions for programs in this field.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.

All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.