The International Student Blog

There are many reasons international students have made the decision to study computer science in the United States, so much so that the already 3rd most prevalent field of study for international students in the US has experienced a 9-11% increase in enrollment two years running. Moreover, this increase in enrollment in computer science comes at the same time as either stagnation or, more commonly, a general decrease in enrollment in many other fields. However, given the employment statistics, education options, and the projected forecast for the field, this uptick in the number of international students choosing to study computer science in the US comes as no surprise. Here are just some of the numerous reasons a degree from a US institution in the vast field of computer science remains the 3rd most popular degree choice for international students:

Excellent Job Prospects
Studies indicate the total number of jobs in the IT industry is on the rise; in fact, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, six out of the top 10 occupations with the most new jobs from 2002-2012 are in the field of computer science. What’s more is that it is not just more of the same jobs—as technology permeates across all industries and becomes a required component for an ever-increasing number of interactions, exchanges, and processes both in our economic/professional lives as well as our personal lives, the potential application of the computer science degree grows. This ubiquity ensures that whatever the student’s passion, a professional outlet in need of IT skills is present and waiting to be filled upon graduation.

High Starting Salaries
Money Magazine has recently generated a list of the ‘100 Best Jobs in America’, with 25% of the list being computer science jobs. The reason one in four jobs on the list was an IT job is not just due to the sheer number and range of computer science related jobs that are out there—it’s also about the benefits attached to them. The National Association of Colleges and Employers listed four of the top 10 majors with the highest starting salaries upon graduation to be from computer science fields. The same association ranked a computer science degree as the fourth-highest-paying bachelor’s degree in the United States, at an average salary of over $61,000.

More information and resources for those looking to study computer science is available for in our Study Centers.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 at 4:46 am and is filed under International Student, International Student Study Section, Study in the USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Written by Jenny Frankel

Jennifer is the Director of Financial Services at Envisage International. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Florida where she holds a Masters in International Business and a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. She has lived and worked abroad in Chile, Costa Rica and London, and traveled extensively in South America, Europe and Asia.

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