# Information Technology Project Managers

> Plan, initiate, and manage information technology (IT) projects. Lead and guide the work of technical staff. Serve as liaison between business and technical aspects of projects. Plan project stages and assess business implications for each stage. Monitor progress to assure deadlines, standards, and cost targets are met.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/information-technology-project-managers
- SOC code: 15-1299.09
- Career family: Computers and math
- Median annual pay: $116,580 (10th percentile $55,940, 90th percentile $188,470)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +5.1%
- Openings a year: 27,000
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "Computer occupations, all other".

## Interest profile (code ECI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 12 |
| Investigative (I) | 48 |
| Artistic (A) | 13 |
| Social (S) | 28 |
| Enterprising (E) | 82 |
| Conventional (C) | 72 |

## What you'd do

- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others (importance 97/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 93/100)
- Getting Information (importance 92/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 91/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 88/100)
- Scheduling Work and Activities (importance 86/100)
- Developing and Building Teams (importance 86/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 85/100)
- Monitoring and Controlling Resources (importance 85/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 85/100)

## Skills

Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Time Management, Writing, Management of Personnel Resources, Speaking, Systems Analysis, Judgment and Decision Making

## Knowledge

English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics, Administration and Management, Engineering and Technology, Economics and Accounting, Administrative, Telecommunications, Mathematics, Personnel and Human Resources

## Also called

Application Development Director, Application Manager, Cloud Product Director, Computer Project Manager, Cyber IT Knowledge Manager, Cybersecurity Project Manager, Cybersecurity Scrum Master, Data Center Product Director, Database Administration Project Manager, Database Development Project Manager

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Computer and Information Sciences, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1101) (CIP 1101, 1,547 colleges)
- [Chemistry](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4005) (CIP 4005, 1,371 colleges)
- [Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1110) (CIP 1110, 1,184 colleges)
- [Computer Science](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1107) (CIP 1107, 1,070 colleges)
- [Security Science and Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4304) (CIP 4304, 513 colleges)
- [Information Science/Studies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1104) (CIP 1104, 446 colleges)
- [Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/2611) (CIP 2611, 200 colleges)
- [Medical Illustration and Informatics](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5127) (CIP 5127, 178 colleges)
- [Data Processing](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1103) (CIP 1103, 149 colleges)
- [Mathematics and Computer Science](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3008) (CIP 3008, 113 colleges)
- [Computational Science](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3030) (CIP 3030, 109 colleges)
- [Human Computer Interaction](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3031) (CIP 3031, 60 colleges)
- Accounting and Computer Science (CIP 3016, 17 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/carnegie-mellon-university-406) | Computer Science | $173,492 | $268,121 | $19,000 |
| [University of Pennsylvania UPENN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-pennsylvania-upenn-3009) | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $143,850 | $241,380 | $11,000 |
| [Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT](https://www.collegesref.com/college/massachusetts-institute-of-technology-mit-1615) | Computer Science | $171,815 | $225,141 | $10,000 |
| [Cornell University-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cornell-university-new-york-710) | Computer Science | $151,551 | $223,309 | $12,500 |
| [Princeton University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/princeton-university-2154) | Computer Science | $155,162 | $217,973 | not reported |
| [Pomona College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pomona-college-2139) | Computer Science | $100,072 | $217,051 | not reported |
| [Stanford University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/stanford-university-2589) | Computer Science | $157,763 | $214,907 | $12,000 |
| [Brown University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brown-university-314) | Computer Science | $141,816 | $214,479 | $15,000 |

## Related careers

- [Project Management Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/project-management-specialists): $102,320 median pay
- [Management Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/management-analysts): $101,860 median pay
- [Computer and Information Systems Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/computer-and-information-systems-managers): $175,140 median pay
- [Software Developers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/software-developers): $135,980 median pay
- [Computer Systems Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/computer-systems-analysts): $105,850 median pay
- [Computer Systems Engineers/Architects](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/computer-systems-engineers-architects): $116,580 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.