Home > Technology Degrees > Network & Computer Systems Administration
Career Summary - Install, configure, and support an organization's local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and Internet system or a segment of a network system. Maintain network hardware and software. Monitor network to ensure network availability to all system users and perform necessary maintenance to support network availability. May supervise other network support and client server specialists and plan, coordinate, and implement network security measures.
Specialization -System and network administrators can specialize in different types of operating systems (e.g. Linux, Window NT) and in different administrative responsibilities (e.g. security, development/programming, web hosting). As this field grows ever more complex, new sorts of positions arise.
Education, Certification, & Licensing - According to the System Administrators Guild (SAGE), an associate's degree in system administration, work experience, and technical training in appropriate hardware and software can be sufficient preparation for this career. However, employers often require a bachelor's degree in computer science, computer or industrial engineering, business administration, or a related field, and some require a master's degree for advancement.
In addition, this field, like all information technology fields, changes so rapidly that administrators need constant training and retraining.
Certified administrators must also maintain and update skills through continuing education. Certification is also available from software and systems companies like Cisco, Java, Microsoft, and Oracle.
Getting Ahead - Small organizations may employ just one computer network administrator, assisted by a service technician. In large organizations, administrators usually work with teams of other administrators, systems analysts, programmers, and technicians. Administrators advance by moving from junior to senior administrator positions in large organizations, or by moving up from small organizations to larger ones.
Salary & Employment Trends - According to the ComputerWorld salary survey,
| Median wages (2005) |
$28.81 hourly, $59,930 annual |
| Employment (2004) |
278,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2004-2014) |
 Much faster than average (36+%) |
| Projected need (2004-2014) |
138,000 additional employees |
systems administrators earned an average salary of $65,000 in 2005, and network administrators earned average salaries of $54,000. Network managers in middle management earned salaries averaging about $67,000. In general administrators earn more in high-paying industries like financial services, less in low-paying ones like education.
Computer and information technology jobs had a real a slump in the early years of this decade, but now things have turned around somewhat and companies are hiring more people again. Lots of people left computer jobs a few years ago, and some employers are scrambling to find people now, especially in hot areas like Washington DC.
However, in the down years lots of jobs were sent overseas and unemployment in the IT profession rose, reaching 6% in 2003, and outsourcing will continue because of the cost savings of using overseas workers. As with other fields, keeping your skills up-to-date will be the key to finding and keeping the best jobs.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Find an Online Network & Computer System Administration Degree:
- Information Technology / Network Admin (Bachelor's)
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Learn to administer a computer network-online! With our advanced start program, you can earn your degree in under two years.* Become an expert in the theory, design, administration, and maintenance of computer networks. You'll gain the knowledge and skills it takes to install and manage operating systems, wireless devices, routers, and switches. You'll not only learn to make network components fit together and work properly, you'll learn to monitor and troubleshoot existing networks and determine future needs...
- Networking Technology (Bachelor's)
Learn to administer a computer network-online! Become an expert in the theory, design, administration, and maintenance of computer networks. You'll gain the knowledge and skills it takes to install and manage operating systems, wireless devices, routers, and switches. You'll not only learn to make network components fit together and work properly, you'll learn to monitor and troubleshoot existing networks and determine future needs...
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- Information Technology - Information Security (Master's)
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- Information Technology / Specialization in Information Security (Master's)
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- Internet Security (Bachelor's)
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- Network Administration (Bachelor's)
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- Internet Security (Master's)
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- Computer Networking (Bachelor's)
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- Information Systems Security (Certificate)
In this modern-day world of computer crime, companies strive to protect their assets, data and infrastructure. Each eight-week Villanova University online Information Systems Security Certificate course is designed for professionals interested in developing skills on the management side of IS Security and for those who wish to develop, manage and organize effective IS security programs to protect the assets of the organization...
- Mastering IS Security Plus (Certificate)
Policies and technologies are worthless without dedicated people who can implement and manage them. Become part of a well-trained workforce that effectively combats hackers, cyber attacks and other threats. This course builds on Essentials of IS Security to expand your knowledge in the IS security field. Learn about topics such as communication security, infrastructure security, cryptography, access control, authentication, external attack and operational and organization security...
- ICISSP Advanced Security Management (Certificate)
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- Master Certificate IS Security
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- B.S. in IT- Networks Administration Emphasis
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- B.S. in IT- Networks Design and Management
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- B.S. Information Technology-Security Emphasis
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- Information Security Management (MBA)
The IT Security Management specialization focuses on security assessment, security planning, and effective and rapid response to security breaches. These courses will enable students to compare basic organizational security concepts to a company's current security posture to determine the security gap; apply basic technical security concepts to the current state of security within an organization using a layered security model; develop a risk management plan for an organization; and develop a disaster recovery plan that enables a company to recover rapidly and implement lessons learned from previous disasters as improvements to the plan...
- Computer Networking & Security Mgmt (Associate's)
Network or computer systems administrators design, install, and support an organization's LAN (local-area network), WAN (wide-area network), network segment, Internet, or intranet system. They provide day-to-day onsite administrative support for software users in a variety of work environments, including professional offices, small businesses, government, and large corporations...
