Graduate Program - Employment

Master’s & PhD graduates from the Computer Science Graduate Program have an abundance of opportunities. While in school, many PhD students will have internships with government and corporate research labs. Following graduation, in addition to those employers, some will join (or found) startups, go to work in industry, or join academia, either as faculty members, or as members of the research staff. Over the last 5 years, 66% have chosen industry jobs, 31% academic positions, and 3% government roles.

Students graduating from N.C. State's Computer Science program are fortunate to be highly recruited by top employers, both locally (in the Research Triangle) and throughout the United States. At graduation in 2021-22, 91% of our graduate survey respondents reported full-time employment. We are a top supplier of new hires for several major, multinational companies. The average salary (not including bonuses, options, moving allowances, etc.) reported by our master’s graduates for the 2021-22 academic year was $129K/year. Our recent graduates have joined companies such as the following:

Our ePartners program consists of companies who are interested in recruiting our students, and is a strong source of contacts for them. A number of employers offer our students opportunities to join leadership development programs, for fast promotion within their organizations.

While attending school, most PhD students are supported by teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and/or fellowships. Many of our masters students work part-time during the school year and full-time during the summer, for many of the same employers mentioned above. The average pay rate for students doing internships in summer 2022 was $43/hour for Masters & $50/hour for PhD students.

Graduate students in Computer Science have the benefit of specialized career programs and services including the Corporate & Career Services suite, with opportunities for on campus interviews, small group career workshops, virtual practice interviews, and individual career advising.

Opportunities for graduate students in the Computer Science program at N.C. State are exceptional. We invite you to join us!