Network and Computer Systems Administrator Career: Duties, Degrees and Pay

Network and computer systems administrators keep an organization’s networks and computers running, and they protect them while they do it. The May 2025 median pay is $99,130 a year, and the typical entry-level education is a bachelor’s degree. A cybersecurity degree fits this job well, because the daily work already includes security.

What Does a Network and Computer Systems Administrator Do?

Think of an administrator as the person who makes sure everyone else’s technology works. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists eight duties, and they read like a full day of problem solving.

Administrators determine what a network and its systems need, then install the operating systems, applications and hardware. They give input on purchasing decisions, make upgrades and repairs, and check that systems are operating correctly.

They also manage people’s access. Administrators add users to a network, assign security permissions, and train users on the organization’s systems.

Two duties matter most for a cybersecurity student. One is maintaining network and computer system security. The other is diagnosing and resolving problems when a user or an automated monitoring system raises an alert.

BLS also lists evaluating and optimizing network and system performance. In short, you build it, keep it healthy and keep it safe.

Why Does a Cybersecurity Degree Fit This Job?

Security is built into the job description. One of the eight duties is maintaining network and computer system security, and permissions work is security work by another name. A degree that teaches networking, operating systems and defense prepares you for both halves of the role.

BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education and doesn’t require graduate school. It doesn’t name a field, so employers accept degrees in cybersecurity, information technology and related areas.

The cybersecurity version gives you a second option later. The same skills that qualify you to administer a network qualify you to defend one, so the path to an analyst role stays open. Our information security analyst career guide shows where that road leads.

Which Degree Level Should You Choose?

The answer depends on where you’re starting. Each level on this site has a ranking page, so you can compare real programs.

An associate degree is the fastest way into an IT job. Our online associate degrees in cybersecurity list covers these programs, and some are priced well below a four-year degree.

A bachelor’s degree matches the BLS typical education. The online bachelor’s in cybersecurity list is the main route. If you already have college credits, the degree completion programs list shows where your credits can count.

If you’re already working in IT, our online cybersecurity degrees for working adults list focuses on flexibility.

Which Programs Show What Administrator Training Looks Like?

Some programs lean toward networks and systems more than others. These four are examples from the programs we compare, not recommendations for any one student.

Minnesota State College Southeast offers a fully online A.A.S. in cybersecurity and network administration. It runs 60 credits and lists $13,206 in total tuition. The program aligns with 10 industry certifications from partners such as CompTIA, Cisco and Microsoft.

Rasmussen University in Florida offers a fully online B.S. of 90 credits, listed at $29,880 in total tuition. Its credits ladder from the Network Systems Administration associate degree, and students practice with Windows, Linux, Cisco, VMware and Microsoft Azure.

Regent University lists a Linux System Administration course and a Network Defense and Security course in its fully online B.S. It also gives online students access to its cyber range.

Dakota State University offers a fully online B.S. in cyber and network security. The school is a Cisco Networking Academy, with a path toward CCNA certification.

Which Certifications Matter for Administrators?

Certifications show an employer what you can do, and the ones that matter here sit at the foundation. Security+ from CompTIA is the entry point. CompTIA recommends Network+ and two years of experience in a security or systems administrator role, and it states no required prerequisite. The exam has up to 90 questions in 90 minutes.

The ISC2 Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) is an intermediate step. ISC2 describes it for professionals with a year or more of experience in security operations.

The ISC2 CISSP is advanced. It asks for five years of full-time experience in two or more of its eight domains, and a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field can satisfy up to one year.

Many programs build exam preparation into coursework. Thirty-four programs we compare name Security+ preparation, and five name SSCP. Our online cybersecurity degrees with certifications list shows which ones.

How Much Do Network and Computer Systems Administrators Earn?

The national median is $99,130 a year, or $47.66 an hour. The mean is $103,680, or $49.85 an hour. The lowest-paid tenth earn $62,640 or less, a quarter earn $78,010 or less, and a quarter earn $126,640 or more. The highest-paid tenth earn $155,050 or more.

Location moves the numbers. Maryland has the highest state average at $123,570, followed by New Jersey at $119,390, Massachusetts at $118,240, the District of Columbia at $116,920 and Virginia at $116,130.

For the full state table, percentiles and how to read an offer, see our systems administrator salary page.

How Does Administrator Pay Compare With Security Analyst Pay?

Information security analysts have a national median of $129,180, compared with $99,130 for administrators. That is a gap of $30,050 a year at the middle of each range.

The analyst percentiles sit higher too. The lowest-paid tenth of analysts earn $75,090 or less, which is above the administrator figure of $62,640. The highest-paid tenth of analysts earn $199,850 or more, against $155,050 for administrators.

This doesn’t mean every administrator who moves into security gets that raise. But it shows why many people start in administration and add security skills. Our cybersecurity analyst salary page covers the target role in detail.

What Is the Job Outlook?

BLS counts 323,600 jobs in 2025 and projects employment to fall 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, a loss of about 13,200 jobs. That is a decline, and it deserves a plain look.

It still expects about 13,400 openings a year. Openings come from people who retire, change careers or move into other roles, so a shrinking field still hires.

The wage survey counts 314,340 administrators. Texas employs the most at 34,840, followed by Florida at 26,890, California at 26,170, New York at 18,220 and Ohio at 15,130.

What does this mean for you? Employers will keep needing people who can run networks and keep them secure. A degree with security depth gives you more ways to be useful than administration alone.

What Does a Day Look Like in Each Duty?

BLS doesn’t publish a schedule, so this reads the duty list as a set of situations you’ll meet. Each one calls for a different skill.

Setting up is the planning side. You work out what the network and systems need, then install the operating systems, applications and hardware. You also weigh in on what the organization should buy, which means reading specifications and thinking about how new equipment will fit with the old.

Keeping up is the steady side. Upgrades, repairs and performance checks happen on a regular basis, and the goal is that nobody notices them. A well-run network is one where people forget about it.

Helping is the people side. You add users, assign permissions and train them on the systems. Explaining a password policy clearly is a real skill, and it prevents more problems than most tools do.

Responding is the urgent side. When a user reports a problem or a monitoring system raises an alert, you diagnose it and fix it. That duty is where administration and security meet, because an alert can be a failing drive or an attack.

Which Skills Do You Build in a Degree Program?

The duty list points to the skills, and good programs teach them. You need operating systems, because you install and maintain them. Linux and Windows both come up in program descriptions, and Rasmussen University lists Virtualization among its notable courses.

You need networking, because the network is half of the job title. Regent University lists Network and Telecommunication Concepts and Network Defense and Security, and Dakota State’s Cisco Networking Academy status points at the same foundation.

You need security, because permissions and system protection are on the duty list. And you need communication, because training users and explaining decisions to managers is part of the work.

Programs differ in how much hands-on practice they include. Our online cybersecurity degrees with internships list shows which ones build real practice into the plan.

How Do You Start If You Don’t Have a Degree Yet?

Many people reach administration from a first IT job, so you don’t have to wait for a diploma to begin. A degree program running alongside your work lets you apply what you learn the next day.

The ladder idea is worth noticing. Rasmussen’s bachelor’s credits ladder from its Network Support Certificate and its Network Systems Administration associate degree, so a student can stop at one level, work, and return to the next. Not every school offers that, but it’s a useful thing to ask about.

Cost shapes the plan too. Minnesota State College Southeast lists $13,206 in total tuition for its associate program, while the Rasmussen bachelor’s lists $29,880. Our cheapest online cybersecurity degrees list sorts programs by price if that’s your deciding factor.

Whichever level you pick, confirm the details with the school. Tuition and delivery rules can change, and a program page is the final word.

What Are the Downsides of the Job?

The work is responsive. When a system fails or an alert fires, someone has to fix it, and that someone is often the administrator. BLS doesn’t report how often that happens outside normal hours, so ask each employer about on-call expectations.

The role is also broad. One duty list covers hardware, software, security, users and training, and some employers expect a single person to cover all of it. That variety suits people who like learning new things, and it can feel like a lot if you prefer one specialty.

The outlook is the other honest point. BLS projects a decline in total employment, which makes the quality of your skills more important. People who add security knowledge to their administration skills give themselves more places to go.

What Should You Ask in a Job Interview?

Titles hide a lot, so a few questions help. Ask how big the network is and how many people support it. A team of one has a very different week from a team of ten.

Ask what the security responsibilities are. If you’ll be maintaining firewalls, permissions and monitoring, that’s experience a future analyst role will value.

Ask about training and certifications. Some employers pay for exams, and a certification such as Security+ or SSCP can open doors without another degree.

Finally, compare the offer with the pay figures above and on our systems administrator salary page. If the offer is below the 25th percentile of $78,010, find out why.

What Should You Do Next?

Start by choosing a level. If you’re new to IT, look at associate programs and bachelor’s programs side by side. If you hold college credits, check which programs accept them.

Then look for hands-on work. Labs, virtual machines and real equipment matter more than a course list, because administration is practical. Ask each school what you’ll configure and fix before you graduate.

Finally, plan one certification. Security+ is a common first choice, and our entry-level cybersecurity jobs guide explains how to turn a degree and a certification into a first offer.