Work Route

Data Science: from a US degree to a green card

CIP 30.7001

This is a STEM-designated major, so graduates can work on OPT for up to 36 months. That allows up to three tries in the H-1B lottery.

  1. Degree – Median bachelor's earnings, year 1
    Across – programs
  2. OPT 36 months 12 months plus a 24-month STEM extension
  3. H-1B $125,549 Median salary for data scientists
    26,194 certified across the main jobs
  4. Green card 3,969 PERM labor certifications, 93.6% certified
    Median processing about 489 days

Jobs graduates go into

Grouped by US Standard Occupational Classification. Salaries are the wages offered on H-1B applications and exclude bonuses and stock.

JobH-1B certifiedMedian salaryMiddle half of salariesGreen cards certified
Data scientistsSOC 15-2051 26,194 $125,549 $97,867 – $161,714 3,969

Top H-1B employers

Data scientists

EmployerCertifiedMedian
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC1,573$141,400
WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC.573$146,348
MICROSOFT CORPORATION555$175,829
CAPITAL ONE, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION499$115,939
GOOGLE LLC422$196,000
META PLATFORMS, INC419$191,110
JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.387$142,600
CAPITAL ONE SERVICES, LLC351$115,939
ADOBE INC.218$175,000
LINKEDIN CORPORATION217$177,214

Top green card sponsors

Data scientists

EmployerCertified
WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC.130
MICROSOFT CORPORATION106
CAREMARK LLC59
AETNA RESOURCES LLC58
TIKTOK INC.43
JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.38
BYTEDANCE INC.36
DISCOVER PRODUCTS, INC.34
CITIBANK, N.A.32
ADOBE INC.32
UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.32
MCKINSEY & COMPANY, INC. UNITED STATES30
WAYFAIR LLC29
TIGER ANALYTICS, INC.23
VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND ALL ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES22

Where the jobs are

Schools with the highest graduate earnings

Median earnings one year after graduation, from US Department of Education tax records for students who received federal aid. International students are not included in these figures.

SchoolYear 1Later years
No programs with published earnings.

Other majors