Careers

Skills and career services for a thriving computer science career

Computer science graduates are in high demand—especially computer science graduates from IU. Our programs will teach you the in-depth technical skills and adaptability that employers are looking for. Our grads work for employers like Amazon, ServiceNow, Microsoft, GE, IBM, and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Career outcomes for 2022 M.S. graduates

100%secured employment or continued their education

$128,500average full-time starting salary

General Motors logo
Microsoft logo
Liberty Mutual logo
Deloitte logo
Cognizant logo
Amazon logo
google logo
Crowe LLP logo
Expedia logo
Intel Corporation logo
Facebook logo
PWC logo
Target logo

Internships and other ways to get the experience that employers love

Employers look for students with work experience, especially technical work experience. In addition to giving you experience, internships enable you to make a good impression at an organization that may want to hire you later. You may also be able to earn credit toward your degree.

You can also take advantage of research opportunities, on-campus jobs (through Jobs at IU) or other part-time work, volunteer opportunities, and student organizations like the Computer Science Club.

Log into Handshake to see internship openings

Develop your skills in a professional setting while earning credit toward your degree

Serving an internship allows you to make the professional world your classroom, and our Y399 Project in Professional Practice course will allow you to build valuable experience while receiving credit toward your degree. Computer science is a rapidly evolving field, and you can pursue your future while developing your skills.

International students

IU’s Immigration Bridge Program can help you with the H-1B visa process and improve your chances of getting job offers.

Before the job offer stage, F-1 international students have two options for off-campus employment: Curricular Practical Training and Optional Practical Training.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is paid work that is integral to your program and that you do for an off-campus employer in your field of study while you are enrolled as a student. Paid internships are a form of CPT.

The IU Office of International Services has detailed information about CPT.

Undergraduates

Talk to your advisor for help applying for CPT.

Graduate students

Contact the Computer Science Graduate Studies Office at gradvise@iu.edu before you start your application so we can guide you through the CPT process.

When you receive an offer letter from your employer, please send the following to gradvise@iu.edu:

  • Your full name
  • Your program
  • Your student ID number
  • A PDF version of the offer letter
  • A description of the nature of the employment and how this employment directly relates to your coursework and program

Also be sure to review the Career Services Office recruiting guidelines.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is work done for an off-campus employer in your field of study, usually following graduation.

The IU Office of International Services has detailed information about OPT.

Computer science alumni include:

Dong Yu

Dong Yu, MS’96

IEEE fellow; distinguished scientist and vice general manager, Tencent AI Lab

He conducts research on multimodal dialog systems. Before joining Tencent, he was a principal researcher studying speech and dialog at Microsoft Research.

Valkyrie Savage

Valkyrie Savage, BS’10

HCI researcher and sensor architect, Tactual Labs; CEO, Savage Internet

She helps create new input devices for mixed-reality, automotive, and display-based interactions and leads a educational game company.

Jeff Johnson

Jeff Johnson, MS’12, PhD’17

Senior autonomy engineer, Uber Advanced Technologies Group

He works on motion planning for automated vehicles. Prior to joining Uber ATG, he was a robotics engineer at Robert Bosch LLC and Apple.

Get ready for technical interviews

You may be asked to participate in a technical interview during the second round of face-to-face interviews if an employer wants to evaluate your technical skills. We offer several ways to help you prepare for your technical interviews:

  • Log into Handshake and go to the Career Search Guide to learn all about technical interviews.
  • Make an appointment with the Career Services Office for a mock technical interview.
  • Participate in our programming competitions.
  • Join the Programmatik club, which brings students together to practice for programming interviews.

Start your career preparation

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