Computer science tops income list

Growth of internet industry fuels demand for programming talent

The rapid development of mobile internet and artificial intelligence has made computer science the best income generator and among the most fruitful college degrees for employment in China, a recent report said.

For those with a bachelor's degree in computer science, the employment rate was 93.9 percent in 2016 - slightly trailing electrical engineering's 95.5 percent, according to a report published by MyCOS, a company specializing in higher education data analytics.

Computer science also topped other majors in terms of income. On average, graduates with a bachelor's degree in computer science made 5,452 yuan ($792) a month half a year after graduating, more than 800 yuan more than finance graduates, who were in second place. Computer science majors who had been working for three years saw their average monthly income increase to 8,665 yuan, almost 1,000 yuan more than finance majors, the report found.

According to the report, computer science also topped monthly salary lists for 2015, with an average of 4,978 yuan half a year after graduating, and 7,932 yuan three years afterward.

Computer science majors are also most satisfied with their jobs, with about 75 percent of respondents saying they are satisfied six months after graduating, the report said.

Chen Yu, vice-president of the China Association for Employment Promotion, said the high employment rate and income for computer science majors mirrors the development of mobile internet and artificial intelligence in China.

China is now entering an era of mobile internet and artificial intelligence, which are both related to computer science. This has triggered high demand for talent with computer knowledge, especially those with programming expertise, Chen said.

"The mobile internet not only means the internet for people, but also the internet of things. The prevalent bicycle-sharing services in China provide one example of the rapid development of the internet of things in the country," he said.

Many companies are attracting computer talent with high salaries, according to Wang Yixin, a senior vocational counselor at the recruitment website Zhaopin.

"Students of computer science need to think about how to attain more practical knowledge given the rapid development of the industry," she said.