Web Development Degree & Career Guide

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What Is Web Development?
Web development jobs involve planning, designing, and maintaining websites for private companies, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. Web developers oversee a website’s technical aspects, such as speed, traffic, capacity, and performance. Some professionals also create web content or work on site design and usability.
People with web development degrees can work as webmasters, web developers, or front- or back-end developers. Webmasters update and oversee websites for organizations, identify and fix errors, and respond to user comments. Back-end developers maintain the unseen technical aspects of a website. Front-end developers work on a website’s look and what users see.
Featured Posts on Web Development

Web Development Careers
Are you interested in learning more about careers in web development? Click for information about opportunities at all levels of education. Start planning today.
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Best Online Web Development Programs of 2022
We've ranked the best online bachelor's in web development programs. Learn about courses, costs, admission requirements, and career opportunities.
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Best Online Master’s in Web Development Programs
Discover the best online master's in web development programs. Find out what the program includes and what graduates can do with the degree.
Read articleFrequently Asked Questions About Web Development
Yes. The number of jobs in this field is growing faster than the average growth rate for all occupations, which is 8%. Businesses of various sizes and other organizations depend on web developers for their tech skills. These professionals design websites, pinpoint technical glitches, help customers, handle network security, and develop software.
Large corporations hire web developers to maintain back-end technical issues and handle user experience matters on the front end. Even small businesses need these individuals to develop and maintain their websites, address security breaches, and fix errors.
Individuals can advance their web development careers with an associate degree, which prepares graduates for various applied positions. An associate degree can also serve as a stepping stone to a bachelor's degree, which exposes students to mobile programming, cybersecurity, and various coding languages. A higher-level leadership role, like an information systems manager, might require a master’s degree.
Depending on the position, virtually anyone can work as a web developer with the proper training or education. While some professionals can find employment with a high school diploma, others might pursue postsecondary education to expand their employment opportunities and earning potential.
What constitutes the best web development job often depends on your career goals. However, the highest-paying web development role is a software engineer. These professionals earned an average annual salary of $105,310 in 2020.
The demand for professionals in website design and management continues to grow. However, web development degrees can provide opportunities to pursue other positions that allow individuals to code, develop software, work with multimedia, and do other computer-related jobs.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), web developers and digital designers made a median salary of $77,200 in 2020, compared to $91,250 for all computer jobs and $41,950 for all other occupations. The top 10% earners in web development earned a median of $146,430, and web professionals in publishing made $123,870.
However, how much you earn as a web developer depends on your work experience, educational background, and geographical location.
Web development jobs tend to provide competitive salaries compared to many occupations in other industries. For example, the BLS reports that software and web developers earned a median wage of $105,310 in 2020, compared to $41,950 for all occupations.
Web development professionals who hold managerial or leadership positions generally earn higher salaries. For example, according to the BLS, computer and information systems managers made a median salary of $159,010 in 2020.
All web developers should acquire expertise in HTML programming. Job seekers will also benefit from learning other programming languages like JavaScript or SQL and gaining skills in multimedia publishing.
Some web developers obtain work right out of high school, while others hold bachelor's and master's degrees. However, some companies need professionals with specialties like programming or computer science, which usually require at least a bachelor's degree. Regardless of education, web developers need to go through continuous training to keep up with technological advances in their field.
All Things Web Development
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