Software engineering is an in-demand career that combines creativity and problem solving. If you have a passion for both technology and math, this could be the path for you. Software engineers build applications ranging from websites to mobile apps to operating systems. This guide will help you understand what it takes to become a software engineer and explore some of the best schools for earning an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in software engineering:
Colleges That Offer Software Engineering Degrees
Boise State University
Boise State University offers a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering degree. Students can also specialize their degree by choosing an emphasis in either Information Technology or Information Systems.
Students who want to study software engineering may consider pursuing the BS in Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, which has received attention for its strong educational programs. The department boasts high rankings on many lists such as those compiled by U.S News & World Report and Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE). In addition to these national accolades, the school was recently named as one of “America’s Best Colleges” by Forbes magazine for 2016-2017.
Boston University
Boston University has a Ph.D. program in Computer Science, a Master of Science program in Computer Science, and a Bachelor of Science program with options for concentration in Computer Science.
The Ph.D. program is available through the College of Arts and Sciences; students must complete two years of coursework before they are eligible to apply for admission to the doctoral program. Students will then be admitted into one of seven different research areas: Artificial Intelligence, Human-Centered Computing, Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, Data Science & Analytics (includes Machine Learning), Humanities Digital Scholarship; Natural Language Processing; Robotics & Intelligent Systems (includes Autonomous Systems); Software Engineering; Systems & Networking Theory and Architecture (includes Internetworking). Successful candidates will be required to complete an original research project under faculty supervision during their final year as well as submit an article based on their dissertation research for publication in an academic journal or conference proceeding by the end of their fifth year as doctoral students at Boston University
California State University, San Marcos
California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM) is a public university in San Marcos, California, United States. It is part of the 23-campus California State University system.
CSUSM offers bachelor’s degrees in a variety of majors and minors, master’s degrees in business administration (MBA) and counseling psychology, doctoral degrees in education leadership and educational psychology.
Colorado School of Mines
- Colorado School of Mines offers a BS in Computer Science.
The program is taught by faculty from the Department of Computer Science, who have expertise in software engineering, computer science theory and algorithms, database systems and data mining, machine learning and pattern recognition, computer graphics and visual computing, distributed systems and networking. Students can choose from a variety of electives to supplement their major requirements.
- The degree is offered on both the main campus in Golden as well as at the nearby campus in Littleton (Mines-Littleton). Students may also take classes online through technology-enabled means such as Blackboard Collaborate or Web-based videoconferencing tools such as Adobe Connect/Google+ Hangouts/Skype for Business
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1891 as a technical school—Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry—with the mission of educating “working men and women” in design and engineering, Drexel has grown into an institution with 10 schools offering more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors.
In addition to its main campus, Drexel has campuses abroad in Rome Italy; Florence Italy; Sacramento California; San Francisco California; Austin Texas; Madrid Spain; Prague Czech Republic.
Drexel University is member of: Association of American Universities (AAU)
Florida Institute of Technology
The Florida Institute of Technology offers a BS in Computer Engineering and a BA/BS in Computer Science. In addition, the school offers two joint programs: one in which students earn a BS and MS or PhD simultaneously, as well as another where they receive both degrees at the end of their four years at FIT. Finally, FIT also has three minors related to software engineering—Computer Programming, Web Design & Development and Software Engineering & Project Management.
Iowa State University
Iowa State University’s Department of Computer Science offers a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering, a Master of Science in Software Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Software Engineering.
The Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering is a four-year program that includes a minor in Computer Science. Students are required to complete 126 credit hours, including 46 core credits and 10 courses offered by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) with an additional 6 ECE-related courses required for graduation. The remaining 69 credits may be taken from any academic area at ISU or another institution as approved by the student’s advisor or department head. The curriculum emphasizes software engineering theory with key concepts such as high cohesion and modularity while also providing practical experience through laboratories such as Modeling with UML™ II or Advanced Java Development Challenge Project II which allows students to develop working software systems using industry standard toolsets like Eclipse™ IDE for Java™ EE development which includes integrated source code management capabilities so that you can work with others on large development projects without losing focus on your individual tasks
Kennesaw State University
The University of Washington is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861 and built on a platform of open access to learning, the UW was one of the first universities in the United States to offer bachelor’s degrees to women and minorities.
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMinnesota) is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota, as well as one satellite campus in Duluth. It is part of the Twin Cities region; its name refers to its two primary campuses being located on both banks of the Mississippi River.
Regis University
Regis University, a private institution with campuses in Denver and Colorado Springs, offers a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering. The program is offered online as well as on campus at both locations. Regis also offers a Master of Science in Software Engineering that can be completed by taking courses entirely online or by attending one residential weekend per month at the Denver campus.
Regis is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB).
Rochester Institute of Technology
RIT has a great reputation and it’s well known for its engineering department. The school also has a strong computer science program, along with one of the best computer engineering programs in the country. In addition to this, RIT offers degrees in software engineering and software engineering and computer science.
The college is located in Rochester, New York, which is an upstate city that offers plenty of cultural diversity.
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University offers a strong software engineering program at its campus in Lubbock, Texas. The university is a public institution with over 35,000 students enrolled and has received many accolades for its computer science and engineering programs.
Its Software Engineering Program was ranked 22nd out of 100 schools on the list of best undergraduate majors by PayScale in 2018. According to PayScale’s data, the median starting salary for graduates with bachelor’s degrees in software engineering was $60K, which is above average compared to other similar professions such as database administration or network administration.
Software engineering is a great career path, and there are many programs available nationwide.
Software engineering is a great career path, and there are many programs available nationwide. Programs are offered at many colleges and universities, including some online options. The best way to find a program is to search for colleges that offer software engineering degrees; you can also look into the individual schools’ websites or call them directly to get more details.
Closing
Whether you’re looking for a job or just want to learn about software engineering, this list of colleges with related degrees is a great place to start. We hope that our brief overview of some of these programs has helped you find what you were looking for in terms of information on how to get started on your path toward becoming a professional developer. If not, feel free to read more at the links provided above!