Best Software Developer programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs.
202 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 29,122 people a year. The job pays a median of $174,410 in California across about 284,390 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
16 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 11.0701In California → | 16,990 | 58.3% | 136 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | CIP 11.0103In California → | 3,881 | 13.3% | 95 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 3 | CIP 14.0901In California → | 2,585 | 8.9% | 30 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 4 | CIP 11.0201In California → | 1,546 | 5.3% | 70 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 5 | CIP 11.0401In California → | 860 | 3.0% | 9 | $57,313 | $25,833 |
| 6 | CIP 30.0801In California → | 722 | 2.5% | 11 | $89,651 | $23,175 |
| 7 | CIP 14.0903In California → | 690 | 2.4% | 14 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 8 | CIP 30.7001In California → | 616 | 2.1% | 13 | — | — |
| 9 | CIP 11.0104In California → | 573 | 2.0% | 3 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 10 | CIP 11.0804In California → | 276 | 0.9% | 8 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 11 | CIP 11.0102In California → | 205 | 0.7% | 7 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 12 | CIP 11.0204In California → | 99 | 0.3% | 1 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 13 | CIP 11.0902In California → | 66 | 0.2% | 3 | $43,901 | $22,822 |
| 14 | CIP 15.1204In California → | 6 | 0.0% | 3 | $48,829 | $21,696 |
| 15 | CIP 11.0202In California → | 4 | 0.0% | 1 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 16 | CIP 30.3901In California → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 45 of the 202 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 2,175 | Computer Science | $137,284 | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 2 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 5 feeder programs | 1,946 | Computer Science | $112,006 | 86% | — | 27% |
| 3 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,647 | Computer Science | $149,866 | 93% | — | 11% |
| 4 | University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 7 feeder programs | 1,597 | Computer Science | $82,161 | 87% | — | 29% |
| 5 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 8 feeder programs | 1,200 | Computer Science | — | 69% | — | 85% |
| 6 | Stanford University Stanford, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 1,041 | Computer Science | $138,613 | 92% | $12,032 | 4% |
| 7 | University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 961 | Computer Science | $75,150 | 75% | — | 66% |
| 8 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 901 | Computer Science | $57,307 | 70% | — | 91% |
| 9 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 690 | Computer Science | — | 93% | — | 9% |
| 10 | University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 681 | Computer Science | $81,034 | 76% | — | 76% |
| 11 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 659 | Computer Science | $60,378 | 69% | — | 46% |
| 12 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 574 | Computer Engineering, General | $103,804 | 88% | $44,094 | 48% |
| 13 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 556 | Computer Science | — | 86% | — | 42% |
| 14 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 553 | Computer Science | $60,740 | 68% | — | 75% |
| 15 | DeVry University - California Ontario, CA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 550 | Information Technology | — | 22% | $35,320 | 99% |
| 16 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 498 | Computer Science | $62,821 | 57% | — | 93% |
| 17 | California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 487 | Computer Science | $45,846 | 55% | — | 94% |
| 18 | California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 455 | Computer Science | $60,028 | 56% | — | 94% |
| 19 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 440 | Computer Science | $74,523 | 76% | — | 36% |
| 20 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 433 | Computer Science | $111,141 | 86% | — | 31% |
| 21 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 392 | Computer Science | $50,553 | 50% | — | 96% |
| 22 | University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 376 | Computer Science | $107,776 | 83% | — | 33% |
| 23 | California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 340 | Computer Science | $44,530 | 53% | — | 91% |
| 24 | California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 322 | Computer Science | $60,371 | 48% | — | 97% |
| 25 | Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 284 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 36% | — | — |
All 202 schools in California
Every school in California with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 2,175 | 7 |
| University of California - San Diego | La Jolla | Public | 1,946 | 5 |
| University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley | Public | 1,647 | 2 |
| University of California - Irvine | Irvine | Public | 1,597 | 7 |
| San Jose State University | San Jose | Public | 1,200 | 8 |
| Stanford University | Stanford | Private not-for-profit | 1,041 | 2 |
| University of California - Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | Public | 961 | 4 |
| California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton | Public | 901 | 4 |
| University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 690 | 3 |
| University of California - Riverside | Riverside | Public | 681 | 4 |
| California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach | Public | 659 | 2 |
| Santa Clara University | Santa Clara | Private not-for-profit | 574 | 3 |
| University of California - Davis | Davis | Public | 556 | 3 |
| California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona | Public | 553 | 3 |
| DeVry University - California | Ontario | Private for-profit | 550 | 2 |
What software developers earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $135,980. California pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: California employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in California
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Software Developers page.
How to become a Software Developer
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 20 majors mapped to Software Developers20 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 11.0102Artificial Intelligence
- 11.0103Information Technology
- 11.0104Informatics
- 11.0201Computer Programming/Programmer, General
- 11.0202Computer Programming, Specific Applications
- 11.0203Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification
- 11.0204Computer Game Programming
- 11.0205Computer Programming, Specific Platforms
- 11.0401Information Science/Studies
- 11.0701Computer Science
- 11.0804Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
- 11.0902Cloud Computing
- 14.0901Computer Engineering, General
- 14.0903Computer Software Engineering
- 15.1204Computer Software Technology/Technician
- 30.0801Mathematics and Computer Science
- 30.1601Accounting and Computer Science
- 30.3901Economics and Computer Science
- 30.4801Linguistics and Computer Science
- 30.7001Data Science, General
Common questions
Answers for people weighing software developers programs in California.
What degree do you need to become a Software Developer?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer Science, which awarded 16,990 degrees in California in 2024-25, 58.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Software Developer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 16 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer and Information Sciences, Computer Engineering, Computer Programming, plus 7 more. Together they graduate about 29,122 people a year in California.
How much do software developers earn in California?+
The median is $174,410 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 28.3% above the U.S. median of $135,980. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for software developers growing?+
BLS projects a +15.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 115,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
202 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 16 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do software developers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Developer, Software Engineer, Software Architect, Software Developer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1252.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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