Best Software Developer programs in Louisiana, ranked by enrollment
Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs.
29 schools in Louisiana run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,594 people a year. The job pays a median of $102,800 in Louisiana across about 4,080 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Louisiana that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
10 programs in Louisiana that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Louisiana (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 Louisiana page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 11.0701In Louisiana → | 890 | 55.8% | 17 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | CIP 11.0103In Louisiana → | 286 | 17.9% | 6 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 3 | CIP 11.0902In Louisiana → | 133 | 8.3% | 9 | $43,901 | $22,822 |
| 4 | CIP 11.0401In Louisiana → | 126 | 7.9% | 8 | $57,313 | $25,833 |
| 5 | CIP 11.0104In Louisiana → | 63 | 4.0% | 1 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 6 | CIP 11.0201In Louisiana → | 48 | 3.0% | 2 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 7 | CIP 14.0901In Louisiana → | 25 | 1.6% | 3 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 8 | CIP 11.0804In Louisiana → | 17 | 1.1% | 2 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 9 | CIP 11.0202In Louisiana → | 3 | 0.2% | 1 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 10 | CIP 30.0801In Louisiana → | 3 | 0.2% | 1 | $89,651 | $23,175 |
Top 25 schools in Louisiana
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 12 of the 29 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 5 feeder programs | 313 | Computer Science | $58,697 | 69% | — | 73% |
| 2 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 177 | Computer Science | $62,452 | 53% | — | 87% |
| 3 | SOWELA Technical Community College Lake Charles, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 128 | Information Technology | $30,360 | 43% | — | — |
| 4 | Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 122 | Computer Science | $68,023 | 64% | — | 86% |
| 5 | Southern University and A & M College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 112 | Computer Science | $45,907 | 27% | — | 35% |
| 6 | Northshore Technical Community College Lacombe, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 104 | Cloud Computing | $28,518 | 40% | — | — |
| 7 | Delgado Community College New Orleans, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 88 | Cloud Computing | — | 24% | — | — |
| 8 | University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 73 | Computer Science | $69,204 | 38% | — | 74% |
| 9 | Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 59 | Information Technology | $55,786 | 45% | — | 99% |
| 10 | South Louisiana Community College Lafayette, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 51 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 30% | — | — |
| 11 | Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 43 | Computer Science | $90,828 | 86% | $33,106 | 14% |
| 12 | Louisiana State University at Alexandria Alexandria, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Computer Science | — | 34% | — | 92% |
| 13 | Bossier Parish Community College Bossier City, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 34 | Information Science/Studies | — | 15% | — | — |
| 14 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana Natchitoches, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Information Science/Studies | — | 43% | — | 93% |
| 15 | Grambling State University Grambling, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 31 | Information Science/Studies | — | 36% | — | 45% |
| 16 | Louisiana State University - Shreveport Shreveport, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Computer Science | $60,259 | 38% | — | 51% |
| 17 | ITI Technical College Baton Rouge, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Information Science/Studies | $39,046 | 59% | $20,818 | — |
| 18 | University of Louisiana at Monroe Monroe, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 24 | Computer Science | $60,714 | 54% | — | 85% |
| 19 | McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Computer Science | — | 47% | — | 78% |
| 20 | Southern University at New Orleans New Orleans, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Information Science/Studies | — | 13% | — | 79% |
| 21 | Baton Rouge Community College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Computer Science | — | 31% | — | — |
| 22 | Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Computer Science | — | 49% | $19,760 | 69% |
| 23 | Louisiana Delta Community College Monroe, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 8 | Computer Science | — | 30% | — | — |
| 24 | Southern University at Shreveport Shreveport, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 8 | Computer Science | — | 10% | — | — |
| 25 | Fletcher Technical Community College Schriever, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Information Science/Studies | — | 30% | — | — |
All 29 schools in Louisiana
Every school in Louisiana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge | Public | 313 | 5 |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Lafayette | Public | 177 | 3 |
| SOWELA Technical Community College | Lake Charles | Public | 128 | 1 |
| Louisiana Tech University | Ruston | Public | 122 | 2 |
| Southern University and A & M College | Baton Rouge | Public | 112 | 1 |
| Northshore Technical Community College | Lacombe | Public | 104 | 2 |
| Delgado Community College | New Orleans | Public | 88 | 2 |
| University of New Orleans | New Orleans | Public | 73 | 1 |
| Southeastern Louisiana University | Hammond | Public | 59 | 2 |
| South Louisiana Community College | Lafayette | Public | 51 | 2 |
| Tulane University of Louisiana | New Orleans | Private not-for-profit | 43 | 4 |
| Louisiana State University at Alexandria | Alexandria | Public | 42 | 1 |
| Bossier Parish Community College | Bossier City | Public | 34 | 3 |
| Northwestern State University of Louisiana | Natchitoches | Public | 32 | 1 |
| Grambling State University | Grambling | Public | 31 | 3 |
What software developers earn in Louisiana
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $135,980. Louisiana pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Louisiana
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 Louisiana
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 Louisiana.
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 890 degrees in Louisiana in 2024-25, 55.8% 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 10 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer and Information Sciences, Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications, Information Science/Studies, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 1,594 people a year in Louisiana.
How much do software developers earn in Louisiana?+
The median is $102,800 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 24.4% below 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 Louisiana?+
29 institutions in Louisiana reported graduates from at least one of the 10 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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