Best Software Developer programs in Massachusetts, ranked by enrollment
Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs.
52 schools in Massachusetts run programs that feed this job, graduating 9,453 people a year. The job pays a median of $165,210 in Massachusetts across about 48,190 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Massachusetts that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
15 programs in Massachusetts that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Massachusetts (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 Massachusetts page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 11.0701In Massachusetts → | 5,223 | 55.3% | 42 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | CIP 14.0903In Massachusetts → | 1,299 | 13.7% | 4 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 3 | CIP 11.0401In Massachusetts → | 635 | 6.7% | 11 | $57,313 | $25,833 |
| 4 | CIP 14.0901In Massachusetts → | 553 | 5.8% | 12 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 5 | CIP 11.0103In Massachusetts → | 539 | 5.7% | 15 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 6 | CIP 30.7001In Massachusetts → | 357 | 3.8% | 11 | — | — |
| 7 | CIP 11.0104In Massachusetts → | 351 | 3.7% | 4 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 8 | CIP 11.0102In Massachusetts → | 268 | 2.8% | 7 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 9 | CIP 30.3901In Massachusetts → | 85 | 0.9% | 2 | — | — |
| 10 | CIP 30.0801In Massachusetts → | 66 | 0.7% | 4 | $89,651 | $23,175 |
| 11 | CIP 11.0201In Massachusetts → | 32 | 0.3% | 6 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 12 | CIP 11.0202In Massachusetts → | 23 | 0.2% | 4 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 13 | CIP 11.0204In Massachusetts → | 8 | 0.1% | 2 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 14 | CIP 30.1601In Massachusetts → | 7 | 0.1% | 1 | — | — |
| 15 | CIP 30.4801In Massachusetts → | 7 | 0.1% | 2 | — | — |
Top 25 schools in Massachusetts
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 26 of the 52 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northeastern University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 1,462 | Computer Software Engineering | $99,499 | 91% | $18,925 | 5% |
| 2 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 6 feeder programs | 1,140 | Computer Science | $88,554 | 83% | — | 60% |
| 3 | Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 1,066 | Computer Science | $90,050 | 89% | $21,956 | 11% |
| 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 887 | Computer Science | $154,492 | 96% | $11,666 | 5% |
| 5 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 565 | Computer Science | $93,888 | 90% | $32,926 | 60% |
| 6 | University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA Public · 4 feeder programs | 524 | Computer Science | $86,167 | 65% | — | 83% |
| 7 | Clark University Worcester, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 502 | Computer Science | — | 77% | $23,332 | 40% |
| 8 | University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA Public · 4 feeder programs | 469 | Computer Science | — | 49% | — | 84% |
| 9 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 461 | Computer Science | $152,251 | 98% | $15,013 | 4% |
| 10 | Tufts University Medford, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 425 | Computer Science | $105,659 | 94% | $23,570 | 11% |
| 11 | Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 198 | Computer Science | $85,954 | 68% | $32,713 | 91% |
| 12 | Merrimack College North Andover, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 193 | Computer Science | $70,256 | 70% | $33,877 | 70% |
| 13 | Northeastern University Professional Programs Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 171 | Informatics | $115,587 | — | — | — |
| 14 | Bunker Hill Community College Boston, MA Public · 4 feeder programs | 163 | Computer Science | $30,332 | 13% | — | — |
| 15 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 157 | Computer Science | $86,749 | 91% | $21,126 | 16% |
| 16 | Brandeis University Waltham, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 120 | Computer Science | $80,431 | 86% | $25,074 | 40% |
| 17 | Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 108 | Computer Science | — | 55% | — | 87% |
| 18 | Smith College Northampton, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 85 | Computer Science | $66,981 | 89% | $17,183 | 21% |
| 19 | Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 65 | Computer Science | $57,007 | 53% | — | 88% |
| 20 | Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 63 | Computer Science | $71,672 | 84% | $26,083 | 36% |
| 21 | Williams College Williamstown, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 62 | Computer Science | $110,814 | 94% | $10,747 | 8% |
| 22 | Amherst College Amherst, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 59 | Computer Science | $100,596 | 94% | $16,081 | 9% |
| 23 | Suffolk University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 59 | Information Science/Studies | $56,780 | 61% | $28,895 | 82% |
| 24 | University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA Public · 5 feeder programs | 50 | Computer Engineering, General | $79,383 | 52% | — | 91% |
| 25 | Western New England University Springfield, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 43 | Computer Science | $79,990 | 64% | $29,327 | 83% |
All 52 schools in Massachusetts
Every school in Massachusetts 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeastern University | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 1,462 | 3 |
| University of Massachusetts - Amherst | Amherst | Public | 1,140 | 6 |
| Boston University | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 1,066 | 6 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge | Private not-for-profit | 887 | 4 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester | Private not-for-profit | 565 | 4 |
| University of Massachusetts - Lowell | Lowell | Public | 524 | 4 |
| Clark University | Worcester | Private not-for-profit | 502 | 4 |
| University of Massachusetts - Boston | Boston | Public | 469 | 4 |
| Harvard University | Cambridge | Private not-for-profit | 461 | 7 |
| Tufts University | Medford | Private not-for-profit | 425 | 4 |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 198 | 4 |
| Merrimack College | North Andover | Private not-for-profit | 193 | 3 |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 171 | 2 |
| Bunker Hill Community College | Boston | Public | 163 | 4 |
| Boston College | Chestnut Hill | Private not-for-profit | 157 | 2 |
What software developers earn in Massachusetts
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $135,980. Massachusetts pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: Massachusetts employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts.
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 5,223 degrees in Massachusetts in 2024-25, 55.3% 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 15 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer and Information Sciences, Information Science/Studies, plus 6 more. Together they graduate about 9,453 people a year in Massachusetts.
How much do software developers earn in Massachusetts?+
The median is $165,210 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 21.5% 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 Massachusetts?+
52 institutions in Massachusetts reported graduates from at least one of the 15 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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