Best Computer Programmer programs in Missouri, ranked by enrollment
Create, modify, and test the code and scripts that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software and web developers or other individuals.
31 schools in Missouri run programs that feed this job, graduating 3,885 people a year. The job pays a median of $90,420 in Missouri across about 1,520 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Missouri that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
9 programs in Missouri that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Missouri (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 Missouri page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 11.0701In Missouri → | 3,311 | 85.2% | 19 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | Computer Programming/Programmer, Generalmain feeder CIP 11.0201In Missouri → | 228 | 5.9% | 9 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 3 | Computer Programming, Specific Applicationsmain feeder CIP 11.0202In Missouri → | 189 | 4.9% | 5 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 4 | CIP 30.7101In Missouri → | 74 | 1.9% | 3 | — | — |
| 5 | CIP 11.0803In Missouri → | 44 | 1.1% | 1 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 6 | CIP 52.1201In Missouri → | 25 | 0.6% | 3 | $59,352 | $24,618 |
| 7 | CIP 30.3001In Missouri → | 8 | 0.2% | 2 | $50,745 | $27,000 |
| 8 | CIP 51.0709In Missouri → | 5 | 0.1% | 1 | $30,774 | $17,375 |
| 9 | CIP 15.1204In Missouri → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $48,829 | $21,696 |
Top 25 schools in Missouri
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 14 of the 31 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 1,608 | Computer Science | $67,040 | 54% | — | 64% |
| 2 | University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 472 | Computer Science | $69,239 | 55% | — | 72% |
| 3 | Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO Public · 2 feeder programs | 307 | Computer Science | — | 54% | — | 86% |
| 4 | Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 278 | Computer Science | $110,302 | 94% | $14,126 | 12% |
| 5 | Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 213 | Computer Science | $69,849 | 80% | $24,886 | 75% |
| 6 | Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO Public · 3 feeder programs | 208 | Computer Science | $64,949 | 58% | — | 91% |
| 7 | Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 168 | Computer Science | — | 66% | $24,921 | 95% |
| 8 | University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO Public · 5 feeder programs | 126 | Computer Science | $72,810 | 57% | — | 63% |
| 9 | Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City Kansas City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 111 | Computer Programming, Specific Applications | $46,804 | 34% | — | — |
| 10 | Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 90 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | $37,074 | 33% | — | — |
| 11 | St Charles Community College Cottleville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 60 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 25% | — | — |
| 12 | Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 44 | Computer Graphics | $34,433 | 49% | $17,436 | 57% |
| 13 | State Technical College of Missouri Linn, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 31 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 84% | — | — |
| 14 | Webster University Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Computer Science | $70,400 | 64% | $25,090 | 86% |
| 15 | Missouri Southern State University Joplin, MO Public · 2 feeder programs | 24 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 42% | — | 97% |
| 16 | Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Computer Science | $49,629 | 51% | $25,582 | 57% |
| 17 | Ranken Technical College Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | $43,573 | 53% | $17,520 | — |
| 18 | Central Methodist University - College of Graduate and Extended Studies Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Computer Science | $49,629 | 0% | $14,535 | 88% |
| 19 | Missouri Western State University Saint Joseph, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Computer Science | — | 39% | — | — |
| 20 | Missouri Valley College Marshall, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 10 | Computer Science | — | 22% | $18,428 | 69% |
| 21 | Park University Parkville, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Management Information Systems, General | $71,845 | 38% | $16,013 | — |
| 22 | College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Computer Science | — | 64% | $8,360 | 12% |
| 23 | Columbia College Columbia, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Computer Science | — | 42% | $23,247 | — |
| 24 | Moberly Area Community College Moberly, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 44% | — | — |
| 25 | Southwest Baptist University Bolivar, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Computer Science | — | 55% | $20,939 | 68% |
All 31 schools in Missouri
Every school in Missouri 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 Central Missouri | Warrensburg | Public | 1,608 | 1 |
| University of Missouri - Kansas City | Kansas City | Public | 472 | 1 |
| Northwest Missouri State University | Maryville | Public | 307 | 2 |
| Washington University in St Louis | St. Louis | Private not-for-profit | 278 | 2 |
| Saint Louis University | Saint Louis | Private not-for-profit | 213 | 1 |
| Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield | Public | 208 | 3 |
| Maryville University of Saint Louis | Saint Louis | Private not-for-profit | 168 | 4 |
| University of Missouri - St Louis | Saint Louis | Public | 126 | 5 |
| Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City | Kansas City | Public | 111 | 1 |
| Ozarks Technical Community College | Springfield | Public | 90 | 1 |
| St Charles Community College | Cottleville | Public | 60 | 1 |
| Lindenwood University | Saint Charles | Private not-for-profit | 44 | 1 |
| State Technical College of Missouri | Linn | Public | 31 | 1 |
| Webster University | Saint Louis | Private not-for-profit | 30 | 1 |
| Missouri Southern State University | Joplin | Public | 24 | 2 |
What computer programmers earn in Missouri
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $100,390. Missouri pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Missouri
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 Computer Programmers page.
How to become a Computer Programmer
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 Missouri
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 17 majors mapped to Computer Programmers17 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 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
- 11.0299Computer Programming, Other
- 11.0701Computer Science
- 11.0803Computer Graphics
- 11.0804Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
- 11.0902Cloud Computing
- 15.1204Computer Software Technology/Technician
- 30.3001Computational Science
- 30.7101Data Analytics, General
- 30.7103Data Visualization
- 30.7199Data Analytics, Other
- 51.0709Medical Office Computer Specialist/Assistant
- 52.1201Management Information Systems, General
Common questions
Answers for people weighing computer programmers programs in Missouri.
What degree do you need to become a Computer Programmer?+
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 3,311 degrees in Missouri in 2024-25, 85.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Computer Programmer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer Programming, Data Analytics, Computer Software and Media Applications, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 3,885 people a year in Missouri.
How much do computer programmers earn in Missouri?+
The median is $90,420 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 9.9% below the U.S. median of $100,390. 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 computer programmers growing?+
BLS projects a -6.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 5,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Missouri?+
31 institutions in Missouri reported graduates from at least one of the 9 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 computer programmers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Programmer, Analyst Programmer, Programmer Analyst, Computer Programmer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1251.
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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