New Jersey·Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1253

Best Software Quality Assurance Analyst programs in New Jersey, ranked by enrollment

Develop and execute software tests to identify software problems and their causes. Test system modifications to prepare for implementation.

48 schools in New Jersey run programs that feed this job, graduating 5,847 people a year. The job pays a median of $119,470 in New Jersey across about 6,550 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledSoftware Test EngineerSoftware Quality EngineerQuality Assurance Analyst (QA Analyst)Software Quality Assurance Engineer (SQA Engineer)Beta TesterGame TesterData ModelerTest Engineer
Graduates / yr
5,847
in New Jersey
Median pay · New Jersey
$119,470
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
6,550
people employed
Schools
48
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
51%
across those schools
Median net price
$21,902
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in New Jersey that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

11 programs in New Jersey that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in New Jersey (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 New Jersey page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
13,081
52.7%
36$57,986$24,286
21,245
21.3%
18$70,374$23,250
3883
15.1%
17$57,986$24,286
4261
4.5%
8$46,719$20,729
5187
3.2%
4$78,333$24,098
6120
2.1%
3$78,333$24,098
743
0.7%
1$48,829$21,696
813
0.2%
2$46,719$20,729
96
0.1%
1$51,805$46,000
105
0.1%
1$48,829$21,696
113
0.1%
1$46,719$20,729

Top 25 schools in New Jersey

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 24 of the 48 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJ Public · 5 feeder programs
1,141Computer and Information Sciences, General$68,18373%65%
2Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
983Computer and Information Sciences, General$80,44884%58%
3Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
928Computer Science$99,00787%$34,82748%
4Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ Public · 4 feeder programs
451Computer Programming/Programmer, General$41,79967%78%
5Montclair State University
Montclair, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs
320Computer and Information Sciences, General$46,73965%88%
6Princeton University
Princeton, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
267Computer Science$146,62498%$13,7295%
7Rutgers University - Newark
Newark, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs
201Information Technology$80,44864%71%
8UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey
Cranford, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs
105Computer Science35%
9William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs
92Information Technology$42,55244%90%
10Kean University
Union, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
91Computer and Information Sciences, General$55,86747%76%
11Stockton University
Galloway, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs
86Computer Science69%89%
12County College of Morris
Randolph, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs
75Information Technology36%
13Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus
Teaneck, NJ Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
75Computer and Information Sciences, General$41,78853%$18,05991%
14New Jersey City University
Jersey City, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs
64Computer and Information Sciences, General$41,87634%98%
15Passaic County Community College
Paterson, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
61Computer and Information Sciences, General$31,34619%
16Brookdale Community College
Lincroft, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
56Computer and Information Sciences, General$31,82730%
17Hudson County Community College
Jersey City, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs
55Computer and Information Sciences, General$25,73526%
18Rutgers University - Camden
Camden, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
52Computer and Information Sciences, General$80,44867%66%
19Middlesex College
Edison, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs
50Computer and Information Sciences, General33%
20The College of New Jersey
Ewing, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs
50Computer and Information Sciences, General$84,53986%62%
21Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs
50Computer Science
22Monmouth University
West Long Branch, NJ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
46Computer and Information Sciences, General$60,30072%$28,51489%
23Ramapo College of New Jersey
Mahwah, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
45Computer and Information Sciences, General$69,36370%71%
24Rowan College of South Jersey - Gloucester Campus
Sewell, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs
45Computer Science39%
25Saint Peter's University
Jersey City, NJ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
45Computer and Information Sciences, General$32,16958%$14,44090%

All 48 schools in New Jersey

Every school in New Jersey 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.

All schools in New Jersey that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNewarkPublic1,1415
Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew BrunswickPublic9831
Stevens Institute of TechnologyHobokenPrivate not-for-profit9284
Rowan UniversityGlassboroPublic4514
Montclair State UniversityMontclairPublic3202
Princeton UniversityPrincetonPrivate not-for-profit2671
Rutgers University - NewarkNewarkPublic2012
UCNJ Union College of Union County, New JerseyCranfordPublic1053
William Paterson University of New JerseyWaynePublic922
Kean UniversityUnionPublic911
Stockton UniversityGallowayPublic863
County College of MorrisRandolphPublic752
Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan CampusTeaneckPrivate not-for-profit754
New Jersey City UniversityJersey CityPublic642
Passaic County Community CollegePatersonPublic611

What software quality assurance analysts and testers earn in New Jersey

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in New Jersey
$119,470
Mean annual
$120,550
Jobs in state
6,550
What the range looks like
10th pct$70,150Median$119,47090th pct$168,680
Versus the national median
+14.5%

U.S. median $104,300. New Jersey pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
1.27×

Concentrated here: New Jersey employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in New Jersey

Trenton-Princeton, NJ
$100,710median
450 jobs
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
$90,520median
70 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+10.0%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
14,000
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
20,200
201,700 → 221,900
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

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 Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers page.

How to become a Software Quality Assurance Analyst

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

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSpeakingWritingMonitoring

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in New Jersey

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 15 majors mapped to Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers15 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 11.0101Computer and Information Sciences, General
  • 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
  • 11.0501Computer Systems Analysis/Analyst
  • 11.0701Computer Science
  • 14.0901Computer Engineering, General
  • 14.0903Computer Software Engineering
  • 15.1201Computer Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 15.1202Computer/Computer Systems Technology/Technician
  • 15.1204Computer Software Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing software quality assurance analysts and testers programs in New Jersey.

What degree do you need to become a Software Quality Assurance Analyst?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer and Information Sciences, General, which awarded 3,081 degrees in New Jersey in 2024-25, 52.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Software Quality Assurance Analyst?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 11 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer and Information Sciences, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Programming, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 5,847 people a year in New Jersey.

How much do software quality assurance analysts and testers earn in New Jersey?+

The median is $119,470 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 14.5% above the U.S. median of $104,300. 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 quality assurance analysts and testers growing?+

BLS projects a +10.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 14,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in New Jersey?+

48 institutions in New Jersey reported graduates from at least one of the 11 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 quality assurance analysts and testers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Software Test Engineer, Software Quality Engineer, Quality Assurance Analyst (QA Analyst), Software Quality Assurance Engineer (SQA Engineer) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1253.

Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in other statesCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisMassachusettsNorth CarolinaGeorgia

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 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected 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 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, 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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