Best degree programs for Software Developers, ranked by enrollment
20 college programs and 1,912 schools train Software Developers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $135,980 median wage, 1,687,890 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
20 college programs at 1,912 schools train software developers, graduating 219,276 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Computer Science. The job pays a median of $135,980 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About software developers
Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions, applying principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis. Update software or enhance existing software capabilities. May work with computer hardware engineers to integrate hardware and software systems, and develop specifications and performance requirements. May maintain databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
20 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 11.0701 | 88,326 | 40.3% | 1,033 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | CIP 11.0103 | 48,440 | 22.1% | 671 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 3 | CIP 11.0401 | 23,083 | 10.5% | 369 | $57,313 | $25,833 |
| 4 | CIP 14.0901 | 13,854 | 6.3% | 303 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 5 | CIP 11.0201 | 12,592 | 5.7% | 401 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 6 | CIP 30.7001 | 11,020 | 5.0% | 297 | — | — |
| 7 | CIP 14.0903 | 6,640 | 3.0% | 142 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 8 | CIP 11.0104 | 3,531 | 1.6% | 71 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 9 | CIP 11.0202 | 2,745 | 1.3% | 131 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 10 | CIP 11.0102 | 2,576 | 1.2% | 122 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 11 | CIP 30.0801 | 1,855 | 0.8% | 77 | $89,651 | $23,175 |
| 12 | CIP 11.0902 | 1,612 | 0.7% | 61 | $43,901 | $22,822 |
| 13 | CIP 11.0804 | 1,256 | 0.6% | 48 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 14 | CIP 11.0204 | 547 | 0.2% | 32 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 15 | CIP 15.1204 | 480 | 0.2% | 27 | $48,829 | $21,696 |
| 16 | CIP 11.0203 | 451 | 0.2% | 22 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 17 | CIP 30.3901 | 149 | 0.1% | 8 | — | — |
| 18 | CIP 11.0205 | 57 | 0.0% | 8 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 19 | CIP 30.1601 | 45 | 0.0% | 6 | — | — |
| 20 | CIP 30.4801 | 17 | 0.0% | 6 | — | — |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 5,414 | Information Technology | 46% | $11,580 | — |
| 2 | DeVry University - Illinois Lisle, IL Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 4,092 | Information Technology | 37% | $32,381 | 98% |
| 3 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 5 feeder programs | 2,973 | Computer Science | 85% | — | 42% |
| 4 | University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · 6 feeder programs | 2,670 | Computer Science | 89% | — | 45% |
| 5 | Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 2,644 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | 55% | $6,760 | 96% |
| 6 | University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD Public · 6 feeder programs | 2,316 | Information Science/Studies | 33% | — | — |
| 7 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · 5 feeder programs | 2,178 | Computer Science | 68% | — | 90% |
| 8 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 2,175 | Computer Science | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 9 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 5 feeder programs | 1,946 | Computer Science | 86% | — | 27% |
| 10 | University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 1,847 | Information Technology | 21% | $15,478 | — |
| 11 | Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 6 feeder programs | 1,819 | Computer Science | 83% | — | 50% |
| 12 | University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO Public · 4 feeder programs | 1,763 | Computer Science | 54% | — | 64% |
| 13 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,647 | Computer Science | 93% | — | 11% |
| 14 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 1,630 | Information Science/Studies | 76% | — | 65% |
| 15 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 1,614 | Information Technology | 94% | $23,803 | 12% |
| 16 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 4 feeder programs | 1,602 | Computer Science | 69% | — | 80% |
| 17 | University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 7 feeder programs | 1,597 | Computer Science | 87% | — | 29% |
| 18 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 6 feeder programs | 1,561 | Computer Science | 85% | — | 39% |
| 19 | Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 1,547 | Computer Science | 43% | $34,565 | 100% |
| 20 | Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA Public · 7 feeder programs | 1,493 | Computer Science | 52% | — | 69% |
| 21 | Northeastern University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 1,462 | Computer Software Engineering | 91% | $18,925 | 5% |
| 22 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 6 feeder programs | 1,454 | Information Technology | 61% | — | 72% |
| 23 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 1,431 | Computer Science | 95% | $17,613 | 9% |
| 24 | Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 1,430 | Information Technology | 33% | — | — |
| 25 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 1,404 | Computer Science | 75% | $19,899 | 55% |
| 26 | University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg, KY Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 1,355 | Information Technology | 50% | $11,672 | 99% |
| 27 | Oregon State University Corvallis, OR Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,309 | Computer Science | 70% | — | 77% |
| 28 | Trine University - Regional/Non - Traditional Campuses Angola, IN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 1,282 | Information Science/Studies | 0% | $21,976 | 40% |
| 29 | Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN Public · 7 feeder programs | 1,244 | Information Science/Studies | 40% | — | — |
| 30 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 3 feeder programs | 1,218 | Computer Science | 85% | — | 42% |
| 31 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 1,211 | Computer Science | 96% | $15,315 | 4% |
| 32 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 8 feeder programs | 1,200 | Computer Science | 69% | — | 85% |
| 33 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 1,200 | Computer Science | 84% | — | 57% |
| 34 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 5 feeder programs | 1,192 | Information Science/Studies | 93% | — | 16% |
| 35 | Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY Private not-for-profit · 9 feeder programs | 1,152 | Computer Science | 70% | $28,133 | 67% |
| 36 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 6 feeder programs | 1,140 | Computer Science | 83% | — | 60% |
| 37 | Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 1,084 | Computer Science | 87% | $34,827 | 48% |
| 38 | University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 10 feeder programs | 1,072 | Computer Science | 65% | — | 86% |
| 39 | Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 1,066 | Computer Science | 89% | $21,956 | 11% |
| 40 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH Public · 7 feeder programs | 1,056 | Information Technology | 75% | — | 85% |
| 41 | Stanford University Stanford, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 1,041 | Computer Science | 92% | $12,032 | 4% |
| 42 | New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 1,013 | Computer Engineering, General | 88% | $29,023 | 9% |
| 43 | Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO Private for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 1,007 | Computer Science | 19% | $16,966 | — |
| 44 | Colorado State University Global Denver, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 1,002 | Information Technology | — | — | 98% |
| 45 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 6 feeder programs | 1,002 | Information Science/Studies | 54% | — | 80% |
| 46 | Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ Public · 6 feeder programs | 981 | Information Technology | 61% | — | 90% |
| 47 | University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 961 | Computer Science | 75% | — | 66% |
| 48 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 6 feeder programs | 960 | Information Technology | 68% | — | 87% |
| 49 | Pace University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 956 | Computer Science | 60% | $29,994 | 76% |
| 50 | Eastern University Saint Davids, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 918 | Data Science, General | 54% | $25,146 | 91% |
What software developers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $174,410 | 284,390 | 1.44× | 202 | 29,122 |
| New York | $166,180 | 113,510 | 1.08× | 118 | 15,128 |
| Illinois | $132,110 | 56,310 | 0.85× | 82 | 14,705 |
| Texas | $132,150 | 163,880 | 1.07× | 98 | 12,895 |
| North Carolina | $134,710 | 58,470 | 1.09× | 89 | 11,110 |
| Massachusetts | $165,210 | 48,190 | 1.22× | 52 | 9,453 |
| Florida | $130,980 | 87,890 | 0.82× | 79 | 9,449 |
| Utah | $128,810 | 31,940 | 1.70× | 19 | 8,889 |
| Arizona | $129,690 | 38,050 | 1.08× | 32 | 8,349 |
| Pennsylvania | $126,550 | 55,920 | 0.85× | 108 | 8,229 |
| Indiana | $105,920 | 14,130 | 0.41× | 42 | 7,581 |
| Maryland | $138,680 | 31,350 | 1.05× | 35 | 7,524 |
| Ohio | $114,090 | 44,790 | 0.74× | 67 | 5,740 |
| Missouri | $126,120 | 20,020 | 0.63× | 40 | 5,518 |
| Georgia | $131,010 | 49,700 | 0.94× | 47 | 5,244 |
| Virginia | $136,460 | 88,280 | 1.98× | 53 | 4,917 |
| Colorado | $138,390 | 43,320 | 1.39× | 27 | 4,629 |
| New Jersey | $135,940 | 51,570 | 1.11× | 37 | 4,259 |
| Michigan | $125,570 | 43,460 | 0.91× | 55 | 4,073 |
| Washington | $166,540 | 107,030 | 2.78× | 45 | 4,031 |
| Idaho | $131,590 | 5,750 | 0.62× | 7 | 3,086 |
| Kentucky | $109,010 | 7,660 | 0.35× | 14 | 3,040 |
| Wisconsin | $122,660 | 21,730 | 0.68× | 40 | 2,995 |
| Minnesota | $130,050 | 35,890 | 1.12× | 50 | 2,915 |
| Tennessee | $122,430 | 19,030 | 0.53× | 44 | 2,671 |
| New Hampshire | $139,720 | 10,840 | 1.46× | 13 | 2,376 |
| Oregon | $142,720 | 21,830 | 1.02× | 22 | 2,153 |
| Iowa | $114,890 | 9,040 | 0.53× | 32 | 1,925 |
| Alabama | $122,540 | 17,450 | 0.76× | 21 | 1,774 |
| Louisiana | $102,800 | 4,080 | 0.19× | 29 | 1,594 |
| Connecticut | $134,120 | 13,660 | 0.74× | 15 | 1,468 |
| District of Columbia | $136,880 | 6,120 | 0.80× | 10 | 1,441 |
| Oklahoma | $118,100 | 6,880 | 0.37× | 30 | 1,365 |
| Nebraska | $110,900 | 7,260 | 0.65× | 11 | 1,081 |
| Arkansas | $104,490 | 6,050 | 0.43× | 27 | 906 |
| South Carolina | $129,450 | 13,230 | 0.53× | 23 | 785 |
| Kansas | $113,420 | 13,580 | 0.87× | 22 | 743 |
| Rhode Island | $130,590 | 5,070 | 0.93× | 10 | 700 |
| Nevadamoderate | $128,810 | 4,520 | 0.27× | 4 | 696 |
| West Virginia | $121,000 | 2,650 | 0.35× | 23 | 639 |
| Mississippi | $95,330 | 1,880 | 0.15× | 22 | 635 |
| Delaware | $133,020 | 3,380 | 0.64× | 5 | 506 |
| Vermont | $125,280 | 1,740 | 0.53× | 9 | 467 |
| New Mexico | $124,520 | 3,960 | 0.42× | 10 | 382 |
| Hawaii | $124,040 | 1,600 | 0.23× | 7 | 340 |
| Maine | $123,120 | 2,790 | 0.40× | 11 | 296 |
| Montana | $121,990 | 2,160 | 0.39× | 11 | 251 |
| South Dakota | $96,310 | 2,380 | 0.48× | 10 | 237 |
| North Dakota | $105,600 | 1,450 | 0.31× | 8 | 197 |
| Wyoming | $115,170 | 1,510 | 0.49× | 6 | 95 |
| Alaskamoderate | — | 530 | 0.15× | 3 | 61 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
- Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.
- Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.
- Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
- Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status.
- Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system.
- Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.
- Design, develop and modify software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcomes and consequences of design.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.5
- Active Learning3.5
- Active Listening3.4
- Writing3.3
- Speaking3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Mathematics2.8
Knowledge areas
- Computers and Electronics4.8
- Mathematics3.6
- Customer and Personal Service3.6
- English Language3.3
- Education and Training2.8
- Engineering and Technology2.8
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity3.8
- Oral Expression3.8
- Near Vision3.8
- Deductive Reasoning3.8
- Oral Comprehension3.8
- Written Comprehension3.8
Core activities
- Working with Computers4.6
- Processing Information4.4
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.3
- Thinking Creatively4.3
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.2
- Analyzing Data or Information4.2
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 88,326 degrees in 2024-25, 40.3% 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 20 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer and Information Sciences, Information Science/Studies, Computer Engineering, plus 9 more. Together they graduate about 219,276 people a year.
How much do software developers earn?+
The median is $135,980 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $82,460 at the 10th percentile to $214,670 at the 90th. 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?+
1,912 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 20 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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