Oregon·Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1253

Best Software Quality Assurance Analyst programs in Oregon, ranked by enrollment

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

27 schools in Oregon run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,352 people a year. The job pays a median of $108,440 in Oregon across about 1,840 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
2,352
in Oregon
Median pay · Oregon
$108,440
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,840
people employed
Schools
27
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
47%
across those schools
Median net price
$27,621
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Oregon that lead to this job

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

9 programs in Oregon that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Oregon (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 Oregon page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 11.0701In Oregon
1,652
70.2%
12$70,374$23,250
2
CIP 11.0101In Oregon
393
16.7%
14$57,986$24,286
3
CIP 11.0202In Oregon
186
7.9%
2$46,719$20,729
4
CIP 15.1204In Oregon
37
1.6%
3$48,829$21,696
5
CIP 11.0201In Oregon
36
1.5%
2$46,719$20,729
6
CIP 14.0901In Oregon
31
1.3%
2$78,333$24,098
7
CIP 11.0103In Oregon
15
0.6%
3$57,986$24,286
8
CIP 14.0903In Oregon
1
0.0%
1$78,333$24,098
9
CIP 15.1201In Oregon
1
0.0%
1$48,829$21,696

Top 25 schools in Oregon

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 27 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
1,296Computer Science$85,37670%77%
2Portland State University
Portland, OR Public · 3 feeder programs
345Computer Science$78,66953%91%
3Portland Community College
Portland, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
185Computer Programming, Specific Applications18%
4University of Oregon
Eugene, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
112Computer and Information Sciences, General$70,05572%88%
5Lane Community College
Eugene, OR Public · 2 feeder programs
43Computer Programming/Programmer, General20%
6Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR Public · 3 feeder programs
42Computer Software Technology/Technician$82,24254%95%
7Chemeketa Community College
Salem, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
41Computer and Information Sciences, General21%
8Eastern Oregon University
La Grande, OR Public · 2 feeder programs
33Computer and Information Sciences, General43%98%
9University of Portland
Portland, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
31Computer Science$85,63780%$33,82289%
10Central Oregon Community College
Bend, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
28Computer and Information Sciences, General25%
11Western Oregon University
Monmouth, OR Public · 2 feeder programs
28Computer and Information Sciences, General$51,70347%98%
12Mt Hood Community College
Gresham, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
20Computer and Information Sciences, General24%
13Lewis & Clark College
Portland, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
19Computer Science$66,65375%$27,62178%
14George Fox University
Newberg, OR Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
18Computer and Information Sciences, General$55,34072%$26,56494%
15Blue Mountain Community College
Pendleton, OR Public · 2 feeder programs
16Computer and Information Sciences, General30%
16Clackamas Community College
Oregon City, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
14Computer Science23%
17Southern Oregon University
Ashland, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
13Computer and Information Sciences, General$51,16743%89%
18Willamette University
Salem, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
12Computer Science$80,07771%$20,34577%
19Reed College
Portland, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
10Computer and Information Sciences, General71%$28,27225%
20Linn - Benton Community College
Albany, OR Public · 2 feeder programs
9Computer and Information Sciences, General29%
21Rogue Community College
Grants Pass, OR Public · 4 feeder programs
9Computer Science9%
22Corban University
Salem, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Computer Science61%$23,09694%
23Klamath Community College
Klamath Falls, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
6Computer Software Technology/Technician43%
24Pacific University
Forest Grove, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Computer Science67%$30,57190%
25Treasure Valley Community College
Ontario, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
4Computer and Information Sciences, General37%

All 27 schools in Oregon

Every school in Oregon 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 Oregon that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Oregon State UniversityCorvallisPublic1,2961
Portland State UniversityPortlandPublic3453
Portland Community CollegePortlandPublic1851
University of OregonEugenePublic1121
Lane Community CollegeEugenePublic432
Oregon Institute of TechnologyKlamath FallsPublic423
Chemeketa Community CollegeSalemPublic411
Eastern Oregon UniversityLa GrandePublic332
University of PortlandPortlandPrivate not-for-profit311
Central Oregon Community CollegeBendPublic281
Western Oregon UniversityMonmouthPublic282
Mt Hood Community CollegeGreshamPublic201
Lewis & Clark CollegePortlandPrivate not-for-profit191
George Fox UniversityNewbergPrivate not-for-profit182
Blue Mountain Community CollegePendletonPublic162

What software quality assurance analysts and testers earn in Oregon

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

Median annual in Oregon
$108,440
Mean annual
$115,840
Jobs in state
1,840
What the range looks like
10th pct$57,640Median$108,44090th pct$184,060
Versus the national median
+4.0%

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

Job concentration
0.78×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Oregon

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
$109,760median
1,550 jobs
Salem, OR
$97,520median
80 jobs
Bend, OR
$97,870median
70 jobs
Eugene-Springfield, OR
$91,150median
80 jobs
Medford, OR
avg
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 Oregon

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 Oregon.

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 Science, which awarded 1,652 degrees in Oregon in 2024-25, 70.2% 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 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer and Information Sciences, Computer Programming, Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 2,352 people a year in Oregon.

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

The median is $108,440 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.0% 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 Oregon?+

27 institutions in Oregon 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 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

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card