Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science in California

8 Ranked Colleges
257 Degrees Awarded
$37,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Computer Science is the 11th most popular major in the country with 53,722 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 12,060 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 257 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree in computer science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great computer science programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the computer science program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California.

Top 9 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science in California

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 doctorate’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631.

Full University of California - San Diego Computer Science Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Computer Science at UC Berkeley

#3

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #3 spot on the list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670.

Read more about Computer Science at UCSB

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 27 degrees to qualified doctorate’s computer science students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Computer Science at UC Irvine

#5

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Computer Science at University of California - Santa Cruz

#8 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 22 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also took the #8 spot in our “Best Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UCR Computer Science Report

#7

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking, coming in at #7. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 doctorate’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

USC also made our “Best Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of Southern California

#8

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Stanford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 32 degrees to qualified doctorate’s computer science students in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Computer Science at Stanford University

#9

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#2 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. Caltech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech also took the #2 spot in our “Best Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of Technology are $56,649, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Computer Science at California Institute of Technology

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

Featured Computer Science / Programming Schools

Find Schools Near You