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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Software Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

8 Ranked Colleges
567 Degrees Awarded
$23,100 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Software Engineering is the 195th most popular major in the country with 3,874 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 855 software engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 567 software engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in software engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great software engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the software engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 8 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Software Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s computer software engineering degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #2 spot in our “Best Software Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Software Engineering at University of California - Irvine

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #2 spot on the list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 74 masters’s computer software engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Software Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Software Engineering at Cal State Fullerton

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 11 masters’s computer software engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Software Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Northridge are $17,955.

Full California State University - Northridge Software Engineering Report

#4

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #4 spot on the list. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 377 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Software Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Jose State are $18,790, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full San Jose State Software Engineering Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 2 masters’s computer software engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Software Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Sacramento are $18,356, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full California State University - Sacramento Software Engineering Report

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Merced landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 8 masters’s computer software engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Merced also made our “Best Software Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Merced are $43,854, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - Merced Software Engineering Report

#7

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California
#1 in overall quality

Santa Clara University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Santa Clara, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 5 degrees to qualified masters’s computer software engineering students in 2019-2020.

SCU also took the #1 spot in our “Best Software Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Santa Clara University are $23,507, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Santa Clara University Software Engineering Report

#8

California Baptist University

Riverside, California
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s computer software engineering students in 2019-2020.

Cal Baptist also made our “Best Software Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cal Baptist are $14,140.

Read full report on Software Engineering at Cal Baptist

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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.

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