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Software engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a software engineer. Software engineers usually study computer science, electrical engineering, or computer engineering. 73% of software engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 102,987 real software engineer resumes to see exactly what software engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for software engineers are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.
There are also many online software engineer courses to help get the education required to be a software engineer.
There are certain software engineer certifications that you should consider. These software engineer certifications include Software Engineering Master Certification (SEMC) and Certified Scrum Master (CSM).
What education do you need to become a software engineer?
What degree do you need to be a software engineer?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 4%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a software engineer?
- Computer Science, 38%
- Computer Engineering, 14%
- Other Majors, 28%
Most common colleges for software engineers
| Software engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California - Davis | 8.07% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 7.37% |
| San Jose State University | 6.63% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 6.47% |
| Northeastern University | 5.24% |
Best majors for software engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Science | 38.1% |
| 2 | Electrical Engineering | 14.1% |
| 3 | Computer Engineering | 13.6% |
| 4 | Information Technology | 5.5% |
| 5 | Computer Applications | 3.9% |
Best colleges for software engineers
The best colleges for software engineers are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Harvard University.
A software engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for software engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become software engineers.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
6. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
7. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Enrollment
24,841
10. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
20 best online courses for software engineers
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Gain fluency in Python — the world's fastest-growing major programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build web and data science applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
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20. Intro to Coding
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Top 10 most affordable universities for software engineers
The most affordable schools for software engineers are California State University - Long Beach, california state university - bakersfield, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for software engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for software engineers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
5. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
8. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
10. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for software engineers
The hardest universities for software engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for software engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for software engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
9. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for software engineers
The easiest schools for software engineers to get into are Capitol Technology University, oregon institute of technology, and san francisco state university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a software engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for software engineers.
1. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
2. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
3. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
4. Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
1,086
5. Linfield College
McMinnville, OR • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,117
6. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
7. Portland State University
Portland, OR • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,111
8. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
9. Suffolk University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,131
10. Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,080
Average software engineer salary by education level
| Software engineer education level | Software engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $107,227 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $98,242 |
| Doctorate Degree | $116,342 |
Software engineer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025