Post job

Vice president of software engineering education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a vice president of software engineering. Vice presidents of software engineering usually study computer science, electrical engineering, or business. 70% of vice presidents of software engineering hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 351 real vice president of software engineering resumes to see exactly what vice president of software engineering education sections show.

The most common colleges for vice presidents of software engineering are the Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and the Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

There are also many online vice president of software engineering courses to help get the education required to be a vice president of software engineering.

What education do you need to become a vice president of software engineering?

What degree do you need to be a vice president of software engineering?

The most common degree for vice presidents of software engineering is bachelor's degree, with 70% of vice presidents of software engineering earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 23% and master's degree degree at 3%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Master's, 23%
  • Doctorate, 3%
  • Associate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a vice president of software engineering?

You should major in computer science to become a vice president of software engineering. 31% of vice presidents of software engineering major in computer science. Other common majors for a vice president of software engineering include electrical engineering and business.

Most common colleges for vice presidents of software engineering

Vice presidents of software engineering often get their degrees at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, San Diego State University, and Carnegie Mellon University. Here are the most common colleges for vice presidents of software engineering in the US based on their resumes.
Vice president of software engineering common collegePercentages
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey7.46%
San Diego State University5.97%
Carnegie Mellon University5.97%
New Jersey Institute of Technology5.97%
Ohio State University5.97%

Best majors for vice presidents of software engineering

Best colleges for vice presidents of software engineering

The best colleges for vice presidents of software engineering are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A vice president of software engineering with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for vice presidents of software engineering. 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 vice presidents of software engineering.

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

2. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

10. Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$8,184

Enrollment

11,675

20 best online courses for vice presidents of software engineering

Advertising disclosure

1. Applied Software Engineering Fundamentals

coursera

If you want to enter the exciting world of software development, this Software Engineering Foundations Specialization is for you. No prior degrees or knowledge of programming or application development are necessary. Software Developers are in great demand earning a median salary of US$110,140 per year according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The field is growing at a rate of 22% making it a great time to start a career in software engineering.. The self-paced courses in this program...

2. Software Development Lifecycle

coursera

This Specialization is designed for people who are new to software engineering. It's also for those who have already developed software, but wish to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying context and theory of software development practices.\n\nAt the end of this Specialization, we expect learners to be able to:\n\n1.) Build high-quality and secure software using SDLC methodologies such as agile, lean, and traditional/waterfall.\n\n2.) Analyze a software development team's SDLC...

3. SDLC (2023) - Software Development Life Cycle SDLC

udemy
4.4
(2,875)

Learn Software development life cycle/ Process and methodologies of developing software's with real life project...

4. Full Stack Web Development with C# OOP, MS SQL & ASP.NET MVC

udemy
4.4
(918)

Web development with C#, ASP.NET MVC, MS SQL, C# OOP. All gathered for full stack web development in one course!...

5. Software Development Practices

coursera

As you prepare to become a professional mobile developer, you need to have a basic understanding of other industry standard software development practices. In this course, you will explore some of those processes and best practices in software development such as application lifecycle, infrastructure, testing, Agile/scrum development, how projects are estimated and tracked, as well as specialized tools...

6. Software Development Lifecycle & Methodologies

udemy
4.7
(261)

Learn how software development works straight from the source: a CTO of a fast-growing startup...

7. Software architecture

udemy
4
(331)

Architecture is an important engineering step in the design and creation of software...

8. SDLC Overview (1 Hour) - Software Development Life Cycle

udemy
4.3
(8,992)

First step into the Software World of Terms and acronyms...

9. Software Engineering 101: Plan and Execute Better Software.

udemy
4.6
(9,607)

Software Engineering 101: Use Software Engineering to Plan and Build Amazing Software + Learn SCRUM Framework!...

10. Software Architecture: Meta and SOLID Principles in C#

udemy
4.2
(1,256)

Learn how to develop maintainable software systems applying Design Patterns based on Meta and SOLID Principles...

11. The Complete Cloud Computing Software Architecture Patterns

udemy
4.7
(1,025)

Architect Large Scale Systems using Cloud Computing, Software Architecture Patterns & Modern System Design Principles...

12. Software Development and IT - complete guide to key concepts

udemy
4.6
(417)

For new joiners in IT industry: basics of apps, APIs, testing, Cloud, GIT, deployment, containerisation, SDLC, Scrum....

13. Software Development From A to Z - Beginner's Complete Guide

udemy
4.6
(2,482)

Get Started with Software Development: Learn SDLC, OOP, UML, Agile, SCRUM, Programming Basics with Python, web dev, .....

14. Software Development: Better Requirements Gathering Skills

udemy
4.4
(6,960)

Boost Your Software Requirements Gathering Skills Today! Learn The Techniques That Work!...

15. Solid Principles (2023) for Software Design & Architecture

udemy
4.5
(338)

Master SOLID Principles of software design and software Architecture and write clean code in C# object oriented design...

16. IT Business Analyst & Project Managers Technical awareness

udemy
4.5
(799)

A quick introduction to software development & IT for business analyst and non technical managers overseeing IT teams...

17. Agile Scrum Advanced Software Development+Program Management

udemy
4.2
(814)

Learn the Scrum of Scrums technique, how to Become a Scrum Master and how to Coach by explaining scrum with 72 reasons...

18. Requirements Engineering: Software Engineering

udemy
4.4
(754)

Everything you need to know about software requirements: elicitation, analysis, documentation, validation and management...

19. BDD in C# - using Specflow (Cucumber) to develop a REST API and automate software testing

udemy
4
(522)

Learn how to develop software in Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) using Specflow - part of the Cucumber software family of tools for software testing automation...

20. Software Architecture & Design of Modern Large Scale Systems

udemy
4.7
(4,499)

Become a Software Architect or Technical Lead by Mastering Software Architecture, System Design & Big Data Processing...

Top 10 most affordable universities for vice presidents of software engineering

The most affordable schools for vice presidents of software engineering are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - los angeles, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for vice presidents of software engineering 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 vice presidents of software engineering.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for vice presidents of software engineering

The hardest universities for vice presidents of software engineering to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for vice presidents of software engineering 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 vice presidents of software engineering 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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for vice presidents of software engineering

The easiest schools for vice presidents of software engineering to get into are Capitol Technology University, barry university, and ottawa university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a vice president of software engineering 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 vice presidents of software engineering.

1. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

4. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

5. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

8. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

9. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

10. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

Average vice president of software engineering salary by education level

Vice presidents of software engineering with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $168,470 annually. With a Master's degree, vice presidents of software engineering earn a median annual income of $155,634 compared to $144,870 for vice presidents of software engineering with an Bachelor's degree.
Vice president of software engineering education levelVice president of software engineering salary
Master's Degree$155,634
Bachelor's Degree$144,870
Doctorate Degree$168,470

Vice president of software engineering education FAQs

Search for vice president of software engineering jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse executive management jobs