What is Computer Science?
There are very few industries that have avoided moving into the information age. Whether you work in real estate, banking, another white-collar job or a blue-collar gig, practically every industry uses and needs computers these days. But, if computers are needed everywhere, then so to are the people who build them, program them, and fix them when they break. People who work in this industry and provide this service are computer science professionals. If your phone freezes, it’s a person with a computer science background in either hardware, software that can help you fix it. When your washer start flashing codes at you, it’s likely a programmer that can tell you what it means and get you to the right technician.
A computer science professional is a person who works in the field of computer science. This includes programming, troubleshooting hardware and software, platform design, and other technology positions. Computer science professionals can be found in practically all industries because computers are everywhere and someone has to run, program, and fix them, and keep the systems and networks functioning. These professionals are also responsible for creating the software and applications for cell phones, tablets, smart televisions, and other electronic devices. Computer science professionals work for tech companies, game manufacturers, hospitals, schools, factories, and even department stores and banks. Where are computers, there are computer science professionals.
A typical day in the life of a computer science professional consists of reviewing programming needs for their organization, reviewing current programs and systems in place to ensure they are working properly, being on call to analyze issues and fix problems, and researching new trends in technology and computer processes. These activities will change depending on the exact type of computer science work a person is in, but the gist of it is that, if they aren’t creating new programming, they are fixing existing programming and monitoring it to make sure it continues to work properly.
Top Ranked Campus & Online Computer Science Programs in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Score: 93.35
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $60,156
- Out-of-State:$60,156
- Net Price: $20,232
- Acceptance Rate: 4%
- Retention Rate: 99%
- Graduation Rate: 95%
- Total Enrollment: 11,858
- Undergrad Students: 4,657
- Graduate Students: 7,201
- Grads Salary: $118,000
- Student-to-faculty: 3:1
Harvard University
Score: 85.61
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $59,076
- Out-of-State:$59,076
- Net Price: $19,491
- Acceptance Rate: 3%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 98%
- Total Enrollment: 30,631
- Undergrad Students: 9,368
- Graduate Students: 21,263
- Grads Salary: $96,000
- Student-to-faculty: 7:1
Amherst College
Score: 81.57
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $67,280
- Out-of-State:$67,280
- Net Price: $21,367
- Acceptance Rate: 7%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 92%
- Total Enrollment: 1,898
- Undergrad Students: 1,898
- Graduate Students: N/A
- Grads Salary: $92,000
- Student-to-faculty: 7:1
Williams College
Score: 80.9
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $64,860
- Out-of-State:$64,860
- Net Price: $20,965
- Acceptance Rate: 8%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 95%
- Total Enrollment: 2,222
- Undergrad Students: 2,169
- Graduate Students: 53
- Grads Salary: $86,000
- Student-to-faculty: 6:1
Wellesley College
Score: 78.33
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $64,320
- Out-of-State:$64,320
- Net Price: $21,362
- Acceptance Rate: 14%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 90%
- Total Enrollment: 2,447
- Undergrad Students: 2,447
- Graduate Students: N/A
- Grads Salary: $85,000
- Student-to-faculty: 7:1
Tufts University
Score: 76.26
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $67,844
- Out-of-State:$67,844
- Net Price: $30,479
- Acceptance Rate: 10%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 94%
- Total Enrollment: 13,431
- Undergrad Students: 6,815
- Graduate Students: 6,616
- Grads Salary: $87,000
- Student-to-faculty: 10:1
Boston University
Score: 74.5
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $65,168
- Out-of-State:$65,168
- Net Price: $27,829
- Acceptance Rate: 14%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 89%
- Total Enrollment: 36,714
- Undergrad Students: 18,459
- Graduate Students: 18,255
- Grads Salary: $85,000
- Student-to-faculty: 11:1
Boston College
Score: 73.7
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $67,680
- Out-of-State:$67,680
- Net Price: $30,559
- Acceptance Rate: 17%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
- Total Enrollment: 15,287
- Undergrad Students: 9,982
- Graduate Students: 5,305
- Grads Salary: $85,000
- Student-to-faculty: 12:1
Northeastern University
Score: 72.04
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $63,141
- Out-of-State:$63,141
- Net Price: $35,827
- Acceptance Rate: 7%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
- Total Enrollment: 30,013
- Undergrad Students: 16,302
- Graduate Students: 13,711
- Grads Salary: $87,000
- Student-to-faculty: 16:1
Smith College
Score: 70.6
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $61,568
- Out-of-State:$61,568
- Net Price: $30,790
- Acceptance Rate: 23%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 89%
- Total Enrollment: 2,873
- Undergrad Students: 2,523
- Graduate Students: 350
- Grads Salary: $76,000
- Student-to-faculty: 8:1
College of the Holy Cross
Score: 69.56
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $60,850
- Out-of-State:$60,850
- Net Price: $34,679
- Acceptance Rate: 36%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
- Total Enrollment: 3,083
- Undergrad Students: 3,083
- Graduate Students: N/A
- Grads Salary: $78,000
- Student-to-faculty: 10:1
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Score: 68.69
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $17,357
- Out-of-State:$39,293
- Net Price: $22,291
- Acceptance Rate: 64%
- Retention Rate: 90%
- Graduation Rate: 83%
- Total Enrollment: 32,229
- Undergrad Students: 24,391
- Graduate Students: 7,838
- Grads Salary: $82,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Score: 68.19
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $59,070
- Out-of-State:$59,070
- Net Price: $46,876
- Acceptance Rate: 57%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 89%
- Total Enrollment: 7,308
- Undergrad Students: 5,246
- Graduate Students: 2,062
- Grads Salary: $95,000
- Student-to-faculty: 13:1
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Score: 65.93
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $16,570
- Out-of-State:$35,396
- Net Price: $17,240
- Acceptance Rate: 86%
- Retention Rate: 84%
- Graduation Rate: 71%
- Total Enrollment: 17,153
- Undergrad Students: 12,389
- Graduate Students: 4,764
- Grads Salary: $82,000
- Student-to-faculty: 17:1
Mount Holyoke College
Score: 65.73
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $64,142
- Out-of-State:$64,142
- Net Price: $35,765
- Acceptance Rate: 40%
- Retention Rate: 90%
- Graduation Rate: 83%
- Total Enrollment: 2,392
- Undergrad Students: 2,193
- Graduate Students: 199
- Grads Salary: $75,000
- Student-to-faculty: 9:1
Assumption University
Score: 65.51
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $49,414
- Out-of-State:$49,414
- Net Price: $28,911
- Acceptance Rate: 82%
- Retention Rate: 83%
- Graduation Rate: 72%
- Total Enrollment: 2,059
- Undergrad Students: 1,704
- Graduate Students: 355
- Grads Salary: $86,000
- Student-to-faculty: 11:1
Simmons University
Score: 65.19
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $45,538
- Out-of-State:$45,538
- Net Price: $24,423
- Acceptance Rate: 76%
- Retention Rate: 81%
- Graduation Rate: 74%
- Total Enrollment: 5,710
- Undergrad Students: 1,788
- Graduate Students: 3,922
- Grads Salary: $75,000
- Student-to-faculty: 7:1
Brandeis University
Score: 65.01
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $64,946
- Out-of-State:$64,946
- Net Price: $45,565
- Acceptance Rate: 39%
- Retention Rate: 92%
- Graduation Rate: 87%
- Total Enrollment: 5,581
- Undergrad Students: 3,687
- Graduate Students: 1,894
- Grads Salary: $80,000
- Student-to-faculty: 10:1
Stonehill College
Score: 64.96
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $54,500
- Out-of-State:$54,500
- Net Price: $31,021
- Acceptance Rate: 73%
- Retention Rate: 89%
- Graduation Rate: 79%
- Total Enrollment: 2,543
- Undergrad Students: 2,500
- Graduate Students: 43
- Grads Salary: $79,000
- Student-to-faculty: 12:1
Clark University
Score: 63.82
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $55,160
- Out-of-State:$55,160
- Net Price: $32,053
- Acceptance Rate: 50%
- Retention Rate: 88%
- Graduation Rate: 76%
- Total Enrollment: 3,770
- Undergrad Students: 2,389
- Graduate Students: 1,381
- Grads Salary: $73,000
- Student-to-faculty: 9:1
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Score: 62.42
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $62,080
- Out-of-State:$62,080
- Net Price: $32,863
- Acceptance Rate: 79%
- Retention Rate: 81%
- Graduation Rate: 80%
- Total Enrollment: 1,667
- Undergrad Students: 1,667
- Graduate Students: N/A
- Grads Salary: $75,000
- Student-to-faculty: 11:1
Western New England University
Score: 62.29
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $46,430
- Out-of-State:$46,430
- Net Price: $30,214
- Acceptance Rate: 88%
- Retention Rate: 78%
- Graduation Rate: 67%
- Total Enrollment: 3,430
- Undergrad Students: 2,406
- Graduate Students: 1,024
- Grads Salary: $84,000
- Student-to-faculty: 11:1
Springfield College
Score: 61.67
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $43,707
- Out-of-State:$43,707
- Net Price: $27,930
- Acceptance Rate: 76%
- Retention Rate: 83%
- Graduation Rate: 73%
- Total Enrollment: 2,921
- Undergrad Students: 2,005
- Graduate Students: 916
- Grads Salary: $72,000
- Student-to-faculty: 11:1
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Score: 61.56
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $11,884
- Out-of-State:$20,559
- Net Price: $15,377
- Acceptance Rate: 92%
- Retention Rate: 64%
- Graduation Rate: 56%
- Total Enrollment: 938
- Undergrad Students: 838
- Graduate Students: 100
- Grads Salary: $78,000
- Student-to-faculty: 9:1
Worcester State University
Score: 61.05
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $11,286
- Out-of-State:$17,366
- Net Price: $14,435
- Acceptance Rate: 88%
- Retention Rate: 75%
- Graduation Rate: 59%
- Total Enrollment: 5,311
- Undergrad Students: 4,478
- Graduate Students: 833
- Grads Salary: $74,000
- Student-to-faculty: 14:1
