University Headquarters (HQ) is an industry-leading, independent educational organization that provides independent college rankings using a proprietary formula to create first class, unbiased rankings. The team at University HQ strives to provide accurate and trustworthy rankings that highlight the best programs for a masters in software engineering.
A software engineer applies the principles of software engineering while testing, developing, designing, maintaining, and evaluating computer software. Software engineers are also sometimes referred to as computer programmers, but engineers have more education and perform more diagnostic tasks than traditional programmers. However, a software engineer’s education can vary. There are bootcamp programs that can have a person working as an engineer in as little as six months to a year, but for engineers who want to move into management or training, a bachelor’s or master’s degree is desired. A doctorate degree in software engineering does exist, but unless a person is seeking to become a subject matter expert or pursue a tenure track position at a major college or university, it’s generally not required.
Requirements of a Software Engineering Master’s Degree?
A master’s degree is considered a lower-level terminal degree. It is pursued after a person has a bachelor’s degree. Also referred to as a graduate degree, this degree can take 18 months to three years to complete, depending on the software engineering school and program. Students will continue to learn about programming processes and how to recognize trends and develop software that meets those trends. There is also sometimes training in management, marketing, and other general business concepts since many software engineers that are pursuing graduate degrees want to transition into management positions. The number of credit hours can vary, depending on how many credit hour each class is worth. In general, a program is usually between 36 and 55 hours. Depending on the level of experience of the student, a capstone or master thesis and internship might be required, though students who are currently working as software engineers might be able to get a waiver for a special project.
Top 25 Best Online Masters in Software Engineering Programs
Harvard University
Score: 93.41
- 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
University of Southern California
Score: 82.41
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $68,237
- Out-of-State:$68,237
- Net Price: $36,808
- Acceptance Rate: 12%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 92%
- Total Enrollment: 48,945
- Undergrad Students: 20,699
- Graduate Students: 28,246
- Grads Salary: $92,000
- Student-to-faculty: 9:1
Stevens Institute of Technology
Score: 80.43
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $60,952
- Out-of-State:$60,952
- Net Price: $41,689
- Acceptance Rate: 46%
- Retention Rate: 93%
- Graduation Rate: 88%
- Total Enrollment: 9,314
- Undergrad Students: 4,070
- Graduate Students: 5,244
- Grads Salary: $101,000
- Student-to-faculty: 11:1
Illinois Institute of Technology
Score: 76.33
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $51,763
- Out-of-State:$51,763
- Net Price: $28,702
- Acceptance Rate: 61%
- Retention Rate: 85%
- Graduation Rate: 75%
- Total Enrollment: 6,943
- Undergrad Students: 3,125
- Graduate Students: 3,818
- Grads Salary: $91,000
- Student-to-faculty: 13:1
California State University-Fullerton
Score: 76.22
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $7,073
- Out-of-State:$18,953
- Net Price: $7,925
- Acceptance Rate: 67%
- Retention Rate: 86%
- Graduation Rate: 69%
- Total Enrollment: 40,386
- Undergrad Students: 35,432
- Graduate Students: 4,954
- Grads Salary: $80,000
- Student-to-faculty: 24:1
Auburn University
Score: 73.52
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $12,536
- Out-of-State:$33,944
- Net Price: $25,271
- Acceptance Rate: 44%
- Retention Rate: 93%
- Graduation Rate: 81%
- Total Enrollment: 31,764
- Undergrad Students: 25,379
- Graduate Students: 6,385
- Grads Salary: $76,000
- Student-to-faculty: 20:1
University of Michigan-Dearborn
Score: 73.43
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $14,944
- Out-of-State:$31,360
- Net Price: $12,444
- Acceptance Rate: 54%
- Retention Rate: 82%
- Graduation Rate: 56%
- Total Enrollment: 8,223
- Undergrad Students: 6,116
- Graduate Students: 2,107
- Grads Salary: $81,000
- Student-to-faculty: 16:1
Regis University
Score: 73.15
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $43,980
- Out-of-State:$43,980
- Net Price: $26,377
- Acceptance Rate: 76%
- Retention Rate: 72%
- Graduation Rate: 67%
- Total Enrollment: 4,668
- Undergrad Students: 2,398
- Graduate Students: 2,270
- Grads Salary: $89,000
- Student-to-faculty: 9:1
Mercer University
Score: 72.54
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $40,890
- Out-of-State:$40,890
- Net Price: $22,087
- Acceptance Rate: 75%
- Retention Rate: 86%
- Graduation Rate: 74%
- Total Enrollment: 8,889
- Undergrad Students: 4,859
- Graduate Students: 4,030
- Grads Salary: $77,000
- Student-to-faculty: 13:1
Arizona State University
Score: 71.53
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $12,051
- Out-of-State:$32,193
- Net Price: $14,808
- Acceptance Rate: 90%
- Retention Rate: 85%
- Graduation Rate: 67%
- Total Enrollment: 80,065
- Undergrad Students: 65,492
- Graduate Students: 14,573
- Grads Salary: $77,000
- Student-to-faculty: 19:1
Washington State University
Score: 71.39
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $12,997
- Out-of-State:$29,073
- Net Price: $17,911
- Acceptance Rate: 83%
- Retention Rate: 81%
- Graduation Rate: 62%
- Total Enrollment: 27,539
- Undergrad Students: 22,612
- Graduate Students: 4,927
- Grads Salary: $81,000
- Student-to-faculty: 15:1
Brandeis University
Score: 70.78
- 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
West Virginia University
Score: 70.41
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $9,648
- Out-of-State:$27,360
- Net Price: $12,202
- Acceptance Rate: 88%
- Retention Rate: 79%
- Graduation Rate: 62%
- Total Enrollment: 24,741
- Undergrad Students: 19,059
- Graduate Students: 5,682
- Grads Salary: $75,000
- Student-to-faculty: 17:1
Drexel University
Score: 70.17
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $60,663
- Out-of-State:$60,663
- Net Price: $39,267
- Acceptance Rate: 80%
- Retention Rate: 87%
- Graduation Rate: 78%
- Total Enrollment: 22,344
- Undergrad Students: 14,021
- Graduate Students: 8,323
- Grads Salary: $84,000
- Student-to-faculty: 9:1
Texas Tech University
Score: 70.01
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $11,852
- Out-of-State:$24,451
- Net Price: $17,896
- Acceptance Rate: 67%
- Retention Rate: 86%
- Graduation Rate: 64%
- Total Enrollment: 40,378
- Undergrad Students: 32,579
- Graduate Students: 7,799
- Grads Salary: $76,000
- Student-to-faculty: 21:1
Kansas State University
Score: 69.29
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $10,942
- Out-of-State:$27,816
- Net Price: $18,855
- Acceptance Rate: 95%
- Retention Rate: 86%
- Graduation Rate: 69%
- Total Enrollment: 19,722
- Undergrad Students: 15,046
- Graduate Students: 4,676
- Grads Salary: $74,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
Penn State World Campus
Score: 68.48
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $15,204
- Out-of-State:$15,204
- Net Price: $19,551
- Acceptance Rate: 82%
- Retention Rate: 75%
- Graduation Rate: 36%
- Total Enrollment: 13,979
- Undergrad Students: 8,210
- Graduate Students: 5,769
- Grads Salary: $94,000
- Student-to-faculty: 16:1
East Carolina University
Score: 68.4
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $7,361
- Out-of-State:$23,638
- Net Price: $14,410
- Acceptance Rate: 92%
- Retention Rate: 80%
- Graduation Rate: 65%
- Total Enrollment: 27,151
- Undergrad Students: 21,688
- Graduate Students: 5,463
- Grads Salary: $71,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
North Dakota State University
Score: 68.35
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $10,857
- Out-of-State:$15,511
- Net Price: $15,962
- Acceptance Rate: 96%
- Retention Rate: 75%
- Graduation Rate: 63%
- Total Enrollment: 12,242
- Undergrad Students: 10,096
- Graduate Students: 2,146
- Grads Salary: $75,000
- Student-to-faculty: 17:1
The University of West Florida
Score: 68.01
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $6,360
- Out-of-State:$19,241
- Net Price: $8,609
- Acceptance Rate: 48%
- Retention Rate: 85%
- Graduation Rate: 53%
- Total Enrollment: 13,521
- Undergrad Students: 9,291
- Graduate Students: 4,230
- Grads Salary: $67,000
- Student-to-faculty: 22:1
DePaul University
Score: 67.67
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $44,460
- Out-of-State:$44,460
- Net Price: $32,151
- Acceptance Rate: 70%
- Retention Rate: 84%
- Graduation Rate: 69%
- Total Enrollment: 20,917
- Undergrad Students: 14,134
- Graduate Students: 6,783
- Grads Salary: $80,000
- Student-to-faculty: 17:1
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Score: 67.47
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $7,746
- Out-of-State:$21,330
- Net Price: $17,871
- Acceptance Rate: 69%
- Retention Rate: 67%
- Graduation Rate: 54%
- Total Enrollment: 8,562
- Undergrad Students: 6,352
- Graduate Students: 2,210
- Grads Salary: $78,000
- Student-to-faculty: 15:1
St. Mary's University
Score: 65.45
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $36,242
- Out-of-State:$36,242
- Net Price: $21,379
- Acceptance Rate: 86%
- Retention Rate: 68%
- Graduation Rate: 56%
- Total Enrollment: 3,253
- Undergrad Students: 2,001
- Graduate Students: 1,252
- Grads Salary: $75,000
- Student-to-faculty: 11:1
Champlain College
Score: 64.15
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $45,550
- Out-of-State:$45,550
- Net Price: $35,133
- Acceptance Rate: 56%
- Retention Rate: 76%
- Graduation Rate: 64%
- Total Enrollment: 3,543
- Undergrad Students: 3,060
- Graduate Students: 483
- Grads Salary: $76,000
- Student-to-faculty: 14:1
St. Cloud State University
Score: 63.9
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $10,117
- Out-of-State:$10,117
- Net Price: $14,065
- Acceptance Rate: 95%
- Retention Rate: 69%
- Graduation Rate: 44%
- Total Enrollment: 10,420
- Undergrad Students: 8,569
- Graduate Students: 1,851
- Grads Salary: $75,000
- Student-to-faculty: 16:1
