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Key Takeaways
Best mobile development degree programs: Texas A&M, Southern Methodist, Texas State
Ranked by graduation rates, program outcomes, and institutional quality
Tuition ranges from $768 to $57,212/year
San Jacinto Community Col... offers the most affordable option at $3,456/yr
Mobile Development degree programs available: 30 associate's, 12 master's, 5 doctoral in Texas
From community college pathways to advanced research degrees
28 online mobile development degree programs in Texas
Flexible scheduling for working professionals
Texas community college transfer can save 40-60% on total degree costs
30 associate's programs provide transfer pathways to bachelor's degrees
Education Commission of the States
Major employers: Dell, Oracle, AT&T, Texas Instruments
Tech hubs in Austin and Dallas
Hakia Research 2026
Mobile Development degree programs near 125+ cities across Texas
Search by city to find programs within 200 miles of your location
Updated July 13, 2026
How we ranked Texas Mobile Development programs
We rank 77 accredited mobile development programs in Texas using IPEDS 2024 institutional data, BLS OEWS 2024 state salary data, and College Scorecard outcomes. A 4-factor weighted composite is normalized to a 0–100 score. Schools cannot pay for placement; rankings are produced algorithmically.
Are Mobile Development Degree Programs in Texas Worth It?
Source: BLS OEWS May 2024
Mobile Development Degree Rankings in Texas
Compare the top-ranked Mobile Development programs in Texas by degree level. Tuition, graduation rate, and Hakia Score for every accredited program.
Best Associate's Mobile Development Programs in Texas
Program Landscape
Texas offers 30 accredited associate's degree programs in mobile development, providing an affordable entry point into the technology field. The top-ranked programs include San Jacinto Community Col..., Houston Community College, Austin Community College ..., which combine rigorous technical curriculum with practical skills training.
Costs & Value
Community colleges in Texas offer these two-year programs at an average cost of $3,307/yr, significantly less than four-year university tuition. Students completing associate's degrees can pursue entry-level technical positions and transfer opportunities, with entry-level salaries averaging $63,311 in Texas.
Career Pathways
Many programs feature guaranteed transfer agreements with Texas's public universities, allowing students to complete their first two years at reduced cost before transferring to complete a bachelor's degree. The Austin, Dallas, Houston areas offer particularly strong job markets for associate's degree holders, with employers like Dell, Oracle, AT&T hiring for technical support, junior development, and IT specialist positions.
Curriculum & Specializations
Programs typically include coursework in programming fundamentals, database management, networking basics, and software development. Among mobile development schools in Texas, these associate's programs offer the best value for students beginning their mobile development degrees in Texas.
Best Bachelor's Mobile Development Programs in Texas
Program Landscape
Texas ranks among the nation's top destinations for mobile development education, with 30 accredited bachelor's degree programs across 10 public and 20 private institutions. The highest-ranked programs are Texas A&M, Southern Methodist, Texas State, recognized for academic excellence, research opportunities, and strong industry connections.
Career Outcomes
Graduates from Texas mobile development programs earn a median salary of $97,844, 0% above the national average. The state's robust technology sector, anchored by the Austin, Dallas, Houston metropolitan areas, provides abundant internship and employment opportunities with companies including Dell, Oracle, AT&T.
Costs & Value
Tuition ranges from $2,010 to $57,212 annually, with an average of $25,682/yr. Top programs maintain graduation rates above 76%, with the highest reaching 99%. Many programs hold ABET accreditation, the gold standard for computing education, ensuring curriculum meets rigorous industry standards.
Curriculum & Specializations
Students can choose from specializations including software engineering, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data science, and systems architecture. Strong industry partnerships provide access to co-op programs, capstone projects with real companies, and direct recruiting pipelines to Texas's leading technology employers. For students seeking mobile development degrees in Texas, these top-ranked mobile development schools offer the strongest combination of academic rigor and career preparation.
Mobile Development Degree Costs & Tuition in Texas
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Average in-state tuition | $14,061/year |
| Average out-of-state tuition | $35,153/year |
| Community college tuition | $3,515/year |
| 4-year savings for residents | $84,368 |
| 2+2 transfer pathway savings | $21,092 |
Source: IPEDS 2024
Financial Aid & Scholarships for Mobile Development Students in Texas
State Aid Programs
The TEXAS Grant (Towards Excellence, Access, and Success) provides need-based aid exclusively for Texas residents at public universities. Eligibility requires demonstrated financial need via FAFSA, enrollment in an approved degree program, and satisfactory academic progress. The grant can cover a significant portion of tuition costs. Students must reapply annually (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board).
Key Programs & Amounts
Key state and federal programs:\n- TEXAS Grant: Need-based aid for public university students. Often covers most tuition\n- Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG): Up to $3,873/year for private university students ($5,810 for low-income)\n- TASFA: Texas Application for State Financial Aid for DACA recipients and undocumented students. Priority deadline February 15\n- Federal Pell Grant: Up to $7,395 maximum (2024-25)\n- Federal student loans: Subsidized and unsubsidized options for remaining costs\n\nThese can be combined, low-income students may receive multiple grants covering nearly all expenses.
Institutional Scholarships
Institutional and corporate scholarships are substantial. Many CS departments offer scholarships for high-achieving students, women in computing, and underrepresented minorities. The Terry Foundation provides prestigious full-ride scholarships at Texas public universities. Tech companies including Tesla, Apple, and Texas Instruments fund scholarships at partner universities. Apply early, many schools have November-December priority deadlines. See our most affordable mobile development programs or best value rankings.
Mobile Development Degree ROI Calculator, Texas
Use our interactive ROI calculator to estimate your return on investment for a mobile development degree in Texas. Enter your expected tuition costs, financial aid, and career goals to see projected payback periods and lifetime earnings. The calculator uses current salary data from BLS and tuition data from IPEDS to provide accurate estimates.
Mobile Development Degree ROI Calculator
Estimate your return on investment for a mobile development degree
Leave blank to use average cost for selected program type
+749%
Net gain divided by total investment. ROI above 200% is considered excellent for education investments.
$1,385,336
Your additional lifetime earnings with this degree vs. working without one, minus the total investment.
6 years
Years until your cumulative earnings exceed total investment. Shorter programs often break even faster due to lower opportunity cost.
$119,048
Your starting salary adjusted for local cost of living. This shows real purchasing power compared to a $100K national baseline.
Why does break-even change with program type? Your "total investment" includes both tuition AND opportunity cost (foregone earnings while in school). A 4-year full-time public university (in-state) means 4 years of not earning a salary ($140,000 in opportunity cost). Shorter full-time programs may have higher tuition but lower total investment because you return to the workforce sooner.
Detailed Breakdown
How we calculate your degree ROI using real salary data
Tuition plus opportunity cost (earnings you miss while in school)
Direct cost of the degree program
4 years × $35K/year foregone salary while studying full-time
Projected career earnings starting after graduation, with salary growth
What you'd earn working at $35K/year with 2% annual growth
Median salary for this role in your selected location (BLS 2024)
Your investment's compound annual growth rate (similar to stock market returns)
Data sources: BLS OEWS May 2024, IPEDS 2024. Calculations use median salaries, 3% discount rate, and assume salary growth declines from 6% to 2% over career. Individual results will vary. | Powered by Hakia.com
Mobile Development Salaries by Metro Area
Median annual salary in Texas metro areas
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Austin | $127K |
| Dallas | $121K |
| Houston | $115K |
| San Antonio | $109K |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2024
Hakia.com
Top Employers Hiring Mobile Development Graduates in Texas
Find mobile development jobs in Texas. These major employers across Texas metro areas are actively hiring mobile development degree holders. Click employer names to view current job openings.
Mobile Development Jobs in Austin
TXAustin is the fastest-growing tech hub in the US. Tesla, Oracle, and major tech companies have relocated headquarters here.
Nearby cities: Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Pflugerville, San Marcos, Kyle, Leander
Mobile Development Jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth
TXDallas-Fort Worth has major corporate headquarters and a growing tech presence. AT&T and Texas Instruments are based here.
Nearby cities: Fort Worth, Plano, Irving, Arlington, Frisco, McKinney, Richardson, Garland
Mobile Development Jobs in Houston
TXHouston leads in energy tech, healthcare IT, and aerospace. NASA Johnson Space Center drives space technology.
Nearby cities: The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland, League City, Pasadena, Baytown
Mobile Development Jobs in San Antonio
TXTexas Tech Industry & Infrastructure
Texas now sits second only to California in tech-job employment and has been the destination of the heaviest tech-employer relocations of the last five years — Oracle, Tesla, HPE, Charles Schwab, and CBRE moved headquarters to the state. No state income tax, business-friendly regulation, and a deep pool of state universities have produced one of the largest tech-graduate markets in the country.
Austin
Austin metro
Capital tech hub anchored by Apple, Tesla, Oracle, Indeed, Dell, IBM, and a dense startup/VC scene. UT Austin's CS program feeds directly into this market; entry-level total comp at named employers commonly clears $150,000.
Dallas-Fort Worth
DFW metro
Largest Texas tech-employer concentration: AT&T, Texas Instruments, Toyota North America IT, Capital One, USAA, Charles Schwab. Strong enterprise/IT, telecom, and financial-services tech markets.
Houston
Houston metro
Energy-tech, healthcare-IT (Texas Medical Center), and growing aerospace/defense software. Rice and University of Houston are the principal CS feeders.
No state income tax. Texas Enterprise Fund and R&D franchise-tax credit are the principal state-level tech incentives.
Texas Regulation Affecting Mobile Development Graduates
Texas passed comprehensive privacy legislation in 2023, joining a small set of states with binding consumer privacy laws. The state's approach generally favors employers and remains less restrictive than California's, but compliance is now a real engineering concern for any business serving Texas residents at scale.
Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA)
Effective July 2024. Grants Texas consumers rights to access, correct, delete, and opt out of sale of personal data. Applies to businesses conducting business in Texas that process personal data of Texas residents.
Engineers building consumer-facing products serving Texas users must implement opt-out mechanisms, data-access flows, and breach-notification logic.
Read moreTexas SB 8 (Consumer Data Protection)
Part of the broader TDPSA package establishing the Texas AG as the primary privacy enforcement authority.
Texas AG's office actively investigates non-compliance; tech-employer legal/engineering review of privacy posture has expanded since 2024.
Read moreTexas Cybersecurity Act (HB 8)
Establishes data-breach notification requirements and minimum cybersecurity standards for state agencies and contractors.
Engineers working with state/local government tech in Texas operate under these standards; the law shapes hiring criteria for state-IT and gov-tech roles.
Read moreProfessional Engineer Licensure in Texas
Texas is one of the few US states that still actively administers a Software Engineering PE license. ABET-EAC accredited software engineering degrees count toward eligibility; ABET-CAC computer science does not. Most Texas CS graduates do not pursue PE licensure; the credential is most relevant for state agency, infrastructure, or defense-adjacent software work.
Texas licensing boardTexas Financial Aid Programs
Up to ~$5,195/yr for universities, $2,790/yr for community colleges
Texas residents with demonstrated financial need at public colleges/universities
Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG)
State grantUp to ~$3,800/yr
Texas residents at independent (private) Texas colleges/universities
Texas Educational Opportunity Grant (TEOG)
State grantUp to ~$1,860/yr
Texas residents at public two-year community colleges with financial need
Top 10% Scholarship
State scholarship$2,000 per academic year
Texas high-school students graduating in top 10% of class enrolling at participating Texas universities
Transfer Pathways for Mobile Development Degrees in Texas
State Transfer System
The Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) facilitates transfer among 137 participating institutions including all community colleges and public universities (TCCNS.org). Courses bearing TCCNS numbers are guaranteed to transfer within approved degree curricula. This statewide coordination means Texas transfer students experience far less credit loss than the national average of 43%. The system covers all freshman and sophomore courses, precisely what community college students complete before transferring.
How Transfers Work
How TCCNS works: Each participating school maps courses to common numbers. When you transfer, the receiving institution automatically recognizes courses by their TCCNS numbers. UT maintains the Automated Transfer Equivalency (ATE) system with over 300,000 evaluated courses from institutions nationwide. Transfer compacts exist for engineering, biology, chemistry, mathematics, business, and management with 18 public universities and 64 community colleges participating.
Transfer Planning Tips
Strategic planning for mobile development:\n1. Complete foundational coursework (calculus, programming, data structures) at community college\n2. Verify equivalencies using TCCNS and ATE systems before enrolling\n3. Maintain 3.0+ GPA for university admission. 3.5+ for competitive programs like UT Austin\n4. Meet February-March deadlines for fall transfer admission\n5. Consider Associate of Science degrees designed for CS transfer\n\nStudents completing their first two years at community college save 40% or more on total degree costs while maintaining clear pathways to flagship universities.
Texas Take-Home Pay Advantage
Source: Texas Department of Revenue
Mobile Development Job Market & Salary Data in Texas
Employment Outlook
Texas offers exceptional mobile development job prospects.
Mobile app developers in Texas earn an average of $102,931 annually, with entry-level positions at $51.25/hour ($80,000-$95,000 annually) and senior developers commanding $130,000-$160,000 (Salary.com, ZipRecruiter). The BLS projects 15% job growth for software developers from 2024-2034, with about 129,200 annual openings nationally. Texas tech employment grew 24% over the past decade, nearly double the national rate.
Salaries by Metro
Salaries vary by metro area:\n- Austin: $106,215 median for mobile developers. 16.3% of jobs in tech (vs 9% nationally). AI/ML mobile roles grew 35% since 2023. Apple, Tesla, Oracle HQ presence\n- Dallas-Fort Worth: $108,000+ median. Beats Texas average by 6.2%. Strong fintech and enterprise mobile development at Capital One, AT&T\n- Houston: $105,794 median. 158,176 tech workers. 4,000+ startups. Energy tech and health app specialization\n- San Antonio: Emerging mobile market with cybersecurity focus. USAA drives financial app development\n\n(Built In Austin, BLS OEWS)
High-Growth Sectors
High-growth sectors include: consumer mobile apps (social, entertainment, e-commerce), enterprise mobility, fintech and mobile banking, health tech applications, AR/VR mobile experiences, and IoT connected devices. Austin alone has around 5,500 startups representing 3% of the job market. For related career paths, explore our software engineering programs or AI degree programs.
Entry-Level (0-2 yrs)
New graduates and career changers
Senior (8+ yrs)
Technical leads and architects
Online vs On-Campus Mobile Development Programs in Texas
Online Programs
28 available in Texas
On-Campus Programs
Traditional classroom experience
Compare Mobile Development Programs in Other States
- Total Programs
- 15
- Median Tuition
- $6,600
- Total Programs
- 18
- Median Tuition
- $7,100
- Total Programs
- 29
- Median Tuition
- $5,800
- Total Programs
- 6
- Median Tuition
- $7,000
- Total Programs
- 202
- Median Tuition
- $5,700
- Total Programs
- 55
- Median Tuition
- $4,600
- Total Programs
- 127
- Median Tuition
- $7,100
- Total Programs
- 68
- Median Tuition
- $44,500
Mobile Development Degree Programs in Texas: FAQ
What are the best mobile development degree programs in Texas?
How much do mobile development degree programs cost in Texas?
What salary can mobile development degree graduates earn in Texas?
Are there online mobile development degree programs in Texas?
What companies hire mobile development degree graduates in Texas?
Is a mobile development degree program worth it in Texas?
How long do mobile development degree programs take in Texas?
What financial aid is available for mobile development degree students in Texas?
Data Sources
Institutional characteristics, completions, graduation rates
Texas salary and employment data
Program details and admissions information
Last Updated: June 26, 2026. Rankings based on IPEDS 2024 data. Salary data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
Taylor Rupe
Co-founder & Editor (B.S. Computer Science, Oregon State • B.A. Psychology, University of Washington)
Taylor combines technical expertise in computer science with a deep understanding of human behavior and learning. His dual background drives Hakia's mission: leveraging technology to build authoritative educational resources that help people make better decisions about their academic and career paths.