Best Software Engineering Bachelor's Degree Programs 2026

Best Software Engineering Programs - Top 10 Bachelor's — Complete Program Data

1. #1. University of California-Irvine Bachelor's Software Engineering Program

   Hakia ranks University of California-Irvine as the #1 bachelor's in software engineering degree program. Location: Irvine, CA | Type: Public | Tuition: $11,834/year | Graduation Rate: 96% | Score: 69.7

   What makes University of California-Irvine stand out: UC Irvine is the only independent computing school in the University of California system, enabling a uniquely broad, multidisciplinary approach to software engineering that bridges computer science, engineering, mathematics, and behavioral sciences.

   Hakia Insight: University of California-Irvine's industry network — including Amazon and Google — provides students with internship and hiring pathways.

   Program Overview: UC Irvine's Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences offers two distinct Master of Software Engineering pathways designed for different career goals. The Master of Software Engineering (MSWE) is a professionally-oriented program offering both 15-month full-time and 24-month part-time tracks, specifically tailored for working professionals and career changers. This program emphasizes practical skills through internships and industry capstone projects, with comprehensive coverage of AI for Software Engineering (AI4SE) tools and Software Engineering for AI (SE4AI) systems. For those seeking research-focused training, the M.S. Software Engineering (MSSE) program provides a heavily research-oriented experience requiring thesis completion and designed as preparation for doctoral studies or research careers in corporate and government laboratories. The school's faculty lead cutting-edge research through specialized labs including the Software Engineering and Analysis Lab (SEAL), the Software Engineering & Testing Using Artificial Intelligence for Reliable Software (STAIRS) lab, and collaborations with the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2).

   Degree Programs: Master of Software Engineering (MSWE) (15 months full-time, 24 months part-time); M.S. Software Engineering (MSSE) (2 years)

   Research Labs: Software Engineering and Analysis Lab (SEAL) - Software engineering research and analysis; Software Engineering & Testing Using Artificial Intelligence for Reliable Software (STAIRS) - AI-enhanced software testing and reliability; California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) - Telecommunications and information technology research

   Industry Partners: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta

   Career Outcomes: | Common Roles: Software Engineer, Programmer, Software Architect, Software Project Leader

   Admissions:

2. #2. Iowa State University Bachelor's Software Engineering Program

   Hakia ranks Iowa State University as the #2 bachelor's in software engineering degree program. Location: Ames, IA | Type: Public | Tuition: $8,982/year | Graduation Rate: 99% | Score: 69.4

   What makes Iowa State University stand out: Iowa State is among the few universities nationwide to offer a standalone, ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering degree, treating software engineering as a full engineering discipline rather than a subset of computer science.

   Hakia Insight: Iowa State University graduates earn $7,000,080,000, driven by the program's industry connections and hands-on software engineering curriculum.

   Program Overview: Iowa State University's Software Engineering program stands uniquely as a dedicated undergraduate major that bridges the College of Engineering and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering requires 125 credits and follows a rigorous four-year curriculum that combines engineering fundamentals with advanced software development practices. Unlike many universities that only offer software engineering as a concentration within computer science, Iowa State treats it as a full engineering discipline with ABET accreditation under the Engineering Accreditation Commission's criteria for Software and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. Students progress through a comprehensive curriculum covering everything from digital logic and computer architecture to software testing, user interface construction, and software architecture design, culminating in a two-semester senior design capstone project.

   Degree Programs: BS in Computer Science with Software Engineering specialization (4 years); MS in Computer Science with Software Engineering focus (2 years); PhD in Computer Science with Software Engineering focus (5–6 years)

   Research Labs: Laboratory for Software Analytics and Pervasive Parallelism - Software engineering research and analytics; Laboratory for Software Safety - Software verification and safety-critical systems; Software Engineering Research Laboratory - Advanced software engineering methodologies; Scalable Software Engineering Research Laboratory - Large-scale software systems and scalability

   Industry Partners: Microsoft, Google, Rockwell Automation, John Deere

   Career Outcomes:

   Notable Faculty: Robyn Lutz (Software safety, requirements engineering, and high-assurance systems)

   Admissions: GPA: 2.00 minimum for Engineering Basic Program and Software Engineering Core

   Accreditations: ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission

3. #3. Rochester Institute of Technology Bachelor's Software Engineering Program

   Hakia ranks Rochester Institute of Technology as the #3 bachelor's in software engineering degree program. Location: Rochester, NY | Type: Private | Tuition: $55,784/year | Graduation Rate: 90% | Score: 68.9

   What makes Rochester Institute of Technology stand out: RIT created the first undergraduate software engineering program in the United States and operates one of the world's oldest and largest cooperative education programs, providing students with nearly a year of full-time paid industry experience.

   Hakia Insight: Through ties with Microsoft and Tesla, Rochester Institute of Technology bridges the gap between academic training and industry practice.

   Program Overview: Rochester Institute of Technology's Software Engineering program stands as a comprehensive educational powerhouse, offering both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees that emphasize hands-on, team-based learning in real-world environments. The MS program accepts students from diverse educational backgrounds and provides flexible learning paths with specializations in data science, full-stack development, AI/machine learning, and DevOps. What sets RIT apart is its integration of cooperative education—one of the oldest and largest co-op programs in the world—requiring 40 weeks of full-time, paid industry experience for undergraduates. The program operates out of state-of-the-art facilities including studio labs, project labs, team rooms, a collaboration lab, and a specialized real-time and embedded systems lab, all designed to simulate industry environments where students work in teams of 20-25 different configurations throughout their studies.

   Degree Programs: Software Engineering BS (4 years); Software Engineering MS (2 years); Software Engineering BS/MS Accelerated (5 years)

   Research Labs: Artificial Intelligence Research Lab - Computer vision, robotics, virtual theatre, sensor networks, data mining; Computer Graphics and Visualization Lab - Advanced graphics programming, image synthesis, computer animation, virtual reality; Security Research Lab - Networking security, cryptography, secure databases

   Industry Partners: Microsoft, Tesla, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, IBM, JPMorgan Chase & Co., U.S. Department of Defense, Alion Science and Technology, Bose, Collins Aerospace

   Career Outcomes:

   Admissions: GPA: 3.0 minimum recommended for MS program | Acceptance Rate: Not specified

4. #4. San Jose State University Bachelor's Software Engineering Program

   Hakia ranks San Jose State University as the #4 bachelor's in software engineering degree program. Location: San Jose, CA | Type: Public | Tuition: $5,742/year | Graduation Rate: 100% | Score: 65.9

   What makes San Jose State University stand out: Located in the epicenter of Silicon Valley, SJSU's Software Engineering program provides direct access to the world's largest concentration of tech companies, with class schedules designed specifically for working engineers at major technology firms.

   Hakia Insight: San Jose State University graduates earn $8,500,095,000, driven by the program's industry connections and hands-on software engineering curriculum.

   Program Overview: San José State University's Master of Science in Software Engineering program offers a distinctive 33-unit graduate degree that bridges traditional computer science with practical software engineering in the heart of Silicon Valley. Housed within the Computer Engineering Department at the College of Engineering, the program serves over 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students with direct connections to tech giants like Google, Apple, and Meta. The curriculum features six specialized tracks: Enterprise Software Technologies, Data Science, Cloud Computing and Virtualization, Software Systems Engineering, Networking Software, and Cybersecurity. Classes are strategically scheduled for working professionals, utilizing state-of-the-art software engineering tools and sophisticated workstations. Students can pursue either a thesis track (Plan A) or project track (Plan B) as their culminating experience, with the program explicitly designed for the globalized software development landscape where large-scale design and component integration dominate.

   Degree Programs: BS in Software Engineering (4 years); MS in Software Engineering (1.5–2 years)

   Research Labs: Collaborative Research Laboratory - Software systems and distributed computing; Human-Computer Interaction Lab - User-centered software design

   Industry Partners: Google, Apple, Cisco Systems, Adobe, Intel, eBay, PayPal

   Career Outcomes: Placement Rate: 92%+

   Notable Faculty: null (Software engineering practices and education)

   Admissions: GPA: 3.0 minimum for classified standing, will consider as low as 2.75

   Accreditations: ABET accredited

5. #5. Auburn University Bachelor's Software Engineering Program

   Hakia ranks Auburn University as the #5 bachelor's in software engineering degree program. Location: Auburn, AL | Type: Public | Tuition: $10,704/year | Graduation Rate: 81% | Score: 65.1

   What makes Auburn University stand out: Auburn is one of only 11 institutions nationally to hold three National Center of Academic Excellence designations and houses the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, which recently received a $10 million Department of Energy grant to create the first regional cybersecurity center protecting the nation's electricity grid.

   Hakia Insight: Through ties with Los Alamos National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Auburn University bridges the gap between academic training and industry practice.

   Program Overview: Auburn University's Computer Science and Software Engineering Department operates within the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, offering both Bachelor of Science degrees in Computer Science and Software Engineering, plus a fully online Bachelor of Computer Science completion program. The department has positioned itself as a leader in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity education, with specialized Master's degrees in Artificial Intelligence Engineering, Cybersecurity Engineering, and Data Science & Engineering available in hybrid format. Faculty emphasize that graduates are 'not programmers, but designers and architects with the skills to apply advanced technology and tools of AI and Cybersecurity to design and build smart and secure software.' The program features strong industry connections through the Auburn Cyber Research Center and Auburn University Transportation Research Institute (AUTRI), where students work on real-world projects like transportation safety dashboards combining traffic and crash data across Alabama.

   Degree Programs: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (4 years); Bachelor of Software Engineering (4 years); Bachelor of Computer Science (Online Completion) (2 years); MS in Artificial Intelligence Engineering (2 years); MS in Cybersecurity Engineering (2 years)

   Research Labs: Auburn Cyber Research Center - Cybersecurity research and education with national lab partnerships; Gavin Engineering Research Lab - Transportation safety research through Auburn University Transportation Research Institute; Auburn University Center for Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Engineering - AI-driven cybersecurity solutions and digital age challenges

   Industry Partners: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, U.S. Air Force

   Career Outcomes: | Top Employers: Accenture, Aflac, Auburn University, Bentley Systems, Capgemini, CGI, ExxonMobil, Hexagon, J.B. Hunt, Lockheed Martin, Manhattan Associates, Microsoft, NCR, OCV, Radiance Technologies, Torch Technologies, US Air Force, US Navy

   Notable Faculty: Dr. Jeff Gray (Model-driven engineering, software automation, and domain-specific languages); Dr. Saad Biaz (Networking, embedded systems, and real-time software)

   Admissions:

   Accreditations: ABET accredited (ABET-EAC)

6. #6. Rowan University Bachelor's Software Engineering Program

   Hakia ranks Rowan University as the #6 bachelor's in software engineering degree program. Location: Glassboro, NJ | Type: Public | Tuition: $11,250/year | Graduation Rate: 97% | Score: 63.9

   What makes Rowan University stand out: Rowan's software engineering education uniquely integrates with advanced visualization technologies including a 10-sided CAVE system and Dreamscape Learn VR environments, while maintaining active research partnerships with organizations like the FAA, Department of Defense, and NIH for real-world project experience.

   Hakia Insight: Students at Rowan University benefit from active collaborations with Federal Aviation Administration and Civil Air Patrol, connecting classroom learning to the workforce.

   Program Overview: Rowan University offers software engineering education through multiple pathways within its robust computer science ecosystem. The flagship Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program includes a specialized Software Engineering concentration (C707), allowing students to select from advanced courses like Object Oriented Design, Database Systems, Human-Computer Interaction, and Software Engineering II. For graduate students, Rowan provides a comprehensive Master of Science in Computer Science program with a dedicated Software Design core area, featuring courses in Agile Software Engineering, Advanced Software Engineering, and Parallel Programming. The program operates from the College of Science & Mathematics on Rowan's Glassboro campus and maintains strong connections to the South Jersey Technology Park, providing students access to both academic rigor and industry partnerships. What sets Rowan's approach apart is its integration with cutting-edge research facilities and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Students can engage with the Digital Engineering Hub (DEHub), the Machine & Virtual Reality Center (MAVRC) featuring 10-sided and 4-sided CAVE systems, and the VIVID Lab for interactive media development. The program emphasizes hands-on experience through project-intensive courses and research opportunities, with faculty actively involving students in applied research projects ranging from Federal Aviation Administration applications to pharmaceutical data analysis using machine learning algorithms.

   Degree Programs: BS Computer Science with Software Engineering Concentration (4 years); MS Computer Science (2 years); 4+1 Accelerated Dual Degree Program (5 years total)

   Research Labs: Digital Engineering Hub (DEHub) - Digital engineering methods, AI, and machine learning for cyberphysical systems; Machine & Virtual Reality Center (MAVRC) - Immersive systems including 10-sided and 4-sided CAVE environments for VR experiences and AI model training; VIVID Lab - Visualization, Immersive, Virtual, Interactive Design for interactive media and simulation projects

   Industry Partners: Federal Aviation Administration, Civil Air Patrol, Rowan School of Medicine, South Jersey Technology Park

   Career Outcomes: | Top Employers: Lockheed Martin, Accenture, Comcast, Boeing, JPMorgan Chase | Common Roles: Software Developer, Quality Assurance Engineer, Systems Integration Engineer, Software Engineer

   Admissions: GPA: 3.0 minimum for MS program

   Accreditations: ABET accredited

7. #7. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Bachelor's Software Engineering Program

   Hakia ranks California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo as the #7 bachelor's in software engineering degree program. Location: San Luis Obispo, CA | Type: Public | Tuition: $5,742/year | Graduation Rate: 100% | Score: 63.9

   What makes California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo stand out: Cal Poly's Software Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET and uniquely combines computer science fundamentals with formal engineering methodologies, while graduates are recruited by major tech companies including Google, Microsoft, Apple, Disney, DreamWorks, and Electronic Arts.

   Hakia Insight: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo graduates earn $7,500,090,000, driven by the program's industry connections and hands-on software engineering curriculum.

   Program Overview: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo's Software Engineering program embodies the institution's century-old "Learn by Doing" philosophy through hands-on curriculum that prepares students to design, build, and maintain software for everything from autonomous vehicles to entertainment systems. The Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering provides an in-depth study of computer science fundamentals combined with engineering methods in software design, emphasizing team-based development approaches and real-world problem solving. Students gain experience developing websites and mobile applications, writing operating system code for devices like autonomous vehicles, and working collaboratively across departments on practical projects. The program requires a mandatory internship and includes extensive lab experiences to ensure graduates possess both theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to deliver quality software products on time and within budget.

   Degree Programs: BS in Software Engineering (4 years); BS Software Engineering + MS Computer Science (Blended) (5 years)

   Research Labs: Software Engineering Lab - Software quality, testing, and development practices

   Industry Partners: Google, Microsoft, Apple, Disney, DreamWorks, Electronic Arts, Intel, Adobe, Salesforce, JPL, Lawrence Livermore National Labs

   Career Outcomes: Placement Rate: 93%+ | Top Employers: Google, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo, IBM, SUN, Intel, Intuit, Amgen, Adobe, Salesforce, DreamWorks, Disney, Electronic Arts, Raytheon, Boeing, Cisco, HP, JPL, Saint Jude Medical, Lawrence Livermore National Labs

   Notable Faculty: null (Software engineering practices, capstone project mentorship, and industry collaboration)

   Admissions: GPA: 3.0 minimum for blended program participation

   Accreditations: ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission

8. #8. The University of Texas at Dallas Bachelor's Software Engineering Program

   Hakia ranks The University of Texas at Dallas as the #8 bachelor's in software engineering degree program. Location: Richardson, TX | Type: Public | Tuition: $14,564/year | Graduation Rate: 77% | Score: 62.9

   What makes The University of Texas at Dallas stand out: UT Dallas offers one of the few Executive Master's in Software Engineering programs in the nation, allowing working professionals to earn their degree in just 20 months through weekend-only classes, while maintaining access to the same world-class faculty and research opportunities as traditional students.

   Hakia Insight: The University of Texas at Dallas's direct partnerships with Texas Instruments and State Farm give students a competitive edge through industry-embedded projects and recruiting pipelines.

   Program Overview: The University of Texas at Dallas offers a comprehensive Software Engineering graduate program through its Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, featuring both Master's and Doctoral pathways. The MS in Software Engineering requires 33 semester credit hours and can be completed through traditional full-time study or the innovative Executive Master's in Software Engineering (EMSE) format, designed specifically for working professionals with classes meeting Friday evenings and Saturday mornings for just three weekends per month, enabling degree completion in 20 months. The program emphasizes real-world application with core courses in Object-Oriented Software Engineering, Advanced Requirements Engineering, Software Architecture and Design, and Software Testing and Verification, culminating in an Advanced Software Engineering Project. UT Dallas maintains specialized research laboratories for software engineering, high-performance computing, and distributed systems, with faculty conducting cutting-edge research in areas including AI and machine learning techniques for software engineering, software quality and reliability, and knowledge mining-based approaches. The program benefits from the university's location in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, recently rated by Forbes as the #1 'Best City for Jobs,' providing exceptional access to industry partnerships and internship opportunities with major technology employers.

   Degree Programs: MS in Software Engineering (2 years); Executive MS in Software Engineering (EMSE) (20 months); PhD in Software Engineering (4-6 years)

   Research Labs: Software Engineering Research Lab - Requirements engineering, architecture design, testing and verification, software maintenance; Center for Software Testing - Advanced cutting-edge testing technologies and user-friendly tool support; Applied Logic, Programming-Languages and Systems Lab - Programming language security and software systems research

   Industry Partners: Texas Instruments, State Farm, Lockheed Martin, AT&T, Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Samsung Electronics, Cisco, Intel, Raytheon, IBM

   Career Outcomes: | Common Roles: chief strategy officer, project manager, chief technology officer, software architect, senior manager of software development, risk management officer, security analyst

   Notable Faculty: Dr. Ovidiu Daescu (Department Head); Dr. Neeraj Mittal (Associate Head for Undergraduate Education); Dr. Shiyi Wei (Director of SE Programs)

   Admissions: GPA: 3.0 minimum overall, 3.3 in quantitative courses

   Accreditations: ABET

9. #9. Western Governors University Bachelor's Software Engineering Program

   Hakia ranks Western Governors University as the #9 bachelor's in software engineering degree program. Location: Salt Lake City, UT | Type: Private | Tuition: $7,710/year | Score: 62.8

   What makes Western Governors University stand out: WGU's competency-based, fully online software engineering program allows students to progress by demonstrating mastery rather than seat time, making it uniquely flexible for working professionals while maintaining employer-recognized rigor.

   Hakia Insight: Through ties with Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, Western Governors University bridges the gap between academic training and industry practice.

   Program Overview: WGU's software engineering program is architected around competency-based learning, meaning students progress by demonstrating mastery rather than sitting through a fixed semester schedule. This model appeals to working professionals and career-changers who need flexibility without sacrificing rigor—a student can accelerate through material they already know or spend additional time on challenging concepts. The curriculum covers full-stack development, cloud architecture, database design, and software security through a mix of interactive coursework, capstone projects, and industry-recognized certifications embedded within the degree. Because WGU operates as a fully online institution, the program attracts a geographically diverse student body and emphasizes asynchronous collaboration and remote-work-ready skills. The program maintains partnerships with major tech employers who recognize WGU graduates and actively recruit from the program, knowing the competency-based model produces job-ready software engineers. Mentor support is structured differently than traditional programs—each student works with a program mentor who guides their individual learning path, creates accountability, and helps connect academic progress to career goals. For those juggling work and education or seeking an accelerated path, WGU's approach flips the traditional model: you prove competency and move forward, rather than waiting for a cohort to finish a semester.

   Degree Programs: BS in Software Engineering (2-4 years); MS in Software Engineering (1-2 years)

   Industry Partners: Microsoft, Amazon Web Services

   Career Outcomes: | Top Employers: Microsoft, Amazon, IBM | Common Roles: Software Engineer, Full-Stack Developer, Cloud Solutions Architect

   Admissions:

   Accreditations: AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft certifications embedded in curriculum

10. #10. Stevens Institute of Technology Bachelor's Software Engineering Program

    Hakia ranks Stevens Institute of Technology as the #10 bachelor's in software engineering degree program. Location: Hoboken, NJ | Type: Private | Tuition: $58,680/year | Graduation Rate: 74% | Score: 62.8

    What makes Stevens Institute of Technology stand out: Stevens integrates cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure into core software engineering curriculum, producing engineers immediately valuable in financial services and defense sectors.

    Hakia Insight: Stevens Institute of Technology graduates earn $85,000, driven by the program's industry connections and hands-on software engineering curriculum.

    Program Overview: Stevens' School of Engineering emphasizes engineering software systems at scale, with a curriculum that threads together cybersecurity, cloud computing, and enterprise architecture from freshman year through graduate specialization. The program integrates security thinking into every layer—from secure coding practices to architected defense-in-depth—reflecting both the Hudson River location opposite Wall Street and Stevens' historical strength in cryptography and secure systems. Students work with contemporary development stacks and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) throughout their coursework, ensuring exposure to infrastructure and DevOps that many programs treat as electives. Stevens maintains robust partnerships with financial services firms, defense agencies, and major tech companies, creating internship pipelines that often convert to full-time offers. The capstone sequence involves real or realistic projects with external sponsors, and many students publish or present results. Faculty expertise spans distributed systems, security, and machine learning applications to engineering problems. Graduates frequently land senior-track positions at major firms or launch startups, with strong median salaries reflecting the program's emphasis on high-demand specializations.

    Degree Programs: BS in Computer Science (Software Engineering focus) (4 years); MS in Computer Science (Software Engineering concentration) (2 years); PhD in Computer Science (5 years)

    Research Labs: Stevens Center for Secure Systems - Cybersecurity, cryptography, and secure software design

    Industry Partners: Goldman Sachs, IBM, Cisco, U.S. Department of Defense

    Career Outcomes: | Top Employers: Goldman Sachs, IBM, Cisco, Amazon, Google, Morgan Stanley | Common Roles: Software Engineer, Security Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Cloud Architect, Solutions Architect

    Notable Faculty: Andreas Haeberlen (Distributed systems and systems security); Chowdhury (Cybersecurity and network engineering)

    Admissions:

    Accreditations: ABET accredited