by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 45 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Computer Science Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,478 doctor's degrees in computer science to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The compsci doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their doctor's degree from the school. After all, your doctor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for computer science students working on their doctor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Computer Science Doctor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in computer science.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a great option for students pursuing a doctor's degree in computer science. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge.More information about a doctorate in computer science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cornell University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in computer science. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in computer science from Cornell University
Carnegie Mellon University is a good decision for students interested in a doctor's degree in computer science. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Pittsburgh.More information about a doctorate in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University
University of California - Berkeley is a great decision for students interested in a doctor's degree in computer science. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in computer science from University of California - Berkeley
Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a doctorate in computer science from Duke University
Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a doctorate in computer science from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in computer science from Stanford University
Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in computer science from University of Southern California
Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Providence.More information about a doctorate in computer science from Brown University
UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.More information about a doctorate in computer science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Computer Science Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Princeton University | Princeton, NJ |
| 12 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 13 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 14 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN |
| 15 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
View the Best Computer Science Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 10 majors within the Computer & Information Sciences area of study, Computer Science has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer Science | 1,478 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer Information Systems | 1,068 |
| Information Science | 186 |
| Information Technology | 117 |
| Other Computer & Information Sciences | 17 |
| Computer Software & Applications | 14 |
| Data Processing | 7 |
| Computer Systems Networking | 3 |
| Computer Systems Analysis | 2 |