by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 203 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of computer science. Combined, these schools handed out 14,364 master's degrees in computer science to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of computer science for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality compsci program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for computer science students working on their master's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for computer science students seeking a a master's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It's hard to beat Stanford University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in computer science. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford.
Master's recipients from the computer science program at Stanford University make $59,933 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in computer science from Stanford University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in computer science. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in computer science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Pennsylvania is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in computer science. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in computer science from University of Pennsylvania
Cornell University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in computer science. Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca.
Master's recipients from the computer science degree program at Cornell University make $47,445 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in computer science from Cornell University
Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Computer Science master's degree recipients from Columbia University in the City of New York receive an earnings boost of about $34,055 above the typical earnings of computer science majors.
More information about a master’s in computer science from Columbia University in the City of New York
Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Cambridge.More information about a master’s in computer science from Harvard University
Located in the medium-sized city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in computer science from Brown University
Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Computer Science master's degree recipients from University of Chicago earn a boost of approximately $8,298 over the typical income of computer science majors.
More information about a master’s in computer science from University of Chicago
Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University
Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.
Those computer science students who get their master's degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn $44,404 more than the standard compsci grad.
More information about a master’s in computer science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in computer science from Duke University
USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Computer Science master's degree recipients from University of Southern California get an earnings boost of about $11,000 above the typical earnings of computer science majors.
More information about a master’s in computer science from University of Southern California
Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville.More information about a master’s in computer science from Vanderbilt University
Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the compsci program earn around $101,171 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a master’s in computer science from Northwestern University
Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Hanover.More information about a master’s in computer science from Dartmouth College
Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
After graduating, compsci master's recipients usually earn about $99,768 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in computer science from Washington University in St Louis
UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla.
Master's recipients from the computer science degree program at University of California - San Diego get $27,972 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in computer science from University of California - San Diego
UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.More information about a master’s in computer science from University of California - Berkeley
Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in computer science from Georgetown University
Tufts is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Medford.More information about a master’s in computer science from Tufts University
Stevens is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Hoboken.
Students who graduate with their master's from the compsci program report average early career earnings of $99,376.
More information about a master’s in computer science from Stevens Institute of Technology
GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a master’s in computer science from George Washington University
Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette.More information about a master’s in computer science from Purdue University - Main Campus
WPI is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Worcester.More information about a master’s in computer science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute
UMCP is a very large public university located in the suburb of College Park.More information about a master’s in computer science from University of Maryland - College Park
Learn about other programs related to Computer Science that might interest you.
MS in Information Technology - Software Application Development
Learn to manage the development process for a software program with this specialized online master's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Here are some additional great schools for Computer Science students that almost earned our Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 32 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH |
| 33 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
| 34 | Emory University | Atlanta, GA |
| 35 | University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 36 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 37 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
| 38 | Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO |
| 39 | Brandeis University | Waltham, MA |
| 40 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
View the Best Computer Science Master'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 | 14,364 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer Information Systems | 18,992 |
| Information Technology | 9,181 |
| Information Science | 6,396 |
| Computer Software & Applications | 3,555 |
| Computer Systems Analysis | 628 |
| Computer Systems Networking | 566 |
| Computer Programming | 378 |
| Other Computer & Information Sciences | 251 |
| Data Processing | 199 |
