by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 36 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for computer science students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,385 master's degrees in computer science during the 2022-2023 academic year.
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. 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 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.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for computer science students working on their master's degree.
The compsci school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in computer science.
It is hard to beat Stanford University if you want to pursue a master's degree in computer science. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford.
Those computer science students who get their master's degree from Stanford University make $63,465 more than the average compsci student.
More information about a master’s in computer science from Stanford University
University of Southern California is a great choice for students interested in a master's degree in computer science. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Students who graduate with their master's from the compsci program report average early career wages of $134,544.
More information about a master’s in computer science from University of Southern California
University of California - Berkeley is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in computer science. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley.More information about a master’s in computer science from University of California - Berkeley
University of California - San Diego is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in computer science. UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla.
Those computer science students who get their master's degree from University of California - San Diego receive $11,966 more than the average compsci grad.
More information about a master’s in computer science from University of California - San Diego
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine.
Those computer science students who get their master's degree from University of California - Irvine receive $12,180 more than the standard compsci graduate.
More information about a master’s in computer science from University of California - Irvine
Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Master's recipients from the computer science major at University of Washington - Seattle Campus get $18,965 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in computer science from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in computer science from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in computer science from University of California - Santa Barbara
UC Santa Cruz is a large public university located in the city of Santa Cruz.More information about a master’s in computer science from University of California - Santa Cruz
Oregon State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Corvallis.More information about a master’s in computer science from Oregon State University
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.
Explore the best computer science schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| California | 253 | 3,154 |
| Washington | 183 | 227 |
| Oregon | 158 | 185 |
| Nevada | 105 | 17 |
| Hawaii | 85 | 17 |
| Alaska | 52 | 2 |
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 | 4,385 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer Information Systems | 1,456 |
| Information Science | 923 |
| Information Technology | 631 |
| Computer Software & Applications | 391 |
| Data Processing | 106 |
| Computer Systems Networking | 17 |
| Other Computer & Information Sciences | 1 |
