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2025 Best Computer & Information Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California

28 Colleges in California
6,403 Master's Degrees
$110,794 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your master's degree in computer & information sciences, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #4 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 28 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Computer & Information Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,403 master's degrees in computer & information sciences during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Computer & Information Sciences School for Your Master's Degree

Best Computer & Information Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California The computer & information sciences master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality computer & information sciences program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

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.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

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 & information sciences students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Computer & Information Sciences Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Computer & Information Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Computer & Information Sciences in California

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in computer & information sciences.

10 Top California Schools for a Master's in Computer & Information Sciences

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
383 Annual Graduates

Stanford University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in computer & information sciences. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford.More information about a master’s in computer & information sciences from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
614 Annual Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in computer & information sciences. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley.More information about a master’s in computer & information sciences from University of California - Berkeley

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,697 Annual Graduates

University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in computer & information sciences. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in computer & information sciences from University of Southern California

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
560 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in computer & information sciences needs to look into University of California - San Diego. UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla.More information about a master’s in computer & information sciences from University of California - San Diego

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
230 Annual Graduates

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine.More information about a master’s in computer & information sciences from University of California - Irvine

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in computer & information sciences from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in computer & information sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
102 Annual Graduates

UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz.More information about a master’s in computer & information sciences from University of California - Santa Cruz

9
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
162 Annual Graduates

USFCA is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Francisco.More information about a master’s in computer & information sciences from University of San Francisco

10
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
182 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in computer & information sciences from Academy of Art University

Best Computer & Information Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Computer & Information Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 31 1,143
Oregon 29 200
Hawaii 27 20
Nevada 27 81
Alaska 21 2

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Computer & Information Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Computer Science 3,877
Computer Information Systems 961
Information Science 642
Information Technology 444
Computer Software & Applications 364
Data Processing 97
Computer Systems Networking 17
Other Computer & Information Sciences 1

Majors Similar to Computer & Information Sciences

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communications Technologies & Support 141

Notes and References

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