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Best Value Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

14 Colleges
$7,270 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Computer Programming Basic Certificate School for You

With 11,939 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, computer programming is the #6 most popular major in the United States.

Today's computer science students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Computer Science Degree Search has developed this Best Value Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 14 schools in the Plains States Region to see which basic certificate programs offered the best value experiences for programming students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for programming majors pursuing a basic certificate.

Top 10 Best Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools

#1

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Our 2023 rankings named North Hennepin Community College the best value school in the Plains States Region for computer programming students working on their basic certificate. North Hennepin Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.

North Hennepin Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,882 in tuition and fees each year.

North Hennepin Community College also made our Best Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #2.

Read full report on Computer Programming at North Hennepin Community College

#2

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Johnson County Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public college with a large student population.

JCCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,352 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Computer Programming at Johnson County Community College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeast Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Northeast is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Norfolk.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northeast are $5,010 a year.

Read full report on Computer Programming at Northeast Community College

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Dakota County Technical College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the rural area of Rosemount, DCTC is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at DCTC are $6,208 a year.

Read full report on Computer Programming at Dakota County Technical College

#5

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, SD

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southeast Technical College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the rural area of Sioux Falls, Southeast Tech is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Tech are $7,650 per year.

Read More…

Minneapolis Community and Technical College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Minneapolis.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Minneapolis Community and Technical College are $5,906 per year.

Read full report on Computer Programming at Minneapolis Community and Technical College

Des Moines Area Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at DMACC are $10,440 a year.

DMACC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Computer Programming Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Read More…

#8

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

With a ranking of #8, Hennepin Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer programming students working on their basic certificate. Hennepin Technical College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hennepin Technical College are $5,741 per year.

Read full report on Computer Programming at Hennepin Technical College

#9

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

Kirkwood Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for computer programming students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Kirkwood Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,072 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Computer Programming at Kirkwood Community College Report

#10

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN

With a ranking of #10, Saint Paul College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer programming students working on their basic certificate. Saint Paul College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Saint Paul.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saint Paul College are $6,041 per year.

Read More…

Best Computer Programming Colleges by State

Explore the best computer programming schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 237
Minnesota 142
Missouri 270
Iowa 130
South Dakota 20
Nebraska 72

Computer Programming is one of 10 different types of computer science programs to choose from.

Programming Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Computer Programming 8,750
App Specific Computer Programming 2,411
Computer Programming Certifications 278
Computer Programming, Specific Platforms 173
Computer Game Programming 169
Other Computer Programming 158

Majors Similar to Programming

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
Computer Science 59,565
Information Technology 40,555
Information Science 18,325
Computer Systems Networking 14,700

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 14 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to luis gomes.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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