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Best Value Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

15 Colleges
$24,404 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$65,436 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate School for You

In 2020-2021, 88,434 degrees and certificates were awarded to computer information systems students, making the major the most popular in the country.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for computer science students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Computer Science Degree Search has developed this Best Value Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in the Plains States Region to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best value experiences for CIS students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Top 10 Best Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate Schools

#1

Simpson College

Indianola, IA

Our analysis found Simpson College to be the best value school for computer information systems students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the Plains States Region . Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Indianola.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Simpson College are $6,606 a year.

Full Computer Information Systems at Simpson College Report

#2

Park University

Parkville, MO

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Park University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Park University graduate students pay an average of $6,435 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Computer Information Systems at Park University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. SMU MN is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Winona.

SMU MN graduate students pay an average of $10,890 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Computer Information Systems at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

#5

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO

Out of the 15 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Louis University landed the # 5 spot on the list. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Louis.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SLU are $22,614 per year.

SLU also made our Best Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #3.

Full Computer Information Systems at Saint Louis University Report

With a ranking of #6, University of St Thomas Minnesota did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer information systems students working on their graduate certificate. UST MN is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UST MN are $23,736 per year.

UST MN not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Full Computer Information Systems at University of St Thomas Minnesota Report

University of Nebraska at Omaha came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the large city of Omaha, UNOMAHA is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UNOMAHA are $16,374 a year.

Full Computer Information Systems at University of Nebraska at Omaha Report

Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate computer information systems programs. Located in the city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public school with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Missouri State are $12,618 per year.

Read More…

Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate computer information systems programs. Located in the town of Rolla, Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Missouri University of Science and Technology are $31,008 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Missouri University of Science and Technology is ranked #2 for overall quality for CIS in the Plains States Region .

Full Computer Information Systems at Missouri University of Science and Technology Report

With a ranking of #10, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer information systems students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public college with a very large student population.

Mizzou graduate students pay an average of $28,550 in tuition and fees each year.

Mizzou not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Computer Information Systems Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Read More…

Best Computer Information Systems Colleges by State

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

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 387
Minnesota 681
Missouri 1,395
Iowa 490
South Dakota 243
North Dakota 96
Nebraska 602

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

CIS Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Computer & Information Sciences 51,681
Information Technology 31,531
Informatics 2,726
Other Computer & Information Sciences 1,887
Artificial Intelligence 518
Human-Centered Technology Design 91

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Science 59,565
Information Technology 40,555
Information Science 18,325
Computer Systems Networking 14,700
Computer Software & Applications 14,336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 15 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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