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Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California

27 Colleges
$99,796 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Computer Science Master's Degree School for You

Computer Science is the most popular major in California with 13,148 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which computer science program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

The Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Computer Science Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 27 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for computer science students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California

Check out the compsci master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for computer science students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Computer Science at Stanford University

Out of the 27 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 2 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - Berkeley

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Computer Science at University of California - San Diego Report

The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best computer science schools in California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Computer Science at University of Southern California Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.

Read full report on Computer Science at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. UCSB is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. UC Irvine is a fairly large public school located in the city of Irvine.

Read More…

#8

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

University of San Francisco came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of San Francisco

University of California - Riverside did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for computer science students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. UCR is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Riverside.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Riverside Report

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Channel Islands did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree. CSUCI is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Camarillo.

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Best Computer Science Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Computer Science Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 1,551
Oregon 1,282
Nevada 152
Hawaii 152
Alaska 31

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

CompSci Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Computer Science 59,565

Majors Similar to CompSci

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
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 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 Negative Space.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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