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Most Popular Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in California

7 Colleges

Finding the Best Computer Science Basic Certificate 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 Most Popular Computer Science Basic Certificate 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 7 schools in California to see which basic certificate programs were the most popular for computer science students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Computer Science program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Computer Science Basic Certificate Colleges.

#1

Orange Coast College

Costa Mesa, CA

Our analysis found Orange Coast College to be the most popular school for computer science students who want to pursue a basic certificate in California. Located in the medium-sized city of Costa Mesa, Orange Coast College is a public school with a large student population.

Women make up 30% of the compsci majors at the school.

Read full report on Computer Science at Orange Coast College

#2

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica, CA

Out of the 7 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Monica College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Santa Monica, SMC is a public college with a very large student population.

About 19% of the students majoring in compsci at the school are women while 81% are male.

Full Computer Science at Santa Monica College Report

#3

Palomar College

San Marcos, CA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Palomar College is a great place for computer science students working on their basic certificate. Palomar College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.

Of the 29 students majoring in compsci at Palomar College, 79% are male and 21% are female.

Full Computer Science at Palomar College Report

#4

Canada College

Redwood City, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Canada College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Canada College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Redwood City.

Full Computer Science at Canada College Report

#5

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA

The in-demand basic certificate programs at Santa Ana College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular computer science schools in California. SAC is a very large public school located in the city of Santa Ana.

Full Computer Science at Santa Ana College Report

Monterey Peninsula College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular basic certificate computer science programs. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Monterey, Monterey Peninsula College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Computer Science at Monterey Peninsula College Report

#7

Los Angeles Harbor College

Wilmington, CA

Los Angeles Harbor College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Wilmington, LAHC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Computer Science at Los Angeles Harbor College

Best Computer Science Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Computer Science Schools 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 7 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 Negative Space.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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