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Best Value Computer Software Applications Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Computer Software Applications Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

10 Colleges
$9,043 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$26,431 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Computer Software & Applications Associate Degree School for You

With 14,336 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, computer software and applications is the #5 most popular major in the United States.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which computer science program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Computer Science Degree Search has developed this Best Value Computer Software Applications Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 10 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for computer software students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Computer Software & Applications Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for computer software majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Computer Software & Applications Associate Degree Schools

#1

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

Our analysis found Johnson County Community College to be the best value school for computer software and applications students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Plains States Region . JCCC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Overland Park.

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

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#2

Normandale Community College

Bloomington, MN

The excellent associate degree programs at Normandale Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value computer software and applications schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the small city of Bloomington, Normandale Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Normandale Community College are $5,789 per year.

Full Computer Software & Applications at Normandale Community College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Des Moines Area Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Computer Software Applications Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. DMACC is a very large public school located in the suburb of Ankeny.

DMACC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,440 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that computer software majors at DMACC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,859.

DMACC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Computer Software Applications Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Minneapolis Community and Technical College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Computer Software Applications Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College are $5,906 a year. The average amount in student loans that computer software majors at Minneapolis Community and Technical College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $33,754.

Read full report on Computer Software & Applications at Minneapolis Community and Technical College

#5

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN

The excellent associate degree programs at Saint Paul College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value computer software and applications schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

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

Full Computer Software & Applications at Saint Paul College Report

Iowa Central Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree computer software and applications programs. Located in the town of Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa Central Community College are $8,650 per year.

Read full report on Computer Software & Applications at Iowa Central Community College

#7

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

Kirkwood Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for computer software and applications students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Kirkwood Community College is a large public school located in the city of Cedar Rapids.

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

Read full report on Computer Software & Applications at Kirkwood Community College

#8

Butler Community College

El Dorado, KS

With a ranking of #8, Butler Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer software and applications students working on their associate degree. Located in the distant town of El Dorado, Butler CC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butler CC are $5,976 per year.

Read full report on Computer Software & Applications at Butler Community College

#9

Dakota State University

Madison, SD

Dakota State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for computer software and applications students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Dakota State is a small public school located in the distant town of Madison.

Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,735 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Computer Software & Applications at Dakota State University

#10

Dunwoody College of Technology

Minneapolis, MN

Dunwoody College of Technology landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree computer software and applications programs. Dunwoody College of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Dunwoody College of Technology are $23,863 per year. Computer Software majors at Dunwoody College of Technology take out an average of $22,253 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Dunwoody College of Technology also did well on our Best Computer Software Applications Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Computer Software & Applications at Dunwoody College of Technology Report

Best Computer Software & Applications Colleges by State

Explore the best computer software and applications schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 14
Minnesota 216
Missouri 62
Iowa 71
South Dakota 38
North Dakota 9
Nebraska 5

One of 10 majors within the computer science area of study, computer software and applications has other similar majors worth exploring.

Computer Software Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Web & Multimedia Design 5,300
Data Modeling/Warehousing & Database Administration 3,756
Computer Graphics 2,988
Other Computer Software & Media Applications 1,438
Modeling, Virtual Environments & Simulation 854

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 10 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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