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Best Value Computer Software Applications Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

11 Colleges
$10,536 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Computer Software & Applications Basic Certificate 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.

The Best Value Computer Software Applications Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Computer Science Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in the Plains States Region to see which basic certificate programs offered the best value experiences for computer software 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. 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 Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

Check out the computer software basic certificate programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Computer Software & Applications Basic Certificate 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 basic certificate in the Plains States Region . JCCC is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Overland Park.

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

Full Computer Software & Applications at Johnson County Community College Report

The excellent basic certificate programs at Dakota County Technical 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 . DCTC is a small public school located in the rural area of Rosemount.

DCTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,208 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Computer Software & Applications at Dakota County Technical College Report

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 #3 on this year’s Best Value Computer Software Applications Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Minneapolis Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,906 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#4

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Hennepin Technical College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Computer Software Applications Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Hennepin Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,741 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Computer Software & Applications at Hennepin Technical 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 #5 on this year’s Best Value Computer Software Applications Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. DMACC is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Ankeny.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at DMACC are $10,440 per year.

DMACC also took the #5 spot in our Best Computer Software Applications Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region rankings.

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#6

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

Kirkwood Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Computer Software Applications Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Kirkwood Community College is a large public school located in the city of Cedar Rapids.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kirkwood Community College are $7,072 per year.

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

#7

Saint Louis Community College

Saint Louis, MO

Saint Louis Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate computer software and applications programs. Saint Louis Community College is a large public school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Saint Louis Community College are $7,155 a year.

Read More…

#8

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN

Saint Paul College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Computer Software Applications Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Saint Paul College are $6,041 a year.

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Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Software Applications Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $18,200 per year.

Full Computer Software & Applications at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report

#10

Dakota State University

Madison, SD

Dakota State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate computer software and applications programs. Dakota State is a small public school located in the town of Madison.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Dakota State are $12,735 a year.

Full Computer Software & Applications at Dakota State University Report

Best Computer Software & Applications Colleges by State

Explore the best computer software and applications colleges 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 11 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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