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Most Popular Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools in California

63 Colleges

Finding the Best Information Technology Basic Certificate School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, information technology was ranked 3rd in California. In fact, 1,160 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for computer science students. 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Computer Science Degree Search has created its Most Popular Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 63 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular basic certificate programs for computer science students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Information Technology program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for IT majors pursuing a basic certificate.

#1

ABCO Technology

Inglewood, CA

Our analysis found ABCO Technology to be the most popular school for information technology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in California. Located in the suburb of Inglewood, ABCO Technology is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

About 8% of the students majoring in IT at the school are women while 92% are male.

Read full report on Information Technology at ABCO Technology

#2

Chaffey College

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chaffey College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Chaffey College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Rancho Cucamonga.

Of the 80 students majoring in IT at Chaffey College, 81% are male and 19% are female.

Read More…

#3

Moorpark College

Moorpark, CA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Moorpark College is a great place for information technology students working on their basic certificate. Moorpark College is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Moorpark.

Women make up 18% of the IT majors at the school.

Full Information Technology at Moorpark College Report

#4

Long Beach City College

Long Beach, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Long Beach City College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Long Beach City College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

About 51% of the students majoring in IT at the school are women while 49% are male.

Read More…

#5

Pasadena City College

Pasadena, CA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Pasadena City College is a great place for information technology students working on their basic certificate. Pasadena City College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena.

About 13% of the students majoring in IT at the school are women while 87% are male.

Read More…

California Institute of Arts & Technology ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. California Institute of Arts & Technology is a small private for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.

About 14% of the students majoring in IT at the school are women while 86% are male.

Read More…

#7

Coastline Community College

Fountain Valley, CA

Coastline Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Coastline Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Fountain Valley.

Women make up 12% of the IT majors at the school.

Read More…

#8

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

Cuesta College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Cuesta College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.

Full Information Technology at Cuesta College Report

#9

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA

Santa Ana College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Santa Ana, SAC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 7% of the IT majors at the school.

Read More…

#10

Sierra College

Rocklin, CA

With a ranking of #10, Sierra College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for information technology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the large suburb of Rocklin, Sierra College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 29% of the IT majors at the school.

Read More…

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
11 Riverside City College Riverside, CA
12 City College of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
12 Cabrillo College Aptos, CA

Best Information Technology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Information Technology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 815
Oregon 140
Nevada 81
Hawaii 6
Alaska 16

One of 10 majors within the computer science area of study, information technology has other similar majors worth exploring.

IT Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Computer & IS Security 22,829
Network & System Administration/Administrator 5,501
Information Technology Management 4,009
Computer Support Specialist 3,176
System, Networking, & LAN/WAN Management/Manager 2,077
Information Technology Project Management 2,076
Web/Multimedia Management & Webmaster 887

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
Computer Science 59,565
Information Science 18,325
Computer Systems Networking 14,700
Computer Software & Applications 14,336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 26 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 Craig Dennis.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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