Find Tech Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools

444 Schools Ranked

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for computer science students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamp 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 Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 444 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for computer science students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

Top Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in the United States

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
$55,011 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school in the United States for computer science students working on their master’s degree.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Stanford. During the 2019-2020 year, about 10% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Stanford University

#2

DigiPen Institute of Technology

Redmond, Washington
$29,300 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend DigiPen Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools list.

Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Digipen. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.

Full DigiPen Institute of Technology Report

#3

Rice University

Houston, Texas
$49,941 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 444 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the # 3 spot on the list.

One thing to take note of is that Rice does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 86% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#4

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
$62,083 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools list.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Brown does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 59% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full Brown University Report

$16,764 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a great place for computer science students working on their master’s degree.

Online graduate courses are available at Georgia Tech, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 88% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

#6

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
$58,967 Average Tuition & Fees

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #6 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools list.

Since the graduate programs at MIT are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.

Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Report

#7

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$42,932 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree.

UPenn does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 74% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read full report on University of Pennsylvania

#8

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
$59,141 Average Tuition & Fees

Duke University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools list.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Duke. In fact, around 2% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#9

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Yale. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 98% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#10

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
$14,160 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Berkeley ranked #10 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools list.

Online graduate courses are available at UC Berkeley, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 90% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#11

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
$47,347 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #11, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Carnegie Mellon. In fact, around 6% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#12

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
$61,202 Average Tuition & Fees

Johns Hopkins University 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 #12 on the list.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Johns Hopkins. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 85% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#13

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
$52,170 Average Tuition & Fees

Harvard University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools list.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Harvard. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 96% took at least some of their classes online.

Full Harvard University Report

$35,802 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Methodist University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools list.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since SMU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 40% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Southern Methodist University

#15

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
$30,006 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #15, Cornell University did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Cornell. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 85% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Cornell University Report

$17,823 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #16, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UIUC. In fact, around 90% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #17 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools list.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UT Austin does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 66% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#18

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
$20,906 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree computer science programs.

Online graduate courses are available at University of Virginia, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 75% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on University of Virginia - Main Campus

#19

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire
$59,283 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #19, Dartmouth College did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree.

Dartmouth does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 57% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#20

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
$52,162 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #20, Vanderbilt University did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Vanderbilt. During the 2019-2020 year, about 67% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full Vanderbilt University Report

$17,874 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Washington - Tacoma Campus came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UW Tacoma. In fact, around 4% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#22

University of St Thomas Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota
$23,736 Average Tuition & Fees

University of St Thomas Minnesota landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree computer science programs.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UST MN. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 80% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#23

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
$16,522 Average Tuition & Fees

Virginia Tech landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree computer science programs.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Virginia Tech. In fact, around 63% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Virginia Tech

$17,754 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #24, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree.

Online graduate courses are available at UW Seattle, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 7% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Report

#25

Georgetown University

Washington, District of Columbia
$55,128 Average Tuition & Fees

Georgetown University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Georgetown. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.

Read More…

Rest of the Top 50 Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in the United States

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Florida Polytechnic University

Lakeland, Florida
#27

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#28

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, Wisconsin
#29

Saint Martin's University

Lacey, Washington
#30

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia
#31

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania
#32

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#33

University of California - San Diego

La Jolla, California
#34

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#35

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#36

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts
#37

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#38

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#39

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
#40

University of Delaware

Newark, Delaware
#41

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, Utah
#42

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, Nebraska
#43

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#44

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#47

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#48

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

Rest of the Top 15% Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in the United States

To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:

Rank School Location
51 Norwich University Northfield, VT
52 New York University New York, NY
53 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
54 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
55 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
56 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
57 Northeastern University Boston, MA
58 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
59 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
60 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
61 Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ
62 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
63 Clemson University Clemson, SC
64 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
65 Champlain College Burlington, VT
66 Bentley University Waltham, MA
67 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA

Honorable Mentions

These schools also performed well in our best computer science schools ranking:

Rank School Location
68 Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ
69 Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO
70 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
71 Emory University Atlanta, GA
72 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY
73 New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ
74 Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO
75 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
76 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
77 DePaul University Chicago, IL
78 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
79 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
80 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
81 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
82 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
83 Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT
84 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
85 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
86 Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA
87 Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI
88 University of Dallas Irving, TX
89 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Computer Science Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited computer and technology colleges across the U.S.