2023 Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which computer science program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamp with offerings that you might find attractive.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Computer Science Degree Search has created the Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 32 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for computer science students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for computer science students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California.
Stanford 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. During the 2019-2020 year, about 10% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Out of the 32 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 2 spot on the list.
UC Berkeley does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 90% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - San Diego is a great place for computer science students working on their master’s degree.
Online graduate courses are available at UCSD, 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, 65% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
The excellent master’s degree programs at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best computer science schools in California.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Cal Poly San Luis Obispo does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 95% took at least some of their classes online.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at USC. In 2019-2020 about 82% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #6 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UCSB. During the 2019-2020 year, about 99% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Loyola Marymount University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
Since the graduate programs at Loyola Marymount are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
University of San Francisco landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree computer science programs.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at USFCA. During the 2019-2020 year, about 100% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of California - Irvine ranked #9 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UC Irvine does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #10, University of San Diego 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 USD. In fact, around 24% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
California Baptist University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
Cal Baptist 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. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 45% took at least some of their classes online.
University of California - Riverside landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree computer science programs.
One thing to take note of is that UCR does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 84% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
California State University - Channel Islands landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree computer science programs.
CSUCI 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, 99% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #14, California Lutheran 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 CLU. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 100% took at least some of their classes online.
California State University - Chico landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree computer science programs.
Chico State 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 2019-2020 about 99% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UC Santa Cruz. In fact, around 72% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
San Diego State University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree computer science programs.
SDSU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 91% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
San Jose State 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 #18 on the list.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at San Jose State. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 94% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #19, Academy of Art University did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree.
Academy of Art University 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, 81% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #20 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Cal Poly Pomona. In fact, around 87% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Read full report on California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
California State University - Long Beach 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 #21 on the list.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at CSULB. In fact, around 100% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
California State University - Sacramento 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 #22 on the list.
Sac State does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 86% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Read full report on California State University - Sacramento
With a ranking of #23, National University did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree.
One thing to take note of is that National University does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 48% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
California State University - San Marcos came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since CSUSM does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 99% took at least some of their classes online.
Read full report on California State University - San Marcos
California State University - Northridge ranked #25 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at CSUN. During the 2019-2020 year, about 91% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
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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.
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