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Most Popular Computer Science Doctor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Computer Science Doctor's Degree Schools in California

15 Schools Ranked

It's not easy to decide which computer science program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Computer Science Degree Search has created the Most Popular Computer Science Doctor's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 15 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular doctor's degree programs for computer science students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.

Learn more about these popular schools below:

#1

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
54 Total Awards
$14,160 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the most popular school for computer science students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in California. This large public school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 54 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 19% of those degree recipients were women.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UC Berkeley. In 2019-2020 about 90% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

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#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California
36 Total Awards
$55,011 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 15 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Stanford, California that handed out 36 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 19% were women.

Online graduate courses are available at Stanford, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 10% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on Stanford University

#3

University of California - Irvine

Irvine, California
32 Total Awards
$13,356 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in Irvine, California, the large public school awarded 32 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 34% of those degree recipients were women.

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.

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#4

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
28 Total Awards
$13,467 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of California - Riverside helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular computer science schools in California. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 28 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 25% of those degree recipients were women.

Online graduate courses are available at UCR, 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, 84% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full University of California - Riverside Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
28 Total Awards
$13,036 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular computer science schools in California. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 11% of those degree recipients were women.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UCLA. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 79% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

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#6

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
27 Total Awards
$61,396 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Southern California came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctor’s degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

Around 30% of those degree recipients were women.

You may have the opportunity 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.

Read More…

#7

University of California - San Diego

La Jolla, California
23 Total Awards
$13,564 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - San Diego ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.

Around 13% of those degree recipients were women.

One thing to take note of is that UCSD does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 65% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on University of California - San Diego

#8

Northcentral University

San Diego, California
16 Total Awards
$18,207 Average Tuition & Fees

Northcentral University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree computer science programs. Northcentral University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in San Diego, California that handed out 16 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 31% of those degree recipients were women.

If you are interested in distance education, Northcentral University is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.

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#8

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
16 Total Awards
$13,581 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree computer science programs. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 doctor’s degrees to qualified students.

Around 6% of those degree recipients were women.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UCSB. 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.

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#10

Claremont Graduate University

Claremont, California
13 Total Awards
$36,380 Average Tuition & Fees

Claremont Graduate University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree computer science programs. Claremont Graduate University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 46% were women.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Claremont Graduate University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 67% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Claremont Graduate University

#11

University of California - Davis

Davis, California
12 Total Awards
$13,608 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Davis ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.

Around 33% of those degree recipients were women.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UC Davis. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 52% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full University of California - Davis Report

#12

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
9 Total Awards
$13,895 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Computer Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 9 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 44% of those degree recipients were women.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UC Santa Cruz. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 72% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on University of California - Santa Cruz

#13

University of California - San Francisco

San Francisco, California
7 Total Awards
$12,999 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - San Francisco landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree computer science programs. UCSF is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 43% of those degree recipients were women.

UCSF does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 69% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

#14

Naval Postgraduate School

Monterey, California
4 Total Awards

Naval Postgraduate School did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for computer science students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. Naval Postgraduate School is a small public school located in Monterey, California that handed out 4 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Naval Postgraduate School. In fact, around 47% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Naval Postgraduate School Report

#15

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
1 Total Awards
$58,443 Average Tuition & Fees

California Institute of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for computer science students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in Pasadena, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 100% of those degree recipients were women.

Full California Institute of Technology Report

Most Popular Computer Science Doctor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 15 schools only.

References

  • 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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