Arizona has 9 programs titled software engineering at 7 schools, 2 accredited by ABET, and 13 computer science programs. This guide covers each one, what it costs, and what software developers earn in the state.
Kevin ToFounder & Editor·B.S. in Computer Science, Temple University·Updated
Software engineering programs
9
titled software engineering
ABET-accredited
2
ABET’s list, 2026-09-30
Computer science programs
13
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$129,690
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01Arizona has 9 degrees titled software engineering, 5 bachelor’s and 4 master’s, at 7 schools, plus 13 computer science programs. 2 of the software engineering programs are on ABET’s accredited list. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott ranks first among the state’s bachelor’s programs, with a score of 59.3 out of 100, #33 nationally. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page.
02At Arizona’s public schools, the median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $11,478 in state and $25,595 out of state, so residency saves about $14,117 a year at the median. Private schools had a median of $16,473. These IPEDS figures are one per school and leave out fees, housing and financial aid.
03Software developers in Arizona earned a median of $129,690 in May 2025, against $135,980 nationally, and half earned between $102,310 and $159,680. The state employed 38,050 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
04Prices in Arizona were 0.7% above the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 106.8 against a national 100. At national prices, the state’s developer median goes as far as about $128,790. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
05Neighboring states with programs titled software engineering: California (9) and Utah (6). Each has its own guide with the same comparisons of programs, cost and pay, so a program across the state line can be weighed against one at home, keeping in mind that a public school charges nonresidents more.
This guide
Studying software engineering in Arizona
A degree titled software engineering puts design, testing and the management of large software projects at the center, where computer science centers on computation itself. Arizona offers both, and many software engineers hold either one.
What this page covers
Software engineering programs: the 9 bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Arizona titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the state’s 13 bachelor’s and master’s programs in computer science, from federal data.
Online programs: software engineering degrees from our rankings that can be completed online.
Not included: associate degrees, certificates, bootcamps, doctoral programs and degrees in related fields such as information technology.
Methodology
How we ranked these programs
Programs in Arizona are ranked against each other at the same degree level, highest score first. The score is out of 100 and comes from our national rankings, so a program carries the same score on every page of this site. It isn’t curved for Arizona: each factor is measured against fixed national standards, which is why even the strongest program here can sit well below 100.
The bachelor’s score
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott: #33 of 75 nationally
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott leads in Arizona with 59.3 out of 100
Across the country the median bachelor’s score is 56.7 and the highest is 87.0. Its biggest gap is cost, where it earns 0 of 25 points. Every scored program is in Best Bachelor’s in Software Engineering.
Scored factors
100 pts total
Cost25 pts
The school’s average net price after grants (IPEDS), in fixed dollar tiers.
Under $12,00025 pts
$12,000 to $15,99920 pts
$16,000 to $19,99915 pts
$20,000 to $24,99910 pts
$25,000 to $31,9995 pts
$32,000 or more0 pts
Completion35 pts
The school’s eight-year completion rate for all entering students (IPEDS Outcome Measures), as a share of the points.
ABET accreditation25 pts
Full points if the program is on ABET’s own accredited list, none if not.
Program size15 pts
Graduates a year, on a log scale that reaches full points at 100.
The master’s score
Arizona State: #2 of 44 nationally
Arizona State leads in Arizona with 86.1 out of 100
Across the country the median master’s score is 52.0 and the highest is 86.9. Its biggest gap is cost, where it earns 32 of 40 points. Every scored program is in Software Engineering Master’s Programs.
Scored factors
100 pts total
Cost40 pts
The school’s graduate tuition (IPEDS), in fixed dollar tiers.
Under $10,00040 pts
$10,000 to $14,99932 pts
$15,000 to $19,99924 pts
$20,000 to $29,99916 pts
$30,000 to $39,9998 pts
$40,000 or more0 pts
Program size30 pts
Graduates a year, on a log scale that reaches full points at 500.
Research activity15 pts
The school’s Carnegie research class, from IPEDS.
R115
R29
Doctoral/professional3
Other0
ABET-accredited department15 pts
Full points if the school’s software engineering or computer science bachelor’s is on ABET’s list.
Not ranked. 3 programs here have no score, because a figure the score needs wouldn’t describe them: ASU Online (no federal graduation rate for our score to use); Grand Canyon (sets its own tuition, so the federal figure our score uses doesn’t apply); University of Arizona (no graduates yet to measure). We never score a program on a guess.
Each program is ranked against the others in Arizona at the same degree level, by the score our national rankings use. Tuition is IPEDS 2023–24; grad rate is the school’s. Full details for a ranked program are on its ranking page.
Bachelor’s
Master’s
Top 3 in Arizona
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
5 programs, 4 ranked
#1 in Arizona
59.3of 100
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Prescott, AZ
BSCampus
In-state
$40,680
Out-of-state
$40,680
Completion
70%
✓ ABET-accredited
Embry-Riddle's Prescott campus teaches the Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering in person, and the degree is 126 credits. The home is the Prescott College of Engineering, in its Computer, Electrical and Software Engineering department. You work on software applications and systems, from creating to testing and evaluating them, and the projects the school describes include autonomous aircraft flight control and computer-vision work on power line collisions. You can pick an optional focus on cybersecurity, which the school ties to government and industry demand for people who can both build software and protect it.
ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission accredits it under the software engineering program criteria. Across the university the degree has the same core promise: you document the whole build, and that documentation matters because it is required for the final capstone project. The school says graduates leave with working knowledge of architecture, design, documentation and quality assurance. Expect an aviation and aerospace flavor throughout. The same degree is also offered at the Daytona Beach campus at 120 credits and online through the Worldwide and Online Campus at 121 credits, so Prescott is the longest of the three paths.
#2 in Arizona
42.8of 100
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ
BSCampus + online
In-state
$11,546
Out-of-state
$37,053
Completion
63%
Online
The Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering at the University of Arizona sits in the College of Engineering. You can study at the Main campus in Tucson, in Yuma, or online through Arizona Online. The degree covers the full software development lifecycle, with Agile development, automated testing using continuous integration and DevOps woven into the curriculum. The math requirement is listed as Substantial Knowledge, meaning calculus, and the first year also includes physics, chemistry and two programming courses, ECE 101 and ECE 201.
No second language is required and there is no pre-major step, so you start in the major. Software-specific courses begin with SFWE 101 Introduction to Software Engineering in the third semester. Year three brings Data Persistence, Software Design Process, Software Requirements Analysis and Test, and a course in Software Assurance and Security. Fourth-year courses include Software Project Management and DevSecOps, and you finish with ENGR 498A and 498B, a cross-disciplinary design sequence, plus technical electives. The sample plan runs eight semesters.
#3 in Arizona
39.9of 100
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ
BSCampus
In-state
$11,015
Out-of-state
$17,792
Completion
60%
Lowest in-state tuition of the 4 bachelor’s programs in Arizona with a federal figure
Northern Arizona University offers the Software Engineering, Bachelor of Science through its School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems in Flagstaff. You need at least 120 units, and the major itself breaks into 23 to 24 units of pre professional requirements and 69 units of professional requirements. The highest math course required is MAT 226, the major GPA minimum is 2.0, and some online or blended coursework is required. What sets the degree apart is certification built into the plan. Every graduate has to complete the Professional Software Developer certification from the IEEE Computer Society, and you get the chance to earn the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional certification too.
The curriculum covers requirements analysis, software design and architecture, testing, several programming languages and libraries, cloud computing, project management, data structures and algorithmic complexity. Electives let you lean toward HCI, socio-technical computing, networking, high-performance computing or cybersecurity. You finish with a capstone in which you work with clients on real-world projects. The university describes software engineering as team-based work on large, long-lived systems, and it separates the field from programming and computer science on that basis. Honors and an accelerated undergraduate and graduate plan are both optional.
#4 in Arizona
27.8of 100
Grand Canyon
Phoenix, AZ
BSCampus + online
In-state
$16,390
Out-of-state
$16,390
Completion
46%
Online
FPGA design and embedded systems inside the software engineering major
GCU's BS in software engineering is 120 credits, split into 34 to 40 general education credits and an 80-credit major. You can take it on campus at $8,250 per semester in 15-week terms, or online at $490 per credit in 7-week courses. Admission asks for a 2.8 unweighted GPA, or a 2.5 plus an ACT of 19 or an SAT of 1000. GCU accepts up to 90 transfer credits, and only 84 can be lower division. The major runs a four-course SE sequence that moves from requirements, analysis and design to architecture and deployment, then quality, testing and secure delivery, and finally maintenance and modernization.
You also take Python, Programming in Java II and III, Algorithms and Data Structures, Digital Logic and Design, and Cloud Computing. Math covers calculus, Applied Linear Algebra I and Probability and Statistics, alongside two semesters of University Physics. Topics also include embedded systems and FPGA design and development. Capstone Project I and II are writing intensive, and you are required to submit a capstone project to finish the degree.
Not ranked 1 program, each missing something the score needs
Not rankedNo federal graduation rate for our score to use
ASU Online
Scottsdale, AZ
BSOnline
In-state
$11,308
Out-of-state
$13,512
Completion
44%
✓ ABET-accredited
Online
Largest bachelor’s program in Arizona by graduates a year
Online BS billed as the first ABET-accredited online software engineering program
ASU's online BS in software engineering totals 120 credit hours across 41 classes, each running 7.5 to 15 weeks. The page calls it the first online ABET-accredited software engineering program, and the degree is also available in person. Coursework covers calculus for engineers, operating systems, database management, physics and programming fundamentals. The Software Enterprise sequence (SER 216, 315, 316, 415 and 416) moves from personal process and quality through design, construction and project management.
After the core, you can pick electives in web and mobile applications, embedded systems and game engine architecture. A two-semester capstone project closes the degree, and group projects run through the curriculum. First-year applicants need a minimum 1210 SAT combined score, a 24 ACT, a 3.00 ABOR GPA or a top-25% class rank. Transfer students need a minimum 2.75 transfer GPA. You can also fold the degree into an accelerated master's in computer science, big data systems or cybersecurity, which can take as little as one year after the bachelor's. Diplomas and transcripts say only Arizona State University, not online.
Master’s in software engineering
4 programs, 2 ranked
#1 in Arizona
86.1of 100
Arizona State
Tempe, AZ
MSCampus
Tuition
$12,376
Out-of-state
$25,722
Grads/yr
146.3
Lowest tuition of the 3 master’s programs in Arizona with a federal figure
Data science concentration with a Software Factory capstone
ASU's MS in software engineering with a data science concentration is 30 credit hours, offered in person at the Polytechnic campus. Core courses are Foundations of Software Engineering, Emerging Languages and Programming Paradigms, and Advanced Data Structures and Algorithms. The concentration adds Data Science for Software Engineers plus one database or data course and one machine learning or statistics course. You also pick six credit hours of restricted electives such as Software Security, Cloud Computing and Software Agility. You finish with either a thesis or the Software Factory Capstone, SER 517, and the capstone route adds three credit hours of electives.
Before you apply, you need two semesters or six credit hours of calculus, equivalent to Calculus I and II, with a C or higher, and discrete math is recommended. Applicants need at least a 3.00 GPA over the final 60 hours of the first bachelor's degree, or in a prior master's. Students from noncomputing backgrounds may qualify with six credit hours of programming or a year of software industry experience. ASU also offers an accelerated route that pairs this degree with the software engineering BS, so you can earn both degrees in as little as five years.
#2 in Arizona
33.6of 100
University of Advancing Technology
Tempe, AZ
MSOnline
Tuition
$15,915
Out-of-state
$15,915
Grads/yr
6.3
The University of Advancing Technology in Tempe offers a Software Engineering Master's degree aimed at developers, programmers and IT professionals who want to move into senior engineering, architecture or leadership roles. The topics the school lists are advanced software architecture and system design, plus cloud-based and distributed application development, Agile development and DevOps practices, secure software development and testing methodologies, and software lifecycle management and engineering processes. UAT says its graduate programs are made up of four nine-credit modules.
Two modules are specific to the degree, and you choose the other two based on your interests and career goals. You earn a Certificate of Completion after each module, so you collect credentials while you work toward the degree. Delivery is flexible: UAT states that all graduate programs are available in-person, online or through hybrid modalities, and its SyncFlex approach blends online and on-campus courses for adult learners. UAT evaluates transfer credit for college-level coursework from accredited institutions by relevance, grade, credit-hour requirements, transfer limits and transcript review. Career roles the page names include DevOps engineer and engineering manager.
Not ranked 2 programs, each missing something the score needs
Not rankedSets its own tuition, so the federal figure our score uses doesn’t apply
Grand Canyon
Phoenix, AZ
MSOnline
Published rate
$490 per credit
Grads/yr
2
Capstone with a scientific report plus an IoT and embedded systems course
GCU's online MS in software engineering is 38 credit hours taught in 8-week courses at $610 per credit. You apply with an accredited undergraduate degree and either a 2.8 GPA, or a 2.5 unweighted GPA plus a GMAT of 500 or a combined GRE of 300. Up to 12 transfer credits, or one-third of the program, can count. The curriculum has ten core courses. It opens with an introduction to graduate studies in science, engineering and technology, then Advanced Probability and Statistics and Design and Analysis of Algorithms.
The software engineering sequence covers Advanced Software Engineering Fundamentals, Advanced Software Architectures, Advanced Software Management and Concepts, and Software Engineering and Security Principles. Later courses take up emerging technologies and Software Engineering IOT and Embedded Systems. The degree ends with a capstone in which you conceptualize, design and present an idea, process or product, and write a scientific report anchored in current theory and research. GCU also runs a separate 20-credit bridge program for applicants whose bachelor's degree is in another field.
Not rankedNo graduates yet to measure
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ
MSCampus + online
Tuition
$12,718
Out-of-state
$32,290
Grads/yr
New
Online
Newer program
The only master’s program in Arizona offered online
At the University of Arizona the master's in software engineering takes at least 30 units. Coursework locations are the main campus, Yuma and the online campus. You choose between a thesis option and a non-thesis option. On the thesis path you take classes like Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence and Web Development with the Internet of Things. The non-thesis route lists Data Mining and Robotics. Admission goes through the Graduate College, which asks for a four-year bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable international degree, and a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
You also submit a statement of purpose and at least one letter of recommendation. International applicants from countries where English is not the official language have to prove English proficiency. The department can set requirements above the Graduate College minimum, such as a higher GPA or test scores. Current University of Arizona undergraduates can join an accelerated master's track that finishes both degrees in as few as five years. The program reports a 59.26% application acceptance rate.
Compare
Arizona software engineering programs side by side
Arizona software engineering programs compared, by level
#
Program
Format
In-state
Out-of- state
Grad rate
Grads/ yr
ABET
Scoreof 100
Bachelor’s in software engineering · 5 programs, 4 ranked
– means no published figure. A published rate is the school’s own price, shown but not scored.
Tuition: IPEDS 2023–24, at the program’s level (a master’s figure is the school’s graduate average). Grad rate: the school’s six-year rate for bachelor’s students; N/A on master’s rows, because federal data has no graduation rate for master’s programs. Grads/yr: IPEDS, three-year average. ABET: ABET’s list, retrieved 2026-09-30. #: the program’s rank among Arizona’s ranked programs at its level; NR, not ranked. Score: out of 100, the same score as on the ranking pages.
Computer science
Computer science programs in Arizona
8 schools, 12 programs in the table below.
Computer science is the neighboring degree, and many software engineers hold it. These rows come from federal data, not from each school’s page.
Tuition: IPEDS 2023–24, in-state, before fees and aid; undergraduate for a bachelor’s, and for a master’s the school-wide average across graduate students, which excludes program fees. School grad rate: the school’s six-year rate for bachelor’s students (IPEDS); N/A on master’s rows, because federal data has no graduation rate for master’s programs. – means no published figure. ABET: on ABET’s computing (CAC) or engineering (EAC) list, retrieved 2026-10-05; a blank cell means not accredited. A school is in the table when it has at least two of a tuition figure, a grad rate or ABET accreditation, and a program page we could link; the rest are listed under it. SE track: named on the school’s own page.
Cost
What it costs in Arizona
Public, in-state
$11,478
median of 4 schools
Public, out-of-state
$25,595
median of 4 schools
Private
$16,473
median of 5 schools
Living in Arizona is worth about $14,117 a year in tuition at the median public school, the gap between the two public medians. Over a four-year degree that is roughly $56,468, before any change in rates.
Prices in Arizona were 100.7 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 106.8, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Regional Price Parities. 2024 is BEA’s latest year, a year behind the May 2025 pay figures on this page.
Tuition: IPEDS 2023–24 undergraduate tuition, one figure per school, for the 9 schools with a bachelor’s program in this guide; a median needs at least 3 schools. Excludes fees, housing and aid. Prices: BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024, all items and housing services.
Job market
The software job market in Arizona
Arizona employed 38,050 software developers in May 2025. Its location quotient for the occupation is 1.08: the jobs are more concentrated in the state than nationally. Nationally, BLS projects software developer jobs to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Arizona. Location quotient: the state’s share of employment in the occupation divided by the national share (1.0 = the national rate). Growth: BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35, national.
Metro areas
Among the 50 largest U.S. metros, 1 is in Arizona. Software developer employment and pay in each:
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025, software developers. Metro areas are federal CBSAs and can cross state lines; only the 50 largest are on file.
Pay
What software developers earn in Arizona
$81,74010th
$102,31025th
$129,690median
$159,68075th
$178,50090th
Software developers, Arizona, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The state median is $129,690, $6,290 below the national $135,980. Half of the state’s software developers earn between $102,310 and $159,680.
BEA puts prices in Arizona at 100.7 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $128,790 would nationally, $7,190 less than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Online options
Online software engineering degrees for Arizona residents
If no program in Arizona fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living in Arizona.
Tuition: IPEDS 2023–24 out-of-state, the rate an online student from another state usually pays (a master’s figure is the school’s graduate average); a published rate is the school’s own price. National rank and score: our national ranking at the program’s level.
How many software engineering programs are in Arizona?
9 degrees titled software engineering, 5 bachelor’s and 4 master’s, at 7 schools. 2 of them are on ABET’s accredited list.
What is the best software engineering school in Arizona?
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott ranks first of the 4 ranked bachelor’s programs in Arizona, with a score of 59.3 out of 100 (#33 nationally). The score combines completion, net price, ABET accreditation and program size.
Which software engineering programs in Arizona are ABET-accredited?
ASU Online (bachelor’s) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott (bachelor’s), according to ABET’s accredited program list retrieved 2026-09-30.
How much does a software engineering degree cost in Arizona?
Across Arizona’s public schools in this guide, median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $11,478 for residents and $25,595 for nonresidents; at private schools the median was $16,473. These IPEDS figures exclude fees and housing.
How much do software engineers make in Arizona?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $129,690 in Arizona in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $81,740 and the 90th $178,500.
Is Arizona pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts Arizona’s prices at 100.7 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $129,690 is worth about $128,790 at national prices.
Can Arizona residents take a software engineering degree online?
Yes. Kennesaw State, Minnesota-Crookston and University of Arizona are among the online software engineering programs in our rankings. Check with each school that it enrolls students living in Arizona.
2NCES IPEDS institutional charges, 2023–24Tuition at the program’s level, and undergraduate tuition per school for the cost medians. Excludes fees, housing and aid.
3NCES IPEDS graduation ratesThe school’s six-year graduation rate, for the whole school rather than the program; IPEDS DRVGR2023 where the main pull has no figure.
4Each school’s own program pageProgram name, delivery, credits, and every bullet on the program cards, quoted from the saved page. Read .
