Software Engineering Degrees Near Phoenix for 2027
The Phoenix area has 5 programs titled software engineering at 4 schools, 1 accredited by ABET, and 3 computer science programs. This guide covers each one, what it costs, and what software developers earn in the metro area. Fewer than 5 programs titled software engineering sit inside Phoenix’s city limits, so this guide covers the whole Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area.
Kevin ToFounder & Editor·B.S. in Computer Science, Temple University·Updated
Software engineering programs
5
titled software engineering
ABET-accredited
1
ABET’s list, 2026-09-30
Computer science programs
3
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$131,750
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01The Phoenix area has 5 degrees titled software engineering, 2 bachelor’s and 3 master’s, at 4 schools, plus 3 computer science programs. 1 of the software engineering programs is on ABET’s accredited list. Grand Canyon ranks first among the area’s bachelor’s programs, with a score of 27.8 out of 100, #70 nationally. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page.
02Software developers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area earned a median of $131,750 in May 2025, against $129,690 across Arizona and $135,980 nationally. The metro area employed 29,380 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
03Prices near Phoenix were 3.3% above the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 121.2 against a national 100. At national prices, the metro area’s developer median goes as far as about $127,540. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
04This page covers the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area only. The Arizona guide covers all 9 programs titled software engineering across the state, 5 bachelor’s and 4 master’s, with the same comparisons of cost and pay, so a program elsewhere in the state can be weighed against one here.
05If nothing near Phoenix fits, the degree can be taken online. The highest-scoring online programs in our rankings are Kennesaw State’s bachelor’s, at 72.5 out of 100, and Kennesaw State’s master’s, at 67.6. Check with each school that it enrolls students living where you do before you apply.
This guide
Studying software engineering here
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. Phoenix offers both, and many software engineers hold either one.
What this page covers
Software engineering programs: the 5 bachelor’s and master’s degrees near Phoenix titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the area’s 3 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 near Phoenix 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 Phoenix: 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
Grand Canyon: #70 of 75 nationally
Grand Canyon leads near Phoenix with 27.8 out of 100
Across the country the median bachelor’s score is 56.7 and the highest is 87.0. Its biggest gap is ABET accreditation, 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
No software engineering master’s is inside Phoenix’s city limits
The highest score in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area is Arizona State in Tempe, AZ, 86.1 out of 100. Across the country the median master’s score is 52.0 and the highest is 86.9. Arizona State’s 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. 2 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). We never score a program on a guess.
Each program is ranked against the others near Phoenix 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 near Phoenix
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
2 programs, 1 ranked
#1 near Phoenix
27.8of 100
Grand Canyon
Phoenix, AZ · about 5 mi from central Phoenix
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 · about 12 mi from central Phoenix
BSOnline
In-state
$11,308
Out-of-state
$13,512
Completion
44%
✓ ABET-accredited
Online
The only ABET-accredited bachelor’s program near Phoenix
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
3 programs, 2 ranked
#1 near Phoenix
86.1of 100
Arizona State
Tempe, AZ · about 14 mi from central Phoenix
MSCampus
Tuition
$12,376
Out-of-state
$25,722
Grads/yr
146.3
Largest master’s program near Phoenix by graduates a year
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 near Phoenix
33.6of 100
University of Advancing Technology
Tempe, AZ · about 15 mi from central Phoenix
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 1 program, 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 · about 5 mi from central Phoenix
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.
Compare
Programs side by side
Phoenix 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 · 2 programs, 1 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 Phoenix’s ranked programs at its level; NR, not ranked. Score: out of 100, the same score as on the ranking pages.
Nearby
Within driving distance
Programs in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area whose campus is outside Phoenix’s city limits.
City limits: Census TIGER incorporated place boundaries; campus locations: IPEDS 2024. Distances are straight-line miles from the city’s Census internal point, rounded.
Computer science
Computer science programs
2 schools, 3 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. 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
Too few schools here publish a federal tuition figure for a Phoenix median, so this is each program’s own figure: graduate tuition for a master’s, undergraduate for a bachelor’s, as on its card.
Prices near Phoenix were 103.3 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 121.2, 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, each program’s school-wide figure at its level (graduate or undergraduate). A median needs at least 3 schools. Excludes fees, housing and aid. Prices: BEA Regional Price Parities by metro area, 2024, all items and housing services.
Job market
The software job market
The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area employed 29,380 software developers in May 2025. 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, metropolitan areas, May 2025, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ. Metro estimates are published for fewer occupations than state estimates; the occupations BLS doesn’t publish here are left out. Growth: BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35, national.
Who hires
Who hires software developers
We don’t list company names: no source counts software hiring by employer the same way in every metro. What the Census Bureau does count is the businesses themselves, by industry, in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area.
Industry
Businesses
Employees
Payroll per employee
Computer systems design and related services
2,109
25,025
$118,000
Software publishers
250
7,048
$144,700
Data processing, hosting and related services
250
12,470
$94,900
Computer and electronic product manufacturing
184
21,839
$139,500
The first three of those industries employ 2.1% of the metro area’s private-sector workers, against 2.6% nationally, below the national share.
Of these industries, computer systems design and related services employs the most people in the metro area, 25,025, while software publishers pays the most per employee, $144,700.
Businesses, employees (mid-March) and annual payroll: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, metropolitan areas and United States (cbp23msa, cbp23us), private sector, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area; payroll per employee covers every job in the industry, not only developers.
Pay
What software developers earn
$82,50010th
$104,23025th
$131,750median
$163,37075th
$180,46090th
Software developers, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The metro area’s median is $131,750, $4,230 below the national $135,980. Half of the metro area’s software developers earn between $104,230 and $163,370.
BEA puts prices in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area at 103.3 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $127,540 would nationally, $8,440 less than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025.
Steps
How to become a software engineer
The path to software engineering near Phoenix is the same one people take everywhere: a degree, real experience before you graduate, and a first job search. What changes is the schools you can choose from and who’s hiring nearby. Here are the five steps, with Phoenix’s options in each.
1
Start with a bachelor’s degree
Most software developer jobs ask for a bachelor's degree, and you don’t need work experience to get your first one. Around Phoenix you’ve got two bachelor’s programs titled software engineering, at Grand Canyon and ASU Online, plus six computer science bachelor’s programs across the metro if you want a wider net. Before you fall for one, compare what they cost; the tuition figures above make that quick.
2
Pick between software engineering and computer science
Employers hire from both majors. Software engineering leans toward building and maintaining large systems as a team; computer science gives you a broader base in theory. Around Phoenix, that’s five software engineering programs and nine computer science programs across the metro, so you really can choose. An easy way to decide: put Grand Canyon’s course list next to University of Phoenix-Arizona’s and see which you’d rather spend four years in. Compare them.
3
Build experience before you graduate
Internships are often what turn a degree into a job offer. When you talk to Arizona State, ASU Online, Grand Canyon and one more, ask how they connect students with internships. Arizona State, ASU Online, Grand Canyon and one more include a capstone or senior project where you build real software with a team. With 2,109 computer systems design firms in the metro, a summer role close to home is realistic.
4
Know where licensing stands
You don’t need a license to work as a software engineer, and there’s no longer a licensing exam for it: the last one was given in April 2019. Accreditation still matters if you might want a license or certification later, since those often ask for an ABET-accredited degree. The closest accredited software engineering program to Phoenix is Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott’s bachelor’s in Prescott, about 75 miles away. Check any program’s accreditation before you apply.
5
Look for your first job nearby
The Phoenix area had 29,380 software developers in May 2025, earning a median of $131,750. The biggest software industries here are computer systems design (25,025 jobs) and computer and electronics manufacturing (21,839 jobs), so start your search with those firms. Ask your program which local employers hire its graduates, and go to its career fairs from your first year. Across the country there are about 95,300 openings a year, so you can widen the search if you’re willing to move.
Online options
Online software engineering degrees
If no program near Phoenix fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living near Phoenix.
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 near Phoenix?
5 degrees titled software engineering, 2 bachelor’s and 3 master’s, at 4 schools. 1 of them is on ABET’s accredited list.
What is the best software engineering school near Phoenix?
Grand Canyon ranks first of the 1 ranked bachelor’s programs near Phoenix, with a score of 27.8 out of 100 (#70 nationally). The score combines completion, net price, ABET accreditation and program size.
Which software engineering programs near Phoenix are ABET-accredited?
ASU Online (bachelor’s), according to ABET’s accredited program list retrieved 2026-09-30.
How much do software engineers make near Phoenix?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $131,750 near Phoenix in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $82,500 and the 90th $180,460.
Is Phoenix pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts Phoenix’s prices at 103.3 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $131,750 is worth about $127,540 at national prices.
Who hires software engineers near Phoenix?
No source counts software hiring by company the same way in every metro, so we don’t name employers. The Census Bureau counted 2,109 computer systems design businesses in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area in 2023, employing 25,025 people. Nationally, the industries that employ the most software developers are computer systems design and related services, software publishers and management of companies and enterprises.
Can Phoenix 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 near Phoenix.
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 .
13NCES IPEDS HD2024: campus coordinatesCampus latitude and longitude, for the distance from Phoenix to the nearest ABET-accredited software engineering program (straight line).
