Software Engineering and Computer Science Degrees Near San Francisco Bay Area for 2027
- Software engineering programs
- 0
- titled software engineering
- Computer science programs
- 4
- IPEDS 2024
- Median pay, software developers
- $186,640
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
- No college inside San Francisco Bay Area’s city limits awards a degree titled software engineering. The area has 4 computer science programs at 2 schools. Computer science is the degree most software engineers hold besides software engineering itself, and a software engineering degree can still be taken online from a school in another state, listed below.
- Software developers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earned a median of $186,640 in May 2025, against $174,410 across California and $135,980 nationally. The metro area employed 69,030 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
- Prices near San Francisco Bay Area were 15.6% above the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 194.7 against a national 100. At national prices, the metro area’s developer median goes as far as about $161,450. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
- This page covers the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area only. The California 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.
- If nothing near San Francisco Bay Area 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.
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. No college inside San Francisco Bay Area’s city limits awards the first, so this guide covers the area’s computer science programs and the software engineering degrees taught online.
What this page covers
- Computer science programs: the area’s 4 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.
Within driving distance
Programs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area whose campus is outside San Francisco Bay Area’s city limits.
Computer science programs nearby (4 schools, 7 programs)
| School | Degree | City | From the city center |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | Bachelor’s · Master’s | Berkeley, CA | about 7 mi |
| Saint Mary's College of California | Bachelor’s | Moraga, CA | about 8 mi |
| Cal State East Bay | Bachelor’s · Master’s | Hayward, CA | about 12 mi |
| SFBU | Bachelor’s · Master’s | Fremont, CA | about 26 mi |
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 programs
2 schools, 4 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.
| School | Degree | City | ABET | Tuition 2023–24 | School grad rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF State | Bachelor’s · Master’s | San Francisco | B: $5,742M: $7,176 | 50% | |
| USF | Bachelor’s · Master’s | San Francisco | B: $57,670M: $29,070 | 70% |
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.
The software job market
The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area employed 69,030 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.
| Occupation | Employed | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 69,030 | $186,640 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 5,880 | $134,630 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 11,180 | $134,460 |
| Computer Programmers | 2,440 | $130,730 |
| Web Developers | 1,420 | $152,450 |
| Data Scientists | 10,460 | $170,110 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. 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 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area.
| Industry | Businesses | Employees | Payroll per employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer systems design and related services | 5,029 | 85,520 | $178,800 |
| Software publishers | 1,504 | 112,237 | $251,300 |
| Data processing, hosting and related services | 744 | 57,459 | $238,000 |
| Computer and electronic product manufacturing | 315 | 19,952 | $124,000 |
The first three of those industries employ 10.6% of the metro area’s private-sector workers, against 2.6% nationally, 4.0 times the national share.
Of these industries, software publishers employs the most people in the metro area, 112,237, at $251,300 in payroll per employee.
Businesses, employees (mid-March) and annual payroll: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, metropolitan areas and United States (cbp23msa, cbp23us), private sector, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area; payroll per employee covers every job in the industry, not only developers.
What software developers earn
The metro area’s median is $186,640, $50,660 above the national $135,980. Half of the metro area’s software developers earn between $163,500 and $219,670.
BEA puts prices in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area at 115.6 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $161,450 would nationally, $25,470 more than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025.
How to become a software engineer
The path to software engineering near San Francisco Bay Area 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 San Francisco Bay Area’s options in each.
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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. No bachelor’s around San Francisco Bay Area is titled software engineering, but you’ve got six computer science bachelor’s programs across the metro, including SF State, USF, UC Berkeley and three more, and employers hire from both. Before you fall for one, compare tuition and ask each school what fees add on top.
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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 San Francisco Bay Area, computer science is the route, with 11 programs across the metro, at SF State, USF, UC Berkeley and three more. Put SF State’s and USF’s course lists side by side and look for the one with more hands-on software courses. Compare them.
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Build experience before you graduate
Internships are often what turn a degree into a job offer. When you talk to SF State and USF, ask how they connect students with internships. Look for a capstone where you build real software with a team; it gives you something concrete to talk about in interviews. With 5,029 computer systems design firms in the metro, a summer role close to home is realistic.
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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 San Francisco Bay Area is San Jose State’s bachelor’s in San Jose, about 35 miles away. Check any program’s accreditation before you apply.
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Look for your first job nearby
The San Francisco Bay Area area had 69,030 software developers in May 2025, earning a median of $186,640. The biggest software industries here are software publishing (112,237 jobs) and computer systems design (85,520 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.
Software engineering degrees you can take online
The closest route to a software engineering degree from San Francisco Bay Area is online. These are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living near San Francisco Bay Area.
| School | National rank | Based in | Tuition 2023–24 | ABET | Score of 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s in software engineering | |||||
| Kennesaw State | #13 | Kennesaw, GA | $15,704 | ✓ ABET | 72.5 |
| Minnesota-Crookston | #41 | Crookston, MN | $11,478 | 44.8 | |
| University of Arizona | #43 | Tucson, AZ | $37,053 | 42.8 | |
| North Dakota State | #49 | Fargo, ND | $13,963 | 38.7 | |
| Penn State World Campus | #59 | University Park, PA | $15,204 | 35.2 | |
| Master’s in software engineering | |||||
| Kennesaw State | #11 | Kennesaw, GA | $19,188 | 67.6 | |
| UH-Clear Lake | #14 | Houston, TX | $17,532 | 59.5 | |
| North Dakota State | #15 | Fargo, ND | $11,377 | 58.9 | |
| St. Cloud State | #19 | Saint Cloud, MN | $14,130 | 53.3 | |
| Washington State | #20 | Pullman, WA | $27,842 | 53.0 | |
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.
The full lists: Best Online Software Engineering Degrees and Online Master’s in Software Engineering.
More software engineering programs in California
- All of California California: all 9 software engineering programs, with statewide pay and job growth.
- Los Angeles 5 programs titled software engineering in the Los Angeles metro area and 9 computer science programs in the city, with local pay from BLS.
- Riverside 0 programs titled software engineering in the Riverside metro area and 4 computer science programs in the city, with local pay from BLS.
- San Diego 1 program titled software engineering in the San Diego metro area and 9 computer science programs in the city, with local pay from BLS.
- Sacramento 0 programs titled software engineering in the Sacramento metro area and 2 computer science programs in the city, with local pay from BLS.
- San Jose 2 programs titled software engineering in the San Jose metro area and 2 computer science programs in the city, with local pay from BLS.
- Fresno 0 programs titled software engineering in the Fresno metro area and 2 computer science programs in the city, with local pay from BLS.
Frequently asked questions
Can you study software engineering near San Francisco Bay Area?
No college inside San Francisco Bay Area’s city limits awards a degree titled software engineering. The area has 4 computer science programs, and software engineering degrees can be taken online from schools elsewhere.
How much do software engineers make near San Francisco Bay Area?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $186,640 near San Francisco Bay Area in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $128,090 and the 90th $273,400.
Is San Francisco Bay Area pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts San Francisco Bay Area’s prices at 115.6 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $186,640 is worth about $161,450 at national prices.
Who hires software engineers near San Francisco Bay Area?
No source counts software hiring by company the same way in every metro, so we don’t name employers. The Census Bureau counted 5,029 computer systems design businesses in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area in 2023, employing 85,520 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 San Francisco Bay Area 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 San Francisco Bay Area.
References
Every figure on this page comes from one of these, read by the site’s data scripts and computed at build time, never typed in.
- 1 NCES IPEDS 2024: completions and programs offered The program list: bachelor’s and master’s programs in software engineering and in computer science, and graduates a year (three-year average).
- 2 NCES IPEDS institutional charges, 2023–24 Tuition at the program’s level, and undergraduate tuition per school for the cost medians. Excludes fees, housing and aid.
- 3 NCES IPEDS graduation rates The school’s six-year graduation rate, for the whole school rather than the program; IPEDS DRVGR2023 where the main pull has no figure.
- 4 Each school’s own program page Program name, delivery, credits, and every bullet on the program cards, quoted from the saved page. Read .
- 5 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025 Employment, median and percentiles near San Francisco Bay Area for software developers; employment and median for the related occupations. Read .
- 6 BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 National projected growth, 2025 to 2035. Read .
- 7 U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, metropolitan areas and United States (cbp23msa, cbp23us) Establishments, employment and payroll in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area for computer systems design, software publishing, data processing and hosting, and computer manufacturing, and the same industries nationally.
- 8 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, via api.bls.gov (national industry-specific, state and hourly series); added occupations from the bulk all-data file (oesm25all.zip), self-checked against the API rows, industries The industries that employ the most software developers nationally. Read .
- 9 BLS Employment Projections, occupation tables 1.2, 1.10 and 1.12, 2025-35 Typical entry-level education, experience and training for software developers, and annual openings. Read .
- 10 NCEES, discontinuing the PE Software Engineering exam The last administration was in April 2019. Read .
- 11 ABET, Why ABET Accreditation Matters Accreditation and licensure, registration and certification. Read .
- 12 NCES IPEDS HD2024: campus coordinates Campus latitude and longitude, for the distance from San Francisco Bay Area to the nearest ABET-accredited software engineering program (straight line).
- 13 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by Metropolitan Area (MARPP), 2024 All-items and housing price levels for San Francisco Bay Area (US = 100), used for the price-adjusted median. Read .