Software Engineering Degrees in Connecticut for 2027
Connecticut has 4 programs titled software engineering at 3 schools, 1 accredited by ABET, and 10 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
4
titled software engineering
ABET-accredited
1
ABET’s list, 2026-09-30
Computer science programs
10
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$134,120
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01Connecticut has 4 degrees titled software engineering, 2 bachelor’s and 2 master’s, at 3 schools, plus 10 computer science programs. 1 of the software engineering programs is on ABET’s accredited list. Quinnipiac ranks first among the state’s bachelor’s programs, with a score of 59.6 out of 100, #32 nationally. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page.
02Software developers in Connecticut earned a median of $134,120 in May 2025, against $135,980 nationally, and half earned between $105,750 and $166,440. The state employed 13,660 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
03Prices in Connecticut were 3.6% above the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 117 against a national 100. At national prices, the state’s developer median goes as far as about $129,460. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
04Neighboring states with programs titled software engineering: New York (6) and Massachusetts (3). 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.
05If nothing in Connecticut 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 in Connecticut
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. Connecticut offers both, and many software engineers hold either one.
What this page covers
Software engineering programs: the 4 bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Connecticut titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the state’s 10 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut: 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
Quinnipiac: #32 of 75 nationally
Quinnipiac leads in Connecticut with 59.6 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
Central Connecticut State: #26 of 44 nationally
Central Connecticut State leads in Connecticut with 48.4 out of 100
Across the country the median master’s score is 52.0 and the highest is 86.9. Its biggest gap is program size, where it earns 8.4 of 30 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. One program here has no score, because a figure the score needs wouldn’t describe it: Fairfield (no graduates yet to measure). We never score a program on a guess.
Each program is ranked against the others in Connecticut 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 Connecticut
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
2 programs, 1 ranked
#1 in Connecticut
59.6of 100
Quinnipiac
Hamden, CT
BSCampus
In-state
$50,400
Out-of-state
$50,400
Completion
80%
✓ ABET-accredited
The only ABET-accredited bachelor’s program in Connecticut
Your coursework at Quinnipiac includes an internship or a research project, and the robotics class skips the textbook: you order a robot and program it to complete tasks.
The degree is taught on campus and the Department of Homeland Security has designated it a STEM program, which matters if you are an international student planning to work after graduation. You can add the engineering management certificate. ABET, through its Engineering Accreditation Commission, accredits the degree.
Not ranked 1 program, each missing something the score needs
Not rankedNo graduates yet to measure
Fairfield
Fairfield, CT
BSCampus
In-state
$55,510
Out-of-state
$55,510
Completion
83%
Newer program
Fairfield's School of Engineering and Computing offers Software Engineering as a five-year accelerated program that leads to a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science. The undergraduate half follows the BS in Computer Science requirements, and the graduate half is the MS in Software Engineering. You apply and must be formally admitted to the program, and you apply around the end of your third year. The first three years follow the standard undergraduate curriculum. In the fourth year you finish the remaining bachelor's requirements and can take up to two graduate courses, and up to six of those graduate credits count toward both degrees.
The program promotes industrial internships after the sophomore year, and a final capstone project takes you through design and innovation at the level of an experienced practicing engineer. The master's curriculum includes AI electives aimed at software design, testing, deployment, and maintenance. The MS needs ten graduate courses in total, including the two taken as an undergraduate, so you add eight more in the fifth year, with at least 30 credits at the graduate level. Admitted students are expected to hold an overall GPA of 3.00 or higher and to have faculty advisor approval. After the bachelor's is conferred you enroll in the graduate program in the very next semester, fall or spring, unless you have an approved leave of absence. The combined course list totals 151 credits.
Master’s in software engineering
2 programs
#1 in Connecticut
48.4of 100
Central Connecticut State
New Britain, CT
MSCampus
Tuition
$8,300
Out-of-state
$21,380
Grads/yr
4.7
AGILE scholarship of up to $10,000 per year for MS students
CCSU's software engineering MS is 33 credits: four 3-credit core courses, 18 credits of electives and a 3-credit capstone. The core is Design Patterns, Software Testing and Quality Assurance, Fundamentals of Software Engineering and Advanced Software Engineering, and the capstone is CS 595, Capstone in Software Engineering. Electives come from 500-level computer science courses and a short list of 400-level ones, such as Database Concepts, Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, Operating Systems Design and Computer Security, with at most 9 credits at the 400 level. Admission starts with a bachelor's in computer science and a 2.70 GPA.
A related information technology degree needs six relevant computer science courses, and a STEM degree needs five math and computer science courses, which can add a semester of prerequisites such as CS 501. Applicants without a computer science degree send a resume and two letters of recommendation. A GPA between 2.40 and 2.69 may be considered for conditional admission, and GMAT or GRE scores are not required. You can attend full-time or part-time, and cohorts start every January and August. The department's AGILE scholarship, funded through an NSF program, offers qualified students up to $10,000 per academic year if they are enrolled at least half-time, which means 6 credits a semester.
#2 in Connecticut
31.4of 100
Fairfield
Fairfield, CT
MSCampus
Tuition
$20,625
Out-of-state
$20,625
Grads/yr
12
This is an evening program for people who already work in tech: the school says it is intended for working professionals such as web designers and developers, network administrators and database administrators. Classes meet in Fairfield, most in the evening, and weekday sections run once a week for two and a half hours.
The coursework focuses on design, analysis, implementation, testing and validation. The degree takes 30 credits at $1,095 per credit, an estimated $32,850 at the 2026-27 rate before fees, and you can finish in 12 to 24 months, full time or part time. The typical maximum class size is 20, and the GRE is not required.
Compare
Connecticut software engineering programs side by side
Connecticut 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
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 Connecticut’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 Connecticut
7 schools, 8 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.
Also offered: master’s at University of Bridgeport and University of New Haven.
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 in Connecticut
Private
$49,824
median of 6 schools
Prices in Connecticut were 103.6 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 117, 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 7 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 Connecticut
Connecticut employed 13,660 software developers in May 2025. Its location quotient for the occupation is 0.74: the jobs are less 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, Connecticut. 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 Connecticut. 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 Connecticut
$85,93010th
$105,75025th
$134,120median
$166,44075th
$205,16090th
Software developers, Connecticut, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The state median is $134,120, $1,860 below the national $135,980. Half of the state’s software developers earn between $105,750 and $166,440.
BEA puts prices in Connecticut at 103.6 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $129,460 would nationally, $6,520 less than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Online options
Online software engineering degrees for Connecticut residents
If no program in Connecticut fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living in Connecticut.
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 Connecticut?
4 degrees titled software engineering, 2 bachelor’s and 2 master’s, at 3 schools. 1 of them is on ABET’s accredited list.
What is the best software engineering school in Connecticut?
Quinnipiac ranks first of the 1 ranked bachelor’s programs in Connecticut, with a score of 59.6 out of 100 (#32 nationally). The score combines completion, net price, ABET accreditation and program size.
Which software engineering programs in Connecticut are ABET-accredited?
Quinnipiac (bachelor’s), according to ABET’s accredited program list retrieved 2026-09-30.
How much do software engineers make in Connecticut?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $134,120 in Connecticut in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $85,930 and the 90th $205,160.
Is Connecticut pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts Connecticut’s prices at 103.6 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $134,120 is worth about $129,460 at national prices.
Can Connecticut 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 Connecticut.
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 .
