Florida has 8 programs titled software engineering at 6 schools, 3 accredited by ABET, and 27 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
8
titled software engineering
ABET-accredited
3
ABET’s list, 2026-09-30
Computer science programs
27
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$130,980
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01Florida has 8 degrees titled software engineering, 6 bachelor’s and 2 master’s, at 6 schools, plus 27 computer science programs. 3 of the software engineering programs are on ABET’s accredited list. Florida Gulf Coast ranks first among the state’s bachelor’s programs, with a score of 85.2 out of 100, #2 nationally. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page.
02At Florida’s public schools, the median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $3,866 in state and $16,402 out of state, so residency saves about $12,536 a year at the median. Private schools had a median of $33,590. These IPEDS figures are one per school and leave out fees, housing and financial aid.
03Software developers in Florida earned a median of $130,980 in May 2025, against $135,980 nationally, and half earned between $101,970 and $164,800. The state employed 87,890 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
04Prices in Florida were 3.4% above the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 122.1 against a national 100. At national prices, the state’s developer median goes as far as about $126,670. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
05Neighboring states with programs titled software engineering: Georgia (4) and Alabama (2). 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 Florida
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. Florida offers both, and many software engineers hold either one.
What this page covers
Software engineering programs: the 8 bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Florida titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the state’s 27 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 Florida 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 Florida: 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
Florida Gulf Coast: #2 of 75 nationally
Florida Gulf Coast leads in Florida with 85.2 out of 100
Across the country the median bachelor’s score is 56.7 and the highest is 87.0. Its biggest gap is completion, where it earns 21.7 of 35 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
Florida Institute of Technology: #24 of 44 nationally
Florida Institute of Technology leads in Florida with 51.0 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 16 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.
Each program is ranked against the others in Florida 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 Florida
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
6 programs
#1 in Florida
85.2of 100
Florida Gulf Coast
Fort Myers, FL
BSCampus
In-state
$4,191
Out-of-state
$22,328
Completion
62%
✓ ABET-accredited
Lowest in-state tuition of Florida’s 6 bachelor’s programs
Florida Gulf Coast University offers a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering that the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET accredits. You write code in Python and C++ and take a mix of computer science and software engineering courses. Specialized courses cover human computer interaction, robotics and language processing, plus assembly language, machine learning, data mining, neural networks and digital systems. Classes are small, and undergraduates can do research in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data science. You can join student groups such as the CSSE club.
The school says its curriculum is guided by industry needs and points you toward four career areas: embedded systems, computer games, operating and network systems, and application and system development. FGCU also reports that 74% of its software engineering graduates stay in Florida, and it puts alumni pay at an average of $76,144. Treat that figure as the school's own number. If you want a graduate degree, a combined B.S. to M.S. program in Computer Science lets you complete up to 9 graduate credits as an undergraduate, with concentrations in Cybersecurity and Data Science. The FGCU catalog and degree map hold the admission rules and semester-by-semester plan.
#2 in Florida
58.3of 100
Florida Institute of Technology
Melbourne, FL
BSCampus
In-state
$43,420
Out-of-state
$43,420
Completion
68%
✓ ABET-accredited
Florida Tech teaches its Software Engineering, B.S. on the Melbourne campus, and it holds ABET accreditation through the Engineering Accreditation Commission. The curriculum starts with thorough preparation in mathematics and computer science, then moves into implementing and managing the development, maintenance, protection and evolution of software products. Required and elective courses include Software Design Methods, Advanced Software Testing and Software Metrics. In your senior year you design, develop, program and present a novel software application that fills a real-world need, working with classmates under faculty and industry guidance. Past projects include a code visualization tool for debugging and an app for scheduling tutoring.
Practice is built in through design projects, research, internships and student programming, cybersecurity and robotics teams. Faculty interests include software testing and quality assurance, software evolution and secure software development. The campus sits in a Florida high-tech corridor, and the school names NASA, Google, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin and Apple as employers where students find internships and jobs. Graduates listed work as software and application developers, hardware engineers, research scientists, information systems managers and enterprise architects. Florida Tech also offers a software engineering master's degree and an Ed.S. if you want to continue.
At Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus the Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering is a 120-credit, in-person degree. It is housed in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the College of Engineering. You get access to the Cybersecurity Engineering Lab, the Digital Systems Lab and the Real-Time Systems Lab, and the hands-on work centers on designing embedded systems for aviation and aerospace and on software architecture and design. The Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET accredits the degree under the software program criteria. You collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of engineers to determine a customer's system requirements, then design, implement, build and test products.
Documentation is part of the work: you document the whole process, and the school says that skill is required for completing the final capstone project. The aviation focus is real, with software for aerospace, aircraft and spacecraft control systems as the example applications, but the school also points to careers ranging from aerospace software to video game development. The same degree is offered on the Prescott campus at 126 credits and fully online at 121 credits through the Worldwide and Online Campus, so you can choose the delivery that fits your life and budget.
#4 in Florida
38.1of 100
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
BSCampus
In-state
$58,104
Out-of-state
$58,104
Completion
82%
Highest school graduation rate of Florida’s 6 bachelor’s programs
Choice of AI or cybersecurity concentration in the electives
Miami's BS in Software Engineering totals 121 credit hours and applies both computer engineering and computer science principles and practices to building software systems. Technical electives introduce real-time, adaptive and collaborative software systems. Required engineering courses run from Introduction to Programming through Algorithms, Data Structures and Systems Programming, then Computer Operating Systems, Database Design and Management, Internet Computing I and Introduction to Cybersecurity. The software-specific courses are Software Engineering and Architecture and Software Design and Verification.
The math and science block is Calculus I for Engineers, Calculus II, Introduction to Linear Algebra, Discrete Mathematics I, Introduction to Engineering Probability and 12 credits of basic science. You finish with Senior Project I and Senior Project II. Eighteen credits go to technical electives and concentrations, and you can spend nine of them on a concentration in either Artificial Intelligence or Cybersecurity. The Artificial Intelligence concentration is Principles of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Neural Networks. The catalog also states that the program will not satisfy the licensure requirements for professional engineering registration.
#5 in Florida
31.6of 100
Saint Leo University
Saint Leo, FL
BSOnline
In-state
$26,240
Out-of-state
$26,240
Completion
31%
Online students get virtual access to the cybersecurity lab
Saint Leo offers its BS in Software Engineering at 120 credit hours, an estimated four years. Its education centers run the program in eight-week terms with evening and weekend classes. The curriculum combines software design techniques with a practical understanding of computer hardware, networks, databases and key areas of software architecture.
Faculty bring many years of practical experience in software engineering. Students are encouraged, but not required, to complete an internship. University Campus has two computer labs and a cybersecurity lab, and online students get virtual access to that cybersecurity lab.
#6 in Florida
23.3of 100
Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, FL
BSHybrid
In-state
$22,936
Out-of-state
$22,936
Completion
37%
Separate iOS and Android courses plus compiler construction
Keiser's BS in software engineering is 120 semester credit hours over 37 courses in 4-week terms, and the page estimates 40 months to finish. You can take it on campus or hybrid, and up to 12 transfer credits is listed as an estimate. The major takes 45 lower-division credit hours and 39 upper-division credit hours. You learn Java, Python and C# in separate 4-credit courses, then Data Structures and Algorithms, Intro to Machine Learning, UX/UI Design and Discrete Mathematics and Probability.
Upper division adds Operating Systems, Cross Platform Mobile Application Development, iOS Development, Android Development, Compiler Construction, Concepts of Parallel and Distributed Processing, Database Management Systems and Project Management. The degree ends with a 3-credit Capstone Project. General education math is College Algebra and Statistics, with Intermediate Statistics in the upper division. No prerequisites exist for major courses, though all lower division courses must be finished before upper division courses start. The page says the program doesn't require programmatic accreditation, and the university is accredited by SACSCOC.
Master’s in software engineering
2 programs
#1 in Florida
51.0of 100
Florida Institute of Technology
Melbourne, FL
MSCampus
Tuition
$22,860
Out-of-state
$22,860
Grads/yr
8.7
Florida Tech's Software Engineering, M.S. is offered on the Melbourne campus. It is built for students with a technical undergraduate degree and substantial programming experience, whether you are already a working engineer or a programmer moving into software engineering. If you have a strong background but lack some coursework, the department can require extra prerequisites. You finish with either a thesis or a capstone project. The thesis is in-depth original research on a specific topic, and the capstone applies research to a real-world problem under a graduate faculty mentor and ends in written and oral reports.
The curriculum takes a model-based approach to analyzing, designing and maintaining complex software, and covers advanced software testing, system quality and scalable architectures. Courses include Advanced Software Engineering, Cyber Threats, and Software Architecture and Design Methods, and a wide range of electives lets you shape the program around your goals. Research areas include computer security, malicious code and information protection, software product architecture and design, software testing, process improvement and quality assurance, software maintenance and evolution, and secure software development. The L3Harris Institute for Assured Information supports interdisciplinary work on campus. A graduate certificate in software engineering and an Ed.S. sit beside the master's.
Embry-Riddle offers the Master of Science in Software Engineering at its Daytona Beach campus, in person, at 30 credits. The home department is Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The coursework takes a process-centered, quantitative approach to software architecture and design, and it emphasizes the engineering of real-time embedded software systems like FAA air traffic control computer systems, aircraft avionics and aerospace software. You come out able to apply software engineering processes such as SCRUM, PSP, TSP and CMM to highly reliable, software-intensive systems.
The school describes the keystone as hands-on work with sophisticated, high-stakes systems like those found in aircraft, spacecraft and medical devices, with applications in aerospace, defense and healthcare. Faculty do collaborative research with major corporations and government agencies, and industry input shapes the curriculum. The page lists example careers including cybersecurity engineer, information technology analyst, software project manager and video game designer. Example employers named are The Boeing Company, General Dynamics, Microsoft, MasterCard and Veritas. The page also lists related master's degrees in electrical and computer engineering and in engineering management if you want to compare options.
Compare
Florida software engineering programs side by side
Florida software engineering programs compared, by level
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 Florida’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 Florida
22 schools, 27 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 in Florida
Public, in-state
$3,866
median of 4 schools
Public, out-of-state
$16,402
median of 4 schools
Private
$33,590
median of 18 schools
Living in Florida is worth about $12,536 a year in tuition at the median public school, the gap between the two public medians. Over a four-year degree that is roughly $50,144, before any change in rates.
Prices in Florida were 103.4 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 122.1, 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 22 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 Florida
Florida employed 87,890 software developers in May 2025. Its location quotient for the occupation is 0.82: 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, Florida. 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, 4 are in Florida. 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 Florida
$80,05010th
$101,97025th
$130,980median
$164,80075th
$204,40090th
Software developers, Florida, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The state median is $130,980, $5,000 below the national $135,980. Half of the state’s software developers earn between $101,970 and $164,800.
BEA puts prices in Florida at 103.4 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $126,670 would nationally, $9,310 less than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Online options
Online software engineering degrees for Florida residents
If no program in Florida fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living in Florida.
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 Florida?
8 degrees titled software engineering, 6 bachelor’s and 2 master’s, at 6 schools. 3 of them are on ABET’s accredited list.
What is the best software engineering school in Florida?
Florida Gulf Coast ranks first of the 6 ranked bachelor’s programs in Florida, with a score of 85.2 out of 100 (#2 nationally). The score combines completion, net price, ABET accreditation and program size.
Which software engineering programs in Florida are ABET-accredited?
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach (bachelor’s), Florida Gulf Coast (bachelor’s) and Florida Institute of Technology (bachelor’s), according to ABET’s accredited program list retrieved 2026-09-30.
How much does a software engineering degree cost in Florida?
Across Florida’s public schools in this guide, median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $3,866 for residents and $16,402 for nonresidents; at private schools the median was $33,590. These IPEDS figures exclude fees and housing.
How much do software engineers make in Florida?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $130,980 in Florida in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $80,050 and the 90th $204,400.
Is Florida pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts Florida’s prices at 103.4 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $130,980 is worth about $126,670 at national prices.
Can Florida 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 Florida.
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 .
