Software Engineering and Computer Science Degrees Near Jacksonville for 2027
- Software engineering programs
- 0
- titled software engineering
- Computer science programs
- 1
- IPEDS 2024
- Median pay, software developers
- $130,330
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
- No college inside Jacksonville’s city limits awards a degree titled software engineering. The area has 1 computer science program at 1 school. 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 Jacksonville, FL metro area earned a median of $130,330 in May 2025, against $130,980 across Florida and $135,980 nationally. The metro area employed 7,200 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
- Prices near Jacksonville were 0.5% below the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 109.8 against a national 100. At national prices, the metro area’s developer median goes as far as about $130,980. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
- This page covers the Jacksonville, FL metro area only. The Florida guide covers all 8 programs titled software engineering across the state, 6 bachelor’s and 2 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 Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville’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 1 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.
Computer science programs
1 school 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Florida | Bachelor’s | Jacksonville | ✓ ABET | $3,996 | 69% |
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). 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 Jacksonville, FL metro area employed 7,200 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 | 7,200 | $130,330 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 1,060 | $97,030 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 3,250 | $102,230 |
| Computer Programmers | 280 | $99,050 |
| Web Developers | 330 | |
| Data Scientists | 880 | $122,680 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025, Jacksonville, FL. 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 Jacksonville, FL metro area.
| Industry | Businesses | Employees | Payroll per employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer systems design and related services | 714 | 5,597 | $93,300 |
| Software publishers | 49 | 2,243 | $214,100 |
| Data processing, hosting and related services | 90 | 11,548 | $146,300 |
| Computer and electronic product manufacturing | 22 | 975 | $62,200 |
The first three of those industries employ 2.9% of the metro area’s private-sector workers, against 2.6% nationally, close to the national share.
Of these industries, data processing, hosting and related services employs the most people in the metro area, 11,548, while software publishers pays the most per employee, $214,100.
Businesses, employees (mid-March) and annual payroll: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, metropolitan areas and United States (cbp23msa, cbp23us), private sector, Jacksonville, FL metro area; payroll per employee covers every job in the industry, not only developers.
What software developers earn
The metro area’s median is $130,330, $5,650 below the national $135,980. Half of the metro area’s software developers earn between $101,540 and $159,250.
BEA puts prices in the Jacksonville, FL metro area at 99.5 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $130,980 would nationally, $5,000 less 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 Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville’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 Jacksonville is titled software engineering, but you’ve got one computer science bachelor’s across the metro, including University of North Florida, 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 Jacksonville, computer science is the route, with one program across the metro, at University of North Florida. Ask University of North Florida which electives lean toward building software. 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 University of North Florida, 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 714 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 Jacksonville is Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach’s bachelor’s in Daytona Beach, about 87 miles away. Check any program’s accreditation before you apply.
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Look for your first job nearby
The Jacksonville area had 7,200 software developers in May 2025, earning a median of $130,330. The biggest software industries here are data processing and hosting (11,548 jobs) and computer systems design (5,597 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 Jacksonville is online. These are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living near Jacksonville.
| 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 Florida
- All of Florida Florida: all 8 software engineering programs, with statewide pay and job growth.
- Miami 2 programs titled software engineering in the Miami metro area and 0 computer science programs in the city, with local pay from BLS.
- Tampa Bay 1 program titled software engineering in the Tampa Bay metro area and 3 computer science programs in the city, with local pay from BLS.
- Orlando 0 programs titled software engineering in the Orlando metro area and 0 computer science programs in the city, with local pay from BLS.
Frequently asked questions
Can you study software engineering near Jacksonville?
No college inside Jacksonville’s city limits awards a degree titled software engineering. The area has 1 computer science program, and software engineering degrees can be taken online from schools elsewhere.
How much do software engineers make near Jacksonville?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $130,330 near Jacksonville in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $80,720 and the 90th $170,580.
Is Jacksonville pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts Jacksonville’s prices at 99.5 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $130,330 is worth about $130,980 at national prices.
Who hires software engineers near Jacksonville?
No source counts software hiring by company the same way in every metro, so we don’t name employers. The Census Bureau counted 714 computer systems design businesses in the Jacksonville, FL metro area in 2023, employing 5,597 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 Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville.
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 ABET Accredited Program Search Which programs are on ABET’s accredited list. Read .
- 6 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025 Employment, median and percentiles near Jacksonville for software developers; employment and median for the related occupations. Read .
- 7 BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 National projected growth, 2025 to 2035. Read .
- 8 U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, metropolitan areas and United States (cbp23msa, cbp23us) Establishments, employment and payroll in the Jacksonville, FL metro area for computer systems design, software publishing, data processing and hosting, and computer manufacturing, and the same industries nationally.
- 9 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 .
- 10 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 .
- 11 NCEES, discontinuing the PE Software Engineering exam The last administration was in April 2019. Read .
- 12 ABET, Why ABET Accreditation Matters Accreditation and licensure, registration and certification. Read .
- 13 NCES IPEDS HD2024: campus coordinates Campus latitude and longitude, for the distance from Jacksonville to the nearest ABET-accredited software engineering program (straight line).
- 14 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by Metropolitan Area (MARPP), 2024 All-items and housing price levels for Jacksonville (US = 100), used for the price-adjusted median. Read .