The Miami area has 2 programs titled software engineering at 2 schools, and 0 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 Miami’s city limits, so this guide covers the whole Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area.
Kevin ToFounder & Editor·B.S. in Computer Science, Temple University·Updated
Software engineering programs
2
titled software engineering
ABET-accredited
0
ABET’s list, 2026-09-30
Computer science programs
0
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$132,650
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01The Miami area has 2 degrees titled software engineering, all bachelor’s, at 2 schools, plus 0 computer science programs. University of Miami ranks first among the area’s bachelor’s programs, with a score of 38.1 out of 100, #52 nationally. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page. They are Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale’s bachelor’s (29 miles from Miami’s center) and University of Miami’s bachelor’s (6 miles from Miami’s center).
02Software developers in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area earned a median of $132,650 in May 2025, against $130,980 across Florida and $135,980 nationally. The metro area employed 18,900 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
03Prices near Miami were 14.2% above the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 155.6 against a national 100. At national prices, the metro area’s developer median goes as far as about $116,160. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
04This page covers the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, 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.
05If nothing near Miami 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. Miami offers both, and many software engineers hold either one.
What this page covers
Software engineering programs: the 2 bachelor’s and master’s degrees near Miami titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the area’s 0 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 Miami 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 Miami: 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
University of Miami: #52 of 75 nationally
No software engineering bachelor’s is inside Miami’s city limits
The highest score in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area is University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL, 38.1 out of 100. Across the country the median bachelor’s score is 56.7 and the highest is 87.0. University of Miami’s 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.
Each program is ranked against the others near Miami 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 Miami
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
2 programs
#1 near Miami
38.1of 100
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL · about 6 mi from central Miami
BSCampus
In-state
$58,104
Out-of-state
$58,104
Completion
82%
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.
#2 near Miami
23.3of 100
Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, FL · about 29 mi from central Miami
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.
Compare
Programs side by side
Miami 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. Grads/yr: IPEDS, three-year average. ABET: ABET’s list, retrieved 2026-09-30. #: the program’s rank among Miami’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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area whose campus is outside Miami’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.
Cost
What it costs
Too few schools here publish a federal tuition figure for a Miami 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 Miami were 114.2 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 155.6, 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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area employed 18,900 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, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, 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
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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area.
Industry
Businesses
Employees
Payroll per employee
Computer systems design and related services
3,797
23,162
$112,400
Software publishers
334
11,156
$149,300
Data processing, hosting and related services
508
8,193
$124,600
Computer and electronic product manufacturing
187
5,461
$74,300
The first three of those industries employ 1.8% 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, 23,162, while software publishers pays the most per employee, $149,300.
Businesses, employees (mid-March) and annual payroll: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, metropolitan areas and United States (cbp23msa, cbp23us), private sector, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area; payroll per employee covers every job in the industry, not only developers.
Pay
What software developers earn
$80,44010th
$102,71025th
$132,650median
$165,71075th
$199,28090th
Software developers, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The metro area’s median is $132,650, $3,330 below the national $135,980. Half of the metro area’s software developers earn between $102,710 and $165,710.
BEA puts prices in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area at 114.2 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $116,160 would nationally, $19,820 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 Miami 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 Miami’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 Miami you’ve got two bachelor’s programs titled software engineering, at University of Miami and Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale, 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 Miami, that’s two software engineering programs and eight computer science programs across the metro, so you really can choose. An easy way to decide: put University of Miami’s course list next to Barry’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 Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale and University of Miami, ask how they connect students with internships. Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale includes a capstone or senior project where you build real software with a team. With 3,797 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 Miami is Florida Gulf Coast’s bachelor’s in Fort Myers, about 108 miles away. Check any program’s accreditation before you apply.
5
Look for your first job nearby
The Miami area had 18,900 software developers in May 2025, earning a median of $132,650. The biggest software industries here are computer systems design (23,162 jobs) and software publishing (11,156 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 Miami fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living near Miami.
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 Miami?
2 degrees titled software engineering, all bachelor’s, at 2 schools. 0 of them are on ABET’s accredited list.
What is the best software engineering school near Miami?
University of Miami ranks first of the 2 ranked bachelor’s programs near Miami, with a score of 38.1 out of 100 (#52 nationally). The score combines completion, net price, ABET accreditation and program size.
How much do software engineers make near Miami?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $132,650 near Miami in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $80,440 and the 90th $199,280.
Is Miami pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts Miami’s prices at 114.2 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $132,650 is worth about $116,160 at national prices.
Who hires software engineers near Miami?
No source counts software hiring by company the same way in every metro, so we don’t name employers. The Census Bureau counted 3,797 computer systems design businesses in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area in 2023, employing 23,162 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 Miami 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 Miami.
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 .
12NCES IPEDS HD2024: campus coordinatesCampus latitude and longitude, for the distance from Miami to the nearest ABET-accredited software engineering program (straight line).
