Software Engineering and Computer Science Degrees in Louisiana for 2027
- Software engineering programs
- 0
- titled software engineering
- Computer science programs
- 20
- IPEDS 2024
- Median pay, software developers
- $102,800
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
- No college in Louisiana awards a degree titled software engineering. The state has 20 computer science programs at 14 schools, 2 with a named software engineering track. 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.
- At Louisiana’s public schools, the median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $5,656 in state and $8,038 out of state, so residency saves about $2,382 a year at the median. These IPEDS figures are one per school and leave out fees, housing and financial aid.
- Software developers in Louisiana earned a median of $102,800 in May 2025, against $135,980 nationally, and half earned between $82,930 and $122,740. The state employed 4,080 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
- Prices in Louisiana were 11.8% below the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 63.1 against a national 100. At national prices, the state’s developer median goes as far as about $116,550. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
- Neighboring states with programs titled software engineering: Texas (10) and Mississippi (1). 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.
Studying software engineering in Louisiana
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 in Louisiana awards the first, so this guide covers the state’s computer science programs and the software engineering degrees taught online.
What this page covers
- Computer science programs: the state’s 20 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 in Louisiana
14 schools, 19 programs in the table below.
Computer science is the neighboring degree, and many software engineers hold it. 2 programs name a software engineering track, tagged below. These rows come from federal data, not from each school’s page.
| School | Degree | City | ABET | Tuition 2023–24 | School grad rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grambling State | Bachelor’s | Grambling | ✓ ABET | $5,140 | 36% |
| Louisiana Christian University | Bachelor’s | Pineville | $19,590 | 42% | |
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Bachelor’sSE track · Master’s | Baton Rouge | ✓ ABET bachelor’s | B: $8,038M: $9,132 | 69% |
| Louisiana State University-Alexandria | Bachelor’s | Alexandria | $4,950 | 34% | |
| Louisiana State University-Shreveport | Bachelor’s | Shreveport | ✓ ABET | $5,656 | 38% |
| Louisiana Tech University | Bachelor’s · Master’s | Ruston | ✓ ABET bachelor’s | B: $6,401M: $5,416 | 64% |
| LSU New Orleans | Bachelor’s · Master’s | New Orleans | ✓ ABET bachelor’s | $6,090 | 38% |
| McNeese State | Bachelor’s | Lake Charles | ✓ ABET | $5,147 | 47% |
| Southeastern Louisiana University | Bachelor’s | Hammond | ✓ ABET | $5,777 | 45% |
| Southern University and A & M College | Bachelor’s · Master’sSE track | Baton Rouge | ✓ ABET bachelor’s | B: $4,973M: $5,336 | 27% |
| Tulane University of Louisiana | Bachelor’s | New Orleans | $61,306 | 89% | |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Bachelor’s · Master’s | Lafayette | ✓ ABET bachelor’s | B: $5,407M: $5,511 | 53% |
| University of Louisiana at Monroe | Bachelor’s | Monroe | ✓ ABET | $5,788 | 54% |
| Xavier University of Louisiana | Bachelor’s | New Orleans | $24,836 | 49% |
Also offered: master’s at Tulane University of Louisiana.
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 in Louisiana
Louisiana employed 4,080 software developers in May 2025. Its location quotient for the occupation is 0.19: 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.
| Occupation | Employed | Median | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 4,080 | $102,800 | 0.19 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 450 | $66,810 | 0.19 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 2,980 | $95,660 | 0.46 |
| Computer Programmers | 1,580 | 1.38 | |
| Web Developers | 490 | $85,330 | 0.57 |
| Data Scientists | 1,300 | $78,760 | 0.4 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Louisiana. 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.
What software developers earn in Louisiana
The state median is $102,800, $33,180 below the national $135,980. Half of the state’s software developers earn between $82,930 and $122,740.
BEA puts prices in Louisiana at 88.2 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $116,550 would nationally, $19,430 less than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Software engineering degrees Louisiana residents can take online
The closest route to a software engineering degree from Louisiana is online. These are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living in Louisiana.
| 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.
Neighboring states
- Texas Texas: 10 software engineering programs, with statewide pay and job growth.
- Mississippi Mississippi: 1 software engineering program, with statewide pay and job growth.
- Arkansas No program in Arkansas is titled software engineering; its guide covers computer science programs and online options.
Frequently asked questions
Can you study software engineering in Louisiana?
No college in Louisiana awards a degree titled software engineering. The state has 20 computer science programs, and software engineering degrees can be taken online from schools elsewhere.
How much does a software engineering degree cost in Louisiana?
Across Louisiana’s public schools in this guide, median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $5,656 for residents and $8,038 for nonresidents. These IPEDS figures exclude fees and housing.
How much do software engineers make in Louisiana?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $102,800 in Louisiana in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $66,350 and the 90th $151,780.
Is Louisiana pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts Louisiana’s prices at 88.2 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $102,800 is worth about $116,550 at national prices.
Can Louisiana 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 Louisiana.
Which schools in Louisiana offer computer science degrees?
Grambling State University, Louisiana Christian University, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College, Louisiana State University-Alexandria, Louisiana State University-Shreveport, Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University, Southeastern Louisiana University and 6 more. This page lists 14 bachelor’s programs and 6 master’s programs in computer science.
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, May 2025: state estimates Employment, median and percentiles in Louisiana for software developers; employment and median for the related occupations, and location quotients. Read .
- 7 BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 National projected growth, 2025 to 2035. Read .
- 8 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by State (SARPP), 2024 All-items and housing price levels for Louisiana (US = 100), used for the price-adjusted median. Read .