Software Engineering Degrees in Minnesota for 2027
Minnesota has 6 programs titled software engineering at 5 schools, and 31 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
6
titled software engineering
ABET-accredited
0
ABET’s list, 2026-09-30
Computer science programs
31
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$130,050
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01Minnesota has 6 degrees titled software engineering, 4 bachelor’s and 2 master’s, at 5 schools, plus 31 computer science programs. St. Cloud State ranks first among the state’s bachelor’s programs, with a score of 47.5 out of 100, #40 nationally. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page.
02At Minnesota’s public schools, the median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $8,917 in state and $10,321 out of state, so residency saves about $1,404 a year at the median. Private schools had a median of $44,225. These IPEDS figures are one per school and leave out fees, housing and financial aid.
03Software developers in Minnesota earned a median of $130,050 in May 2025, against $135,980 nationally, and half earned between $101,670 and $156,750. The state employed 35,890 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
04Prices in Minnesota were 1.4% below the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 91.3 against a national 100. At national prices, the state’s developer median goes as far as about $131,900. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
05Neighboring states with programs titled software engineering: Wisconsin (5), Iowa (3) and North Dakota (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.
This guide
Studying software engineering in Minnesota
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. Minnesota offers both, and many software engineers hold either one.
What this page covers
Software engineering programs: the 6 bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Minnesota titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the state’s 31 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota: 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
St. Cloud State: #40 of 75 nationally
St. Cloud State leads in Minnesota with 47.5 out of 100
Across the country the median bachelor’s score is 56.7 and the highest is 87.0. Its biggest gap is ABET accreditation, 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
St. Cloud State: #19 of 44 nationally
St. Cloud State leads in Minnesota with 53.3 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 6.3 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: Minnesota State University-Mankato (no graduates yet to measure). We never score a program on a guess.
Each program is ranked against the others in Minnesota 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 Minnesota
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
4 programs, 3 ranked
#1 in Minnesota
47.5of 100
St. Cloud State
Saint Cloud, MN
BSOnline
In-state
$8,811
Out-of-state
$8,811
Completion
51%
Largest bachelor’s program in Minnesota by graduates a year
St. Cloud State University's Software Engineering BS is a project-driven degree. You complete significant projects every semester, building communication, teamwork, critical thinking and professionalism. The program blends engineering principles, computing skills, project management and software construction, and you are exposed to technologies for game design, mobile and web application development, big data analytics and software cybersecurity. The curriculum was developed in collaboration with industry.
The same faculty teach it face to face and online, and an accelerated online version of the BS is a separate path. Faculty hold terminal degrees as well as professional experience in software engineering. The page describes the BS as one of only two programs of its kind in the Minnesota State system. Student groups include the Student Organization for Software Engineering and the Computer Science Club. Careers listed include software analyst, systems analyst, software architect, software developer and software programmer.
#2 in Minnesota
44.8of 100
Minnesota-Crookston
Crookston, MN
BSCampus + online
In-state
$11,478
Out-of-state
$11,478
Completion
52%
Online
Lowest in-state tuition of Minnesota’s 4 bachelor’s programs
UMN Crookston offers software engineering as a Bachelor of Science, both on campus and online. The program pairs software engineering theory with applied projects throughout a standardized curriculum. You choose an area of emphasis: Gaming, 3D Modeling and Simulation, Network-centric Systems, or Financial and E-commerce Systems. You also get access to a collaborative learning and experiential applied research lab for undergraduates and to industry software. Electives include E-Business, Data Warehouse and Mining, Gaming and Game Development, 3D Simulation Programming and Website Development.
You can add a minor in information technology management or in cybersecurity and information assurance. By graduation you're expected to work alone and on a team to deliver quality software, find workable compromises between cost, time and existing systems, and design solutions that account for ethical, social, legal and economic concerns. The program names careers such as database administrator, network systems analyst and computer software engineer, and says interns and graduates have landed jobs at Amazon, NASA, Thrivent Financial, Microsoft and Medtronic. UMN Crookston is a laptop university, and every on-campus degree-seeking student is issued one.
#3 in Minnesota
31.5of 100
Bethel University
Saint Paul, MN
BSCampus
In-state
$42,760
Out-of-state
$42,760
Completion
73%
Highest school graduation rate of the 3 bachelor’s programs in Minnesota with a federal figure
Three credit engineering design project is required
Bethel's software engineering major is 67 credits inside a 122 credit degree, with 44 to 52 credits of general education. The department sets it apart from its computer science degree by focusing on what it takes to build software in practice, from its applications to its real-world challenges. Required computing courses are Introduction to Programming, Data Structures, Computer Systems, Software Development Fundamentals, Database Systems, Computer Security, Organization of Programming Languages, Data Communications and Computer Networks, Software Process, Humans and Computers and a Software Engineering course, plus nine credits of electives at the 300 level or above.
The math is Calculus 1, Linear Algebra, Introduction to Proofs and Mathematics of Computer Science, and calculus placement comes from the department's placement exam. Engineering and project work adds Classic Project Management, Introduction to Engineering, an Engineering Design Seminar and a three credit Engineering Design Project. You work in C/C++ and Java, along with web development and computer graphics, and advanced topics include artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. The catalog bars you from declaring the major together with a computer science minor or an engineering minor, though a second major or another minor is possible. Beyond coursework, you can join faculty research, work as a peer tutor or student grader, take a job in the university IT department, or complete an internship.
Not ranked 1 program, each missing something the score needs
Not rankedNo graduates yet to measure
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Mankato, MN
BSCampus
In-state
$8,356
Out-of-state
$17,726
Completion
56%
Newer program
At Minnesota State University, Mankato, the software engineering BS is an upper-division program. You enter after two years of study, either at Mankato or elsewhere, and the 2025-2026 catalog lists 128 total credits with 106 of them in the major. The program is built around learning in a work-based setting with industry partners. Every semester you either hold a paid co-op placement with an employer or join an industry-sponsored project, and either way you do real work as part of a team. The software engineering core courses, including Introduction to Software Engineering and Introduction to Software Quality and Testing, require admission to the program.
SE Professionalism courses run alongside your placements, and the degree ends with a two-course capstone, Software Engineering Capstone 1 and 2, where you work on teams in industry or with industry clients. You take 12 credits of unrestricted major electives, and up to three of those can be computer science courses. The math prerequisites include Calculus I and II, Linear Algebra I, two Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science courses and Concepts of Probability and Statistics. You also choose at least 8 credits of science electives from biology, chemistry, geology or physics, and you take a technical communication course.
Master’s in software engineering
2 programs
#1 in Minnesota
53.3of 100
St. Cloud State
Saint Cloud, MN
MSOnline
Tuition
$9,300
Out-of-state
$14,130
Grads/yr
2.7
Online
The only master’s program in Minnesota offered online
St. Cloud State's Professional Science Master's in Software Engineering is delivered fully online. It's meant for professionals in computing who want to update or upgrade their credentials, and it covers designing, constructing, analyzing, testing, deploying and maintaining software systems, plus managing software projects. About 20 percent of the courses come from the MBA, so you pick up management work next to the engineering, and industry experience can count toward credit. Faculty hold terminal degrees and industry experience, and an industry advisory board regularly reviews the program. You also get access to the Integrated Science and Engineering Laboratory Facility.
Admission expects two years of computing work after your undergraduate degree, or full-time employment with a U.S.-based organization. If you don't have that, you complete one full-time internship during the program, separate from the capstone project. International applicants must score 100 on the TOEFL to be admitted unconditionally, and IELTS is accepted too. You can skip the GRE if you have two years of recent full-time computing experience or an earlier graduate degree. Your file includes a statement of intent, a resume, transcripts and three recommendations. The program starts each fall and spring, and there is no summer start.
#2 in Minnesota
51.6of 100
Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN
MSCampus
Tuition
$19,116
Out-of-state
$29,580
Grads/yr
12.7
One all-day class session per week, Friday or Saturday
Minnesota's MSSE is a 30 credit degree with a fixed curriculum for the first three semesters and electives in the fourth, which can include an optional independent project. Graduation takes 30 semester credits and satisfactory performance on an independent project. Courses include Software Engineering I on requirements and modeling, Software Design, Software Architecture, Data Modeling, Software Testing and Verification, Quality Assurance and Process Improvement, and Software Project Management, which covers both traditional and Agile methodology. Four half-day Industrial Seminars run each fall, generally on Saturdays.
The schedule suits working professionals: you come to campus one full day a week, alternating Fridays and Saturdays, with an 8:00am start. Admission asks for a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field such as mathematics or electrical engineering, plus some professional work experience in software development, which can be an internship. A 3.0 undergraduate GPA is preferred. You submit two letters of recommendation, a personal statement, official transcripts and a resume. Tuition follows the University-wide model for graduate and professional programs. The program is not accepting applications while it is revamped.
Compare
Minnesota software engineering programs side by side
Minnesota 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 · 4 programs, 3 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 Minnesota’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 Minnesota
26 schools, 28 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 Minnesota State University-Mankato, Minnesota-Duluth and St. Cloud State.
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 Minnesota
Public, in-state
$8,917
median of 10 schools
Public, out-of-state
$10,321
median of 10 schools
Private
$44,225
median of 16 schools
Living in Minnesota is worth about $1,404 a year in tuition at the median public school, the gap between the two public medians. Over a four-year degree that is roughly $5,616, before any change in rates.
Prices in Minnesota were 98.6 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 91.3, 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 26 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 Minnesota
Minnesota employed 35,890 software developers in May 2025. Its location quotient for the occupation is 1.12: the jobs are more 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, Minnesota. 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 Minnesota. 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 Minnesota
$79,90010th
$101,67025th
$130,050median
$156,75075th
$169,81090th
Software developers, Minnesota, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The state median is $130,050, $5,930 below the national $135,980. Half of the state’s software developers earn between $101,670 and $156,750.
BEA puts prices in Minnesota at 98.6 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $131,900 would nationally, $4,080 less than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Online options
Online software engineering degrees for Minnesota residents
If no program in Minnesota fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living in Minnesota.
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 Minnesota?
6 degrees titled software engineering, 4 bachelor’s and 2 master’s, at 5 schools. 0 of them are on ABET’s accredited list.
What is the best software engineering school in Minnesota?
St. Cloud State ranks first of the 3 ranked bachelor’s programs in Minnesota, with a score of 47.5 out of 100 (#40 nationally). The score combines completion, net price, ABET accreditation and program size.
How much does a software engineering degree cost in Minnesota?
Across Minnesota’s public schools in this guide, median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $8,917 for residents and $10,321 for nonresidents; at private schools the median was $44,225. These IPEDS figures exclude fees and housing.
How much do software engineers make in Minnesota?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $130,050 in Minnesota in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $79,900 and the 90th $169,810.
Is Minnesota pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts Minnesota’s prices at 98.6 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $130,050 is worth about $131,900 at national prices.
Can Minnesota 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 Minnesota.
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 .
