Software Engineering Degrees in North Carolina for 2027
North Carolina has 3 programs titled software engineering at 2 schools, and 34 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
3
titled software engineering
ABET-accredited
0
ABET’s list, 2026-09-30
Computer science programs
34
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$134,710
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01North Carolina has 3 degrees titled software engineering, 2 bachelor’s and 1 master’s, at 2 schools, plus 34 computer science programs. East Carolina ranks first among the state’s bachelor’s programs, with a score of 49.7 out of 100, #39 nationally. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page. They are East Carolina’s bachelor’s, East Carolina’s master’s and University of North Carolina Wilmington’s bachelor’s.
02At North Carolina’s public schools, the median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $3,812 in state and $19,065 out of state, so residency saves about $15,253 a year at the median. Private schools had a median of $42,980. These IPEDS figures are one per school and leave out fees, housing and financial aid.
03Software developers in North Carolina earned a median of $134,710 in May 2025, against $135,980 nationally, and half earned between $104,530 and $164,750. The state employed 58,470 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
04Prices in North Carolina were 5.7% below the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 81.4 against a national 100. At national prices, the state’s developer median goes as far as about $142,850. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
05Neighboring states with programs titled software engineering: Georgia (4), South Carolina (2), Virginia (2) and Tennessee (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.
This guide
Studying software engineering in North Carolina
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. North Carolina offers both, and many software engineers hold either one.
What this page covers
Software engineering programs: the 3 bachelor’s and master’s degrees in North Carolina titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the state’s 34 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina: 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
East Carolina: #39 of 75 nationally
East Carolina leads in North Carolina with 49.7 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
East Carolina: #7 of 44 nationally
East Carolina leads in North Carolina with 73.2 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 9.2 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: University of North Carolina Wilmington (no graduates yet to measure). We never score a program on a guess.
Each program is ranked against the others in North Carolina 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 North Carolina
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
2 programs, 1 ranked
#1 in North Carolina
49.7of 100
East Carolina
Greenville, NC
BSCampus
In-state
$4,452
Out-of-state
$20,729
Completion
67%
ECU teaches the software engineering BS on campus, within the College of Engineering and Technology. The degree needs at least 120 semester hours, and you have to earn a C- or better in every SENG and CSCI course that counts toward the major. Forty hours are general education, 45 are software engineering core and 18 are cognates in math and natural science, which include at least one lab course. The core begins with programming and data structures, moves through requirements, architecture, construction and verification, and finishes with project management, ethical and professional issues, and Capstone Project I and II.
Nine hours go to a concentration: Data Science, with Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing and Big Data Analytics, or Mobile and Web Development, with Cloud Computing, Mobile Computing and Web Applications. Fifteen more hours come from CSCI or SENG electives numbered above 2999. A 4+1 pathway is available, and the program says it also prepares you for a master's or doctoral degree. The faculty consult often with industry, and the program describes its class sizes as small.
Not ranked 1 program, each missing something the score needs
Not rankedNo graduates yet to measure
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, NC
BSCampus
In-state
$4,443
Out-of-state
$20,111
Completion
73%
Newer program
UNCW's Bachelor of Science in software engineering starts with foundation skills in computer programming, version control, program verification and the software lifecycle, using real-world tools. Along the way you take an introduction to entrepreneurship, attend seminars with industry experts and complete math and science courses. Upperclassmen study software analysis, construction and security. The curriculum ends with a two-semester capstone in which student teams implement software systems for external clients, and the sample courses include Software Practicum I and II.
Electives in software engineering, computer science and data science let you shape the rest of your plan. Sample courses include Software Engineering Fundamentals, Software Systems Analysis, Object-Oriented Programming and Design, Database Design and Implementation, and Software Construction. The program is open to all UNCW students, so you start by talking to your academic or transfer advisor. The page lists alumni careers as software developers, systems analysts, DevOps engineers and quality assurance testers, and its stated learning goals include teamwork across multidisciplinary projects, ethical responsibility and leadership.
Master’s in software engineering
1 program
#1 in North Carolina
73.2of 100
East Carolina
Greenville, NC
MSOnline
Tuition
$4,749
Out-of-state
$17,898
Grads/yr
5.7
East Carolina University's Master of Science in Software Engineering is a hybrid program, offered on campus and online, and online and on-campus students share each course. You complete three required courses covering the foundations of software engineering, testing and project management. Then you build the rest of your plan from electives in the software engineering program and the computer science department, on topics such as machine learning, network security and database management. You finish with either a final individual project or a faculty-led thesis. The curriculum introduces object-oriented design, software systems architecture, software testing, cloud computing and project management.
ECU offers a traditional and a nontraditional path, so you can enter with or without a computing degree. Applicants meet the Graduate School requirements, and acceptance rests on undergraduate grades and letters of reference. A degree in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, information systems or a related field is recommended. The program admissions committee evaluates applicants from other disciplines, or with limited technical expertise, case by case. Online applicants from outside North Carolina need ECU to hold authorization from their state of residence where it is required. Faculty research areas include bioinformatics, data science, programming languages, intelligent systems and cryptography.
Compare
North Carolina software engineering programs side by side
North Carolina 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 · 2 programs, 1 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 North Carolina’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 North Carolina
25 schools, 34 programs in the table below.
Computer science is the neighboring degree, and many software engineers hold it. 1 program names a software engineering track, tagged below. 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 North Carolina
Public, in-state
$3,812
median of 13 schools
Public, out-of-state
$19,065
median of 13 schools
Private
$42,980
median of 10 schools
Living in North Carolina is worth about $15,253 a year in tuition at the median public school, the gap between the two public medians. Over a four-year degree that is roughly $61,012, before any change in rates.
Prices in North Carolina were 94.3 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 81.4, 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 23 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 North Carolina
North Carolina employed 58,470 software developers in May 2025. Its location quotient for the occupation is 1.09: 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, North Carolina. 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, 2 are in North Carolina. 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 North Carolina
$83,84010th
$104,53025th
$134,710median
$164,75075th
$179,31090th
Software developers, North Carolina, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The state median is $134,710, $1,270 below the national $135,980. Half of the state’s software developers earn between $104,530 and $164,750.
BEA puts prices in North Carolina at 94.3 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $142,850 would nationally, $6,870 more than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Online options
Online software engineering degrees for North Carolina residents
If no program in North Carolina fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living in North Carolina.
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 North Carolina?
3 degrees titled software engineering, 2 bachelor’s and 1 master’s, at 2 schools. 0 of them are on ABET’s accredited list.
What is the best software engineering school in North Carolina?
East Carolina ranks first of the 1 ranked bachelor’s programs in North Carolina, with a score of 49.7 out of 100 (#39 nationally). The score combines completion, net price, ABET accreditation and program size.
How much does a software engineering degree cost in North Carolina?
Across North Carolina’s public schools in this guide, median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $3,812 for residents and $19,065 for nonresidents; at private schools the median was $42,980. These IPEDS figures exclude fees and housing.
How much do software engineers make in North Carolina?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $134,710 in North Carolina in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $83,840 and the 90th $179,310.
Is North Carolina pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts North Carolina’s prices at 94.3 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $134,710 is worth about $142,850 at national prices.
Can North Carolina 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 North Carolina.
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 .
