Software Engineering Degrees in North Dakota for 2027
North Dakota has 3 programs titled software engineering at 2 schools, and 6 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
6
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$105,600
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01North Dakota has 3 degrees titled software engineering, 2 bachelor’s and 1 master’s, at 2 schools, plus 6 computer science programs. Valley City State ranks first among the state’s bachelor’s programs, with a score of 41.1 out of 100, #45 nationally. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page. They are North Dakota State’s bachelor’s, North Dakota State’s master’s and Valley City State’s bachelor’s.
02At North Dakota’s public schools, the median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $9,237 in state and $13,856 out of state, so residency saves about $4,619 a year at the median. These IPEDS figures are one per school and leave out fees, housing and financial aid.
03Software developers in North Dakota earned a median of $105,600 in May 2025, against $135,980 nationally, and half earned between $78,870 and $126,510. The state employed 1,450 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
04Prices in North Dakota were 11.0% below the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 71.4 against a national 100. At national prices, the state’s developer median goes as far as about $118,650. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
05Neighboring states with programs titled software engineering: Minnesota (6) and Montana (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 Dakota
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 Dakota 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 Dakota titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the state’s 6 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 Dakota 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 Dakota: 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
Valley City State: #45 of 75 nationally
Valley City State leads in North Dakota with 41.1 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
North Dakota State: #15 of 44 nationally
North Dakota State leads in North Dakota with 58.9 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 11.9 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.
Each program is ranked against the others in North Dakota 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 Dakota
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
2 programs
#1 in North Dakota
41.1of 100
Valley City State
Valley City, ND
BSCampus
In-state
$6,619
Out-of-state
$11,583
Completion
51%
Valley City State University offers software engineering as a composite major in the Computer Systems and Software Engineering Department, awarded as a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. The degree totals 120 hours: 39 hours of general education and 68 hours of major requirements. Required courses include Software Design and Architecture, Software Quality Assurance and Testing, Systems Analysis and Design, Project Management, Database Theory/Design, Computer Organization & Systems, and Data Structures, alongside discrete mathematics and applied probability and statistics.
In your senior year you take a three-credit capstone course, where you work in a group on a significant project that covers requirements, design, human factors, professionalism, and project management. You choose 12 credits of directed electives from three options: an enterprise systems cognate built around customer relationship management software, a science cognate, or internships. Academic certificates in areas such as Cybersecurity, Game Design and Development, Enterprise Applications, and Software Development can be added to the major, and students can join the Association for Computing Machinery chapter or the esports club.
#2 in North Dakota
38.7of 100
North Dakota State
Fargo, ND
BSCampus + online
In-state
$9,309
Out-of-state
$13,963
Completion
65%
Online
The only bachelor’s program in North Dakota offered online
Two departments share this degree: computer science and electrical and computer engineering teach it jointly at North Dakota State University in Fargo. The coursework builds a foundation in mathematics, physics, software design, circuit theory and engineering principles.
Students choose on-campus or online delivery, and each works with a dedicated academic advisor to create a personalized plan. Alongside the major, the university offers an undergraduate software engineering certificate in both formats. The program page points to careers such as software engineer, software developer, DevOps engineer and full stack developer.
Master’s in software engineering
1 program
#1 in North Dakota
58.9of 100
North Dakota State
Fargo, ND
MSCampus + online
Tuition
$7,585
Out-of-state
$11,377
Grads/yr
10.7
Online
Finishing this degree on your own timeline is possible at North Dakota State University, which offers the Master of Software Engineering online as well as on campus. The program goes past programming to a full, disciplined approach to software development and lifecycle management, from requirements gathering and design to testing, maintenance and project management. The curriculum builds skills in software design, software testing, project planning and more, with a strong emphasis on methodologies, tools and real-world application.
Advanced coursework is paired with hands-on experience, and you can collaborate with researchers on pressing problems in the field. Three graduate certificates sit alongside the degree, each on campus or online: building software projects, fundamentals of software engineering, and management of software engineering projects. Various departments offer graduate assistantships to help cover costs, and each student works with a dedicated academic advisor on a personalized plan.
Compare
North Dakota software engineering programs side by side
North Dakota 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; 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 Dakota’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 Dakota
3 schools 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: bachelor’s at Rasmussen University-North Dakota; master’s at North Dakota State and University of North Dakota.
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.
Cost
What it costs in North Dakota
Public, in-state
$9,237
median of 3 schools
Public, out-of-state
$13,856
median of 3 schools
Living in North Dakota is worth about $4,619 a year in tuition at the median public school, the gap between the two public medians. Over a four-year degree that is roughly $18,476, before any change in rates.
Prices in North Dakota were 89 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 71.4, 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 4 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 Dakota
North Dakota employed 1,450 software developers in May 2025. Its location quotient for the occupation is 0.31: 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.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, North Dakota. Location quotient: the state’s share of employment in the occupation divided by the national share (1.0 = the national rate); – means no published figure. Growth: BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35, national.
Pay
What software developers earn in North Dakota
$62,90010th
$78,87025th
$105,600median
$126,51075th
$158,06090th
Software developers, North Dakota, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The state median is $105,600, $30,380 below the national $135,980. Half of the state’s software developers earn between $78,870 and $126,510.
BEA puts prices in North Dakota at 89 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $118,650 would nationally, $17,330 less than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Online options
Online software engineering degrees for North Dakota residents
If no program in North Dakota fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living in North Dakota.
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 Dakota?
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 Dakota?
Valley City State ranks first of the 2 ranked bachelor’s programs in North Dakota, with a score of 41.1 out of 100 (#45 nationally). The score combines completion, net price, ABET accreditation and program size.
How much does a software engineering degree cost in North Dakota?
Across North Dakota’s public schools in this guide, median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $9,237 for residents and $13,856 for nonresidents. These IPEDS figures exclude fees and housing.
How much do software engineers make in North Dakota?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $105,600 in North Dakota in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $62,900 and the 90th $158,060.
Is North Dakota pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts North Dakota’s prices at 89 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $105,600 is worth about $118,650 at national prices.
Can North Dakota 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 Dakota.
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 .
