Software Engineering and Computer Science Degrees Near Columbus for 2027

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 inside Columbus’s city limits awards the first, so this guide covers the area’s computer science programs and the software engineering degrees taught online.

Computer science programs nearby (4 schools)

City limits: Census TIGER incorporated place boundaries; campus locations: IPEDS 2024. Distances are straight-line miles from the city’s Census internal point, rounded.

Computer science is the neighboring degree, and many software engineers hold it. 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.

The Columbus, OH metro area employed 9,880 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, Columbus, OH. 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.

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 Columbus, OH metro area.

The first three of those industries employ 2.1% 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, 13,336, while software publishers pays the most per employee, $141,800.

Businesses, employees (mid-March) and annual payroll: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, metropolitan areas and United States (cbp23msa, cbp23us), private sector, Columbus, OH metro area; payroll per employee covers every job in the industry, not only developers.

The metro area’s median is $122,340, $13,640 below the national $135,980. Half of the metro area’s software developers earn between $100,010 and $140,260.

BEA puts prices in the Columbus, OH metro area at 95.5 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $128,100 would nationally, $7,880 less than the national median.

BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025.

The path to software engineering near Columbus 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 Columbus’s options in each.

1. 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. No bachelor’s around Columbus is titled software engineering, but you’ve got six computer science bachelor’s programs across the metro, including Franklin University, Ohio Dominican University, Capital University and three more, and employers hire from both. Before you fall for one, compare tuition and ask each school what fees add on top.

2. 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 Columbus, computer science is the route, with seven programs across the metro, at Franklin University, Ohio Dominican University, Capital University and three more. Put Franklin University’s and Ohio Dominican University’s course lists side by side and look for the one with more hands-on software courses. Compare them.

3. 3

   Build experience before you graduate

   Internships are often what turn a degree into a job offer. When you talk to Franklin University and Ohio Dominican University, ask how they connect students with internships. Look for a capstone where you build real software with a team; it gives you something concrete to talk about in interviews. With 1,021 computer systems design firms in the metro, a summer role close to home is realistic.

4. 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 Columbus is Miami University’s bachelor’s in Oxford, about 99 miles away. Check any program’s accreditation before you apply.

5. 5

   Look for your first job nearby

   The Columbus area had 9,880 software developers in May 2025, earning a median of $122,340. The biggest software industries here are computer systems design (13,336 jobs) and software publishing (3,845 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.

The closest route to a software engineering degree from Columbus is online. These are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living near Columbus.

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.

• All of Ohio› Ohio: all 7 software engineering programs, with statewide pay and job growth.
• Cincinnati› 2 programs titled software engineering in the Cincinnati metro area and 1 computer science program in the city, with local pay from BLS.
• Cleveland› 2 programs titled software engineering in the Cleveland metro area and 4 computer science programs in the city, with local pay from BLS.

• Software Engineering Programs by State› All 50 states and DC, with the number of software engineering programs in each.
• Software Engineering Programs by City› The 50 largest metro areas, with the software engineering and computer science programs in each.
• Best Bachelor’s in Software Engineering› The national ranking of 75 bachelor’s programs, scored on completion, net price, ABET status and size.
• Best Online Software Engineering Degrees› Software engineering degrees you can finish online, from any state.
• Software Engineering vs. Computer Science› How the two degrees differ, and which programs offer each.
• Software Engineer Salary› What software developers earn in every state, the top metros and the top industries, from BLS.
• Software Engineering Degrees in Ohio› All 7 software engineering programs in Ohio, with statewide cost, pay and job growth.