Software Engineering Degrees in Pennsylvania for 2027
Pennsylvania has 9 programs titled software engineering at 8 schools, 3 accredited by ABET, and 57 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
9
titled software engineering
ABET-accredited
3
ABET’s list, 2026-09-30
Computer science programs
57
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$126,550
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01Pennsylvania has 9 degrees titled software engineering, 5 bachelor’s and 4 master’s, at 8 schools, plus 57 computer science programs. 3 of the software engineering programs are on ABET’s accredited list. Shippensburg ranks first among the state’s bachelor’s programs, with a score of 65.7 out of 100, #22 nationally. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page.
02At Pennsylvania’s public schools, the median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $14,624 in state and $24,808 out of state, so residency saves about $10,184 a year at the median. Private schools had a median of $50,600. These IPEDS figures are one per school and leave out fees, housing and financial aid.
03Software developers in Pennsylvania earned a median of $126,550 in May 2025, against $135,980 nationally, and half earned between $98,590 and $158,390. The state employed 55,920 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
04Prices in Pennsylvania were 2.4% below the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 85.1 against a national 100. At national prices, the state’s developer median goes as far as about $129,660. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
05Neighboring states with programs titled software engineering: Ohio (7), New York (6), New Jersey (4) and West Virginia (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 Pennsylvania
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. Pennsylvania offers both, and many software engineers hold either one.
What this page covers
Software engineering programs: the 9 bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Pennsylvania titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the state’s 57 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania: 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
Shippensburg: #22 of 75 nationally
Shippensburg leads in Pennsylvania with 65.7 out of 100
Across the country the median bachelor’s score is 56.7 and the highest is 87.0. Its biggest gap is cost, where it earns 10 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
Scranton: #17 of 44 nationally
Scranton leads in Pennsylvania with 56.4 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 9.4 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
5 programs
#1 in Pennsylvania
65.7of 100
Shippensburg
Shippensburg, PA
BSCampus
In-state
$9,570
Out-of-state
$11,574
Completion
58%
✓ ABET-accredited
4+1 path to a BS plus an MS in leadership
Shippensburg's BS in Software Engineering carries ABET accreditation from its Engineering Accreditation Commission, which the page says makes it one of only three such programs in Pennsylvania. Course titles include Design Patterns, Large Scale Architectures and Extreme Programming, plus Intro to Software Engineering, Crafting Quality Code, Functional Data Structures and Interdisciplinary Development. Engineering seminars II and III and Managing Development Processes sit beside them. You also take Design and Analysis of Algorithms, Database Management Systems, Computer Organization and Operating Systems, so the degree leans on computer science and computer engineering.
Math is heavier than a general computing degree: MATH 211 and MATH 225 satisfy general education, and Probability and Statistics for Engineers is required. You then pick ten more credits of math and science, including options like Elementary Linear Algebra and Data Science I. Four elective credits come from upper-level computing courses. A 4+1 option lets you finish the BS and an MS in Organizational Development and Leadership with one extra year. The page says the program trains you in version control, risk assessment and modular design.
#2 in Pennsylvania
62.5of 100
Penn State Behrend
Erie, PA
BSCampus
In-state
$15,388
Out-of-state
$26,112
Completion
49%
✓ ABET-accredited
Lowest in-state tuition of Pennsylvania’s 5 bachelor’s programs
Minors in game development and MIS fit in four years
Penn State Behrend's BS in Software Engineering is the one undergraduate software engineering major across Penn State, offered at the Erie campus and through World Campus. The degree takes a minimum of 126 credits. You enter the major in two steps: to get in, you need a 2.0 cumulative GPA and a C or better in CHEM 110, MATH 140, MATH 141 and PHYS 211. Only students accepted through that entrance-to-major process may register for third- and fourth-year courses.
Behrend says your studies cover programming languages and data structures, then networking, databases and quality. The suggested plan has SWENG 480 and 481 in the fourth year, and the program ends in a capstone design project built by student teams. You choose technical electives too: at least two primary ones and at most one secondary. Internships, SWENG 395 and 495, appear on the secondary list. Four minors overlap the major's courses and fit in four years: computer science, game development, MIS and mathematics.
#3 in Pennsylvania
61.4of 100
Gannon
Erie, PA
BSCampus
In-state
$36,865
Out-of-state
$36,865
Completion
65%
✓ ABET-accredited
Junior year study in Germany, no language course
Gannon's Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering is taught in Erie and accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The page says you will study project planning, requirements, design, testing and quality assurance, and code in multiple programming languages and platforms. Named courses include The User Experience, Mobile Application Development I and II, and Software Maintenance and Deployment, where project work deploys a refactored software product. The program is project-based, with independent and cross-disciplinary development projects.
You can also study in Germany during your junior year with no prior language course required. For admission, Gannon recommends 16 academic units. For science and engineering that means four units of math including geometry, trigonometry and pre-calculus, and four units of science with biology, chemistry and physics labs. The degree builds on algorithms, database, web and mobile development, and it lists a dual computer science and software engineering program as a related option. Stated outcomes include working effectively on a team and conducting experimentation.
#4 in Pennsylvania
36.6of 100
Drexel
Philadelphia, PA
BSCampus
In-state
$58,293
Out-of-state
$58,293
Completion
73%
Highest school graduation rate of Pennsylvania’s 5 bachelor’s programs
Choice of five-year, three co-op or four-year path
Drexel's BS in Software Engineering runs on the quarter calendar and requires a minimum of 187 credits. You pick one of two co-op paths: five years with three co-ops, or four years with one. Co-op cycles are assigned by program and major, so your co-op term may not match the sample plan. The core courses cover programming and development tools, specification and design, software architecture, verification and validation, software evolution and team projects. Required software courses include Introduction to Requirements Engineering, Software Design, Software Architecture, Software Verification and Validation and Software Evolution.
You also take Data Structures, Systems Programming, Computer Networks, Database Management Systems and Software Project Management, plus three terms of Calculus, Discrete Mathematics and two statistics courses. Science is a lab sequence of 18 credits in biology, chemistry or physics. Eighteen credits of computing and informatics electives and 12 free elective credits give you room to steer. The degree finishes with a full-year software team capstone project, the three-term Senior Project sequence.
#5 in Pennsylvania
35.2of 100
Penn State World Campus
University Park, PA
BSOnline
In-state
$15,204
Out-of-state
$15,204
Completion
40%
Online
Largest bachelor’s program in Pennsylvania by graduates a year
100% online with spring, summer and fall starts
Penn State World Campus offers the BS in Software Engineering 100% online, in partnership with the Behrend School of Engineering, and it is ABET accredited. It requires 126 credits at $644 or $692 per credit, depending on whether you have 59 or fewer credits or 60 or more. You can start in spring, summer or fall. You apply as a high school graduate or GED holder, then complete entrance-to-major requirements in your first semesters.
Transfer students with under 45 credits need a 2.7 GPA, eight credits of calculus, four of calculus-based physics and four of chemistry with a lab. The math load runs through differential equations. Software courses include Object-Oriented Software Design and Construction, Software Architecture, and Software Verification, Validation, and Testing, and a real-time embedded systems course. In your senior year, SWENG 480 and 481 form the capstone, an industry-sponsored design project. Courses follow a 12- to 15-week cycle, and many students take one or two per semester.
Master’s in software engineering
4 programs
#1 in Pennsylvania
56.4of 100
Scranton
Scranton, PA
MSCampus
Tuition
$11,580
Out-of-state
$11,580
Grads/yr
6
Lowest tuition of Pennsylvania’s 4 master’s programs
Every student completes a team style thesis project
Scranton's MS in Software Engineering is a 36-credit, on-campus degree that averages two years. Tuition is listed at $965 per credit, which the page totals to $34,740 before fees. Credits break into 12 in fundamentals, nine in advanced courses, nine in electives and six in thesis work. Fundamentals include Mathematics for Software Engineering and Formal Methods and Models, alongside a requirements and specification course. Advanced courses include Software Project Management and Software Security.
Every student completes a thesis project, often as a team, that follows software from inception and design through implementation, testing and deployment. A computer science bachelor's is preferred but not required. You need a 3.0 undergraduate GPA, or you may be asked for a GRE or GMAT score, plus one recommendation letter, a resume and a personal statement. You should arrive knowing object-oriented programming, plus operating systems, discrete math, data structures and file processing, and databases. Domestic applicants lacking that background may be admitted conditionally. Students can use Windows, Linux and FreeBSD systems.
#2 in Pennsylvania
40.2of 100
Carnegie Mellon
Pittsburgh, PA
MSOnline
Tuition
$48,496
Out-of-state
$48,496
Grads/yr
184.7
Largest master’s program in Pennsylvania by graduates a year
Studio capstone split into 36 and 24 unit courses
Carnegie Mellon's Master of Software Engineering is run by the Software and Societal Systems Department in Pittsburgh. The program page calls it on campus and 20 or 24 months full-time, while the plan of study page says 16 to 20 months, so ask which applies to you. Part-time options exist for working professionals. You take four traditional semesters, plus a summer internship if you want one. That totals 201 units without the internship and 204 with it, and the program begins in the fall.
Fall courses include Fundamentals of AI for SE, Software Specifications and Software Quality Engineering, and two Communications for Software Leaders courses run across the first year. Agile Methods can cover both the requirements and management core, but then you add one more software engineering elective. The capstone is Studio: a 36-unit Studio I and a 24-unit Studio II, where you manage a project for a real industrial customer. The internship course is three units and non-tuition bearing. Cohorts are kept small, and the page describes the degree as meant for experienced and aspiring software developers.
#3 in Pennsylvania
39.2of 100
Drexel
Philadelphia, PA
MSCampus + online
Tuition
$36,234
Out-of-state
$36,234
Grads/yr
27.7
Online
The only master’s program in Pennsylvania offered online
Built around AI-assisted development practices
Drexel's MS in Software Engineering is built around AI-assisted development, with weight on architectural modeling, design decisions, trade-off evaluation and quality assurance. Philadelphia and online options both exist, each open to full-time and part-time students. Teams do one intensive, real-world project in the Software Studio capstone. A graduate co-op exists, but only for full-time students who start on campus. The online program is not eligible, and spring entry can't do co-op either.
Terms start in September, January and March, with no summer start. Students can start in fall, winter or spring. You need a four-year bachelor's degree, and if your degree is in another field, expect extra prerequisites before advanced courses. The application asks for a roughly 500-word essay, a resume and one recommendation letter, with two preferred. The GRE is strongly advised for international applicants and for domestic applicants with a GPA under 3.0. The application fee is $65.
#4 in Pennsylvania
38.0of 100
Villanova
Villanova, PA
MSCampus
Tuition
$21,261
Out-of-state
$21,261
Grads/yr
13.7
Grand Challenges project with an advisor you arrange
Villanova's MS in Software Engineering takes ten three-credit courses. Requirements Engineering, Software Design and Evolution and Software Engineering are among the required six, with Computer Systems, Database Systems and Programming for Machine Learning. The other four are electives. One elective is a thesis course, CSC 9030, which extends the Grand Challenges coursework into a full master's thesis and suits you if you may go on to a doctorate. Grand Challenges is an independent project with an advisor you arrange yourself, and the page estimates about 150 hours of work.
You can add a practicum track with a one-credit course, CSC 8990, but it requires work experience in a related field. Admission needs a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited school with at least a 3.0 GPA. You also need proficiency in a language like Java, C++ or C, plus computer organization or architecture, operating systems, discrete structures, two semesters of calculus, and probability and statistics. Prerequisites can be finished at any accredited college, including a community college, or through Villanova's part-time studies.
Compare
Pennsylvania software engineering programs side by side
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania’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 Pennsylvania
48 schools, 56 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 Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.
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 Pennsylvania
Public, in-state
$14,624
median of 10 schools
Public, out-of-state
$24,808
median of 10 schools
Private
$50,600
median of 37 schools
Living in Pennsylvania is worth about $10,184 a year in tuition at the median public school, the gap between the two public medians. Over a four-year degree that is roughly $40,736, before any change in rates.
Prices in Pennsylvania were 97.6 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 85.1, 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 47 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 Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania employed 55,920 software developers in May 2025. Its location quotient for the occupation is 0.85: 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, Pennsylvania. 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 Pennsylvania. 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 Pennsylvania
$77,75010th
$98,59025th
$126,550median
$158,39075th
$178,08090th
Software developers, Pennsylvania, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The state median is $126,550, $9,430 below the national $135,980. Half of the state’s software developers earn between $98,590 and $158,390.
BEA puts prices in Pennsylvania at 97.6 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $129,660 would nationally, $6,320 less than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Online options
Online software engineering degrees for Pennsylvania residents
If no program in Pennsylvania fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living in Pennsylvania.
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 Pennsylvania?
9 degrees titled software engineering, 5 bachelor’s and 4 master’s, at 8 schools. 3 of them are on ABET’s accredited list.
What is the best software engineering school in Pennsylvania?
Shippensburg ranks first of the 5 ranked bachelor’s programs in Pennsylvania, with a score of 65.7 out of 100 (#22 nationally). The score combines completion, net price, ABET accreditation and program size.
Which software engineering programs in Pennsylvania are ABET-accredited?
Gannon (bachelor’s), Penn State Behrend (bachelor’s) and Shippensburg (bachelor’s), according to ABET’s accredited program list retrieved 2026-09-30.
How much does a software engineering degree cost in Pennsylvania?
Across Pennsylvania’s public schools in this guide, median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $14,624 for residents and $24,808 for nonresidents; at private schools the median was $50,600. These IPEDS figures exclude fees and housing.
How much do software engineers make in Pennsylvania?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $126,550 in Pennsylvania in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $77,750 and the 90th $178,080.
Is Pennsylvania pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts Pennsylvania’s prices at 97.6 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $126,550 is worth about $129,660 at national prices.
Can Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania.
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 .
