Software Engineering Degrees in South Carolina for 2027
South Carolina has 2 programs titled software engineering at 2 schools, and 16 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
2
titled software engineering
ABET-accredited
0
ABET’s list, 2026-09-30
Computer science programs
16
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$129,450
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01South Carolina has 2 degrees titled software engineering, 1 bachelor’s and 1 master’s, at 2 schools, plus 16 computer science programs. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page. They are College of Charleston’s bachelor’s and University of South Carolina’s master’s.
02Software developers in South Carolina earned a median of $129,450 in May 2025, against $135,980 nationally, and half earned between $95,750 and $167,750. The state employed 13,230 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
03Prices in South Carolina were 6.3% below the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 80.5 against a national 100. At national prices, the state’s developer median goes as far as about $138,150. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
04Neighboring states with programs titled software engineering: Georgia (4) and North Carolina (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.
05If nothing in South Carolina fits, the degree can be taken online. The highest-scoring online programs in our rankings are Kennesaw State’s bachelor’s, at 72.5 out of 100, and Kennesaw State’s master’s, at 67.6. Check with each school that it enrolls students living where you do before you apply.
This guide
Studying software engineering in South 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. South Carolina offers both, and many software engineers hold either one.
What this page covers
Software engineering programs: the 2 bachelor’s and master’s degrees in South Carolina titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the state’s 16 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.
SE programs
Software engineering programs in South Carolina
Each program is ranked against the others in South 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 South Carolina
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
1 program, none ranked
Not ranked 1 program, each missing something the score needs
Not rankedNo graduates yet to measure
College of Charleston
Charleston, SC
BSCampus
In-state
$12,518
Out-of-state
$36,398
Completion
65%
Newer program
The College of Charleston's software engineering B.S. is run as a partnership between the School of Languages, Cultures and World Affairs and the School of Sciences and Mathematics. The program combines three parts: a core of foundational computer science, software engineering courses in design, security, testing, and human-computer interaction, and a required minor in a language or culture of your choice. That minor prepares you to work in culturally diverse teams building software for international organizations.
In your senior year you complete a capstone project under the guidance of an industry client and a faculty supervisor. The college co-sponsors a summer study abroad option in Trujillo, Spain, with the Department of Hispanic Studies, where you practice Spanish and computer science skills. The Lowcountry has more than 400 tech companies, and the program lists internship and mentorship contacts with employers such as Capgemini, Boeing, Bosch, Mercedes-Benz Vans, and Volvo. Recent graduates have taken jobs as software developers or engineers, systems architects, and information security analysts.
Master’s in software engineering
1 program, none ranked
Not ranked 1 program, each missing something the score needs
Not rankedNo graduates yet to measure
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC
MSCampus
Tuition
$13,374
Out-of-state
$29,760
Grads/yr
New
Newer program
At the University of South Carolina, the software engineering M.S. belongs to the College of Engineering and Computing, under its Department of Computer Science and Engineering. It requires 30 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree. Fifteen hours are a required core: Software Engineering, Software Process, Software Architectures, Software Requirements, and Software Testing and Quality Assurance. The other 15 hours are electives, with at most six hours outside CSCE courses. The degree has both thesis and non-thesis options. With the thesis option, you substitute 6 hours of thesis preparation for electives and defend the thesis in a public presentation.
With the non-thesis option, you pass a written comprehensive exam offered at the end of fall and spring semesters. Applicants normally hold a bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, management information systems, or a closely related field, and should have at least one year of experience in software development or maintenance. Without that experience, you complete the internship course CSCE 793 before the degree is awarded. You also submit official transcripts and at least two letters of recommendation, and international applicants add TOEFL or IELTS scores.
Compare
South Carolina software engineering programs side by side
South Carolina software engineering programs compared, by level
#
Program
Format
In-state
Out-of- state
Grads/ yr
ABET
Scoreof 100
Bachelor’s in software engineering · 1 program, none 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. Grads/yr: IPEDS, three-year average. ABET: ABET’s list, retrieved 2026-09-30. #: the program’s rank among South 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 South Carolina
11 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: master’s at Anderson University, Citadel Military College of South Carolina, Clemson, College of Charleston and University of South Carolina.
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 South Carolina
Private
$32,139
median of 8 schools
Prices in South Carolina were 93.7 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 80.5, 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 10 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 South Carolina
South Carolina employed 13,230 software developers in May 2025. Its location quotient for the occupation is 0.53: 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, South 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.
Pay
What software developers earn in South Carolina
$76,01010th
$95,75025th
$129,450median
$167,75075th
$212,46090th
Software developers, South Carolina, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The state median is $129,450, $6,530 below the national $135,980. Half of the state’s software developers earn between $95,750 and $167,750.
BEA puts prices in South Carolina at 93.7 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $138,150 would nationally, $2,170 more than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Online options
Online software engineering degrees for South Carolina residents
If no program in South Carolina fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living in South 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 South Carolina?
2 degrees titled software engineering, 1 bachelor’s and 1 master’s, at 2 schools. 0 of them are on ABET’s accredited list.
How much do software engineers make in South Carolina?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $129,450 in South Carolina in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $76,010 and the 90th $212,460.
Is South Carolina pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts South Carolina’s prices at 93.7 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $129,450 is worth about $138,150 at national prices.
Can South 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 South Carolina.
Which schools in South Carolina offer a software engineering degree?
College of Charleston and University of South Carolina. This page lists 1 bachelor’s program and 1 master’s program in software engineering.
Are there software engineering master’s programs in South 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 .
