Software Engineering Degrees Near San Antonio for 2027
The San Antonio area has 2 programs titled software engineering at 1 school, and 4 computer science programs. This guide covers each one, what it costs, and what software developers earn in the metro area. Fewer than 5 programs titled software engineering sit inside San Antonio’s city limits, so this guide covers the whole San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area.
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
4
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$128,430
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01The San Antonio area has 2 degrees titled software engineering, 1 bachelor’s and 1 master’s, at 1 school, plus 4 computer science programs. St. Mary's University ranks first among the area’s bachelor’s programs, with a score of 33.9 out of 100, #60 nationally. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page. Across Texas as a whole, 10 programs carry the title.
02Software developers in the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area earned a median of $128,430 in May 2025, against $132,150 across Texas and $135,980 nationally. The metro area employed 8,010 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
03Prices near San Antonio were 5.3% below the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 94.6 against a national 100. At national prices, the metro area’s developer median goes as far as about $135,620. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
04This page covers the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area only. The Texas guide covers all 10 programs titled software engineering across the state, 4 bachelor’s and 6 master’s, with the same comparisons of cost and pay, so a program elsewhere in the state can be weighed against one here.
05If nothing near San Antonio 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 here
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. San Antonio offers both, and many software engineers hold either one.
What this page covers
Software engineering programs: the 2 bachelor’s and master’s degrees near San Antonio titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the area’s 4 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 near San Antonio 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 San Antonio: 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
St. Mary's University: #60 of 75 nationally
St. Mary's University leads near San Antonio with 33.9 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
St. Mary's University: #40 of 44 nationally
St. Mary's University leads near San Antonio with 33.2 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.
Each program is ranked against the others near San Antonio 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 near San Antonio
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
1 program
#1 near San Antonio
33.9of 100
St. Mary's University
San Antonio, TX · about 2 mi from central San Antonio
BSCampus
In-state
$35,144
Out-of-state
$35,144
Completion
59%
Year-long design project for every engineering senior
St. Mary's University houses its Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering in the School of Science, Engineering and Technology, and the degree is 133 credit hours. A five-year combined program lets students earn the B.S. and the M.S. in software engineering together. Highlighted courses are Fundamentals of Logic Design, Programming for Engineers, Software Project Management and Software Design and Architecture. Outside class, many engineering majors intern at organizations such as City Public Service, Harris Electronics, NASA and Southwest Research Institute, and every engineering senior completes a year-long design project, some of which have been patented.
Students take part in funded faculty research, and juniors and seniors volunteer as tutors for freshmen and sophomores in math and engineering. Laboratory space covers electronics, digital signal processing, control systems, microelectronics, communications, embedded systems, power and digital systems, and the research lab has both UNIX and Windows workstations. Students in any science can join the Science Living Community, where members live together.
Master’s in software engineering
1 program
#1 near San Antonio
33.2of 100
St. Mary's University
San Antonio, TX · about 2 mi from central San Antonio
MSOnline
Tuition
$19,782
Out-of-state
$19,782
Grads/yr
5.7
Online
12 credit hour certificate as a shorter route
Working professionals are the target audience for the St. Mary's University Master of Science in Software Engineering, which is delivered online and can be finished in as little as two years alongside a full-time job. The degree is 30 credit hours with three finishing routes (all coursework, a capstone project or a thesis), and up to six credits may come from other disciplines with approval. Courses named on the page include Software Testing and Quality Assurance, Agile System Development and an introduction to machine learning. A separate 12-credit-hour certificate offers a shorter route.
The expected background is a bachelor's in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering or a close relative, a 3.00 GPA, and prior coursework in C programming and object-oriented C++ design. The package includes a resume, a statement of purpose, two recommendation letters and transcripts, and no GRE is required. Undergraduates can begin graduate study as early as their junior year through combined degrees. A research assistantship brings a monthly stipend and a tuition waiver, and military members and their dependents may qualify for a tuition discount.
Compare
Programs side by side
San Antonio 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 San Antonio’s ranked programs at its level; NR, not ranked. Score: out of 100, the same score as on the ranking pages.
Nearby
Within driving distance
Programs in the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area whose campus is outside San Antonio’s city limits.
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
Computer science programs
2 schools, 4 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.
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
Too few schools here publish a federal tuition figure for a San Antonio median, so this is each program’s own figure: graduate tuition for a master’s, undergraduate for a bachelor’s, as on its card.
Prices near San Antonio were 94.7 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 94.6, 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, each program’s school-wide figure at its level (graduate or undergraduate). A median needs at least 3 schools. Excludes fees, housing and aid. Prices: BEA Regional Price Parities by metro area, 2024, all items and housing services.
Job market
The software job market
The San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area employed 8,010 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, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX. 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.
Who hires
Who hires software developers
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 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area.
Industry
Businesses
Employees
Payroll per employee
Computer systems design and related services
712
8,934
$87,000
Software publishers
66
1,702
$113,800
Data processing, hosting and related services
78
4,577
$95,500
Computer and electronic product manufacturing
32
3,434
$76,000
The first three of those industries employ 1.6% 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, 8,934, while software publishers pays the most per employee, $113,800.
Businesses, employees (mid-March) and annual payroll: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, metropolitan areas and United States (cbp23msa, cbp23us), private sector, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area; payroll per employee covers every job in the industry, not only developers.
Pay
What software developers earn
$80,56010th
$101,00025th
$128,430median
$154,79075th
$165,87090th
Software developers, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The metro area’s median is $128,430, $7,550 below the national $135,980. Half of the metro area’s software developers earn between $101,000 and $154,790.
BEA puts prices in the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area at 94.7 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $135,620 would nationally, $360 less than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025.
Steps
How to become a software engineer
The path to software engineering near San Antonio 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 San Antonio’s options in each.
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. Around San Antonio you’ve got one bachelor’s program titled software engineering, at St. Mary's University, plus three computer science bachelor’s programs across the metro if you want a wider net. Before you fall for one, compare what they cost; the tuition figures above make that quick.
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 San Antonio, that’s two software engineering programs and five computer science programs across the metro, so you really can choose. An easy way to decide: put St. Mary's University’s course list next to A&M-San Antonio’s and see which you’d rather spend four years in. Compare them.
3
Build experience before you graduate
Internships are often what turn a degree into a job offer. When you talk to St. Mary's University, ask how they connect students with internships. St. Mary's University includes a capstone or senior project where you build real software with a team. With 712 computer systems design firms in the metro, a summer role close to home is realistic.
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 San Antonio is UT Arlington’s bachelor’s in Arlington, about 241 miles away. Check any program’s accreditation before you apply.
5
Look for your first job nearby
The San Antonio area had 8,010 software developers in May 2025, earning a median of $128,430. The biggest software industries here are computer systems design (8,934 jobs) and data processing and hosting (4,577 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.
Online options
Online software engineering degrees
If no program near San Antonio fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living near San Antonio.
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 near San Antonio?
2 degrees titled software engineering, 1 bachelor’s and 1 master’s, at 1 school. 0 of them are on ABET’s accredited list.
What is the best software engineering school near San Antonio?
St. Mary's University ranks first of the 1 ranked bachelor’s programs near San Antonio, with a score of 33.9 out of 100 (#60 nationally). The score combines completion, net price, ABET accreditation and program size.
How much do software engineers make near San Antonio?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $128,430 near San Antonio in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $80,560 and the 90th $165,870.
Is San Antonio pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts San Antonio’s prices at 94.7 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $128,430 is worth about $135,620 at national prices.
Who hires software engineers near San Antonio?
No source counts software hiring by company the same way in every metro, so we don’t name employers. The Census Bureau counted 712 computer systems design businesses in the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area in 2023, employing 8,934 people. Nationally, the industries that employ the most software developers are computer systems design and related services, software publishers and management of companies and enterprises.
Can San Antonio 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 near San Antonio.
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 .
13NCES IPEDS HD2024: campus coordinatesCampus latitude and longitude, for the distance from San Antonio to the nearest ABET-accredited software engineering program (straight line).
