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Deciding which college to attend can be a daunting task. For many, it will be the most important decision that they make in their lives. To make an informed decision, you have to consider a lot of variables, such as cost of attendance, financial aid, student-teacher ratio, academics, student life, and more. These factors will either positively or negatively impact the quality of education that you receive.
Do you want to acquire a bachelor’s degree in software engineering but don’t know what institution you should attend? Well, if you are as ambitious as I was in my late teens, then you want to attend a top school, instead of an average or mediocre one. Fortunately, we have already done the legwork for you. To help you find the right school for your interests and goals, we’ve compiled a list of 2022’s best bachelor’s in software engineering programs.
What institution did we omit from this list? Leave your suggestions in the comment section below.
- University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA
Popularly known as UC Irvine, both learners and staff members consider this a Public Ivy. Of the institution’s nearly 200 degrees offered within its 15 schools, learners may pursue a bachelor of science (BS) degree in software engineering. Offered through UC Irvine’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, this degree program is for learners who have no software engineering experience and for those who have some experience. Classes include human-computer interaction, project in ubiquitous computing, discrete mathematics for computer science, data structure implementation and analysis, and programming in multitasking operating systems.
The Bren School also offers the following minors: bioinformatics, digital information systems, health informatics, informatics, information, and computer science, and statistics. Learners at UC Irvine will benefit not only from the degree program’s holistic curriculum but also from the institution’s proximity to major tech hubs, including Silicon Valley. With plenty of hands-on experience, undergraduates will finish a three-quarter capstone course to develop a real system for a real client.
- Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ
Stevens Institute of Technology is a private institution, which offer over 35 undergraduate majors, nearly 60 master’s programs, and several doctoral degrees. Learners may pursue a bachelor of engineering in software engineering, offered through the School of Systems and Enterprises and the School of Engineering and Science. This is a 141-credit degree program that can be finished in four years. Required classes may include circuits and systems, software design evolution, object-based software development, software testing and quality assurance, and Agile methods for software development.
The school’s proximity to New York City makes it easy to get hands-on experience in the field before graduating. Undergraduates in this degree program have landed internships at prominent companies, including Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Collins, and Citigroup.
- California Polytechnic State University,San Luis Obispo, CA
Cal Polytechnic State University has an outstanding bachelor of science (BS) degree in software engineering offered through Cal Poly’s College of Engineering. Learners in this degree program must finish at least 60 credits of upper-division classes. Required classes may consist of ethics, science, and technology; methods of proof in mathematics; design and analysis of algorithms; individual software design and development; and user-centered interface design and development.
Learners in this degree program will have access to resources, including career services, tech support, a health center, and more. Cal Poly has been rated among the nation’s top Universities in the West by U.S. News & World Report.
- Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Iowa State is a public flagship land- and space-grant research institution. Iowa State now has a bachelor of science degree (BS) in software engineering.
Offered through the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, this degree program provides hands-on experience through various research activities and internships. Required classes may consist of engineering economic analysis, software construction and user interfaces, computer organization and assembly level programming, and elementary differential equations and Laplace transforms. This curriculum places emphasis on software engineering principles, processes, and practices. Elective classes are also available in computer engineering and computer science.
- Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
MTU has a bachelor of science (BS) degree in software engineering. Offered through the College of Computing, this bachelor’s degree program allows learners to pursue a master’s in computer science, cybersecurity, or data science. The master’s degree can be earned in just one year following the bachelor’s. Undergraduate learners may have to fulfill the following course requirements: data structures, compiler design and optimization, software processes and management, model-driven software development, and ethical and social aspects of computing.
Learners also have the option of participating in the institution’s Enterprise Program, which offers two unique enterprise teams for learners in the software engineering major. The Husky Game Development team enables learners to design and develop games for businesses, educational purposes, and for fun. The Humane Interface Design Enterprise is for people looking to design interfaces.
- Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee School of Engineering has a bachelor of science (BS) degree in software engineering. Steeped in computer science, this degree program incorporates classroom and lab activities and assignments. Required classes may consist of the following: electromagnetism and optics, mobile application development, differential equations for engineers, software requirements and specification, software engineering tools and practices, and ethics for professional managers and engineers.
All undergraduate learners will finish a senior design sequence in which they work in teams to finish a major project. Many learners in this degree program also pursue outside internships in addition to coursework. Elective classes will allow learners to dive deeper into concepts such as image processing, information security, artificial intelligence, and more.
- University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX
The University of Texas at Dallas has a bachelor of science (BS) degree in software engineering, which is offered through the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. This degree program is rooted in mathematics. Many undergraduates select to pursue internships as well; learners have interned at many prominent companies, including IBM, Texas Instruments, AT&T, Cisco, and more. UT Dallas also has a fast path BS/MS choice for interested learners. UT Dallas also has many unique areas of research. With dedicated, state-of-the-art laboratories, learners may pursue further studies in everything from medical imaging and wireless networking to organic electronics, cybersecurity, and more.
- Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Drexel has a bachelor of science (BS) degree in software engineering. This degree program is for students who love problem-solving and want to learn how to write and implement code. Required classes may include software verification and validation; human-centered design process and methods; mathematical foundations of computer science; introduction to software engineering and development; and computer networks: theory, applications, and programming.
All learners must earn at least 186.5 credits to earn their degree, including three writing-intensive classes to be finished freshman year. Learners can opt for three co-ops over five years, or two co-ops if they select the accelerated 5-year degree BS/MS plan. All learners have access to Drexel University’s Steinbright Career Development Center. Graduates of this program become software engineers, software architects, software project team leaders, and more.
- Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Learners may select from many degrees offered across the Auburn’s 13 schools and colleges. Auburn has a bachelor of science (BS) degree program in software engineering. Learners in this degree program are expected to finish at least 120 credit hours. Required classes may include computer ethics, digital logic circuits, computer architecture, software modeling and design, and computer organization and assembly language programming.
Auburn University has many unique, state-of-the-art research centers for learners to take advantage of. These consist of the Alabama Center for Paper and Bioresource Engineering, Wireless Engineering Research Center, Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, and more. Learners may also participate in a co-op degree program or internship to get more hands-on experience before graduating.
- Miami University, Oxford, OH
This public research institution is named after the Native American nation “Miami Tribe” and is home to nearly 20,000 learners. With more than 120 distinctive areas of study, learners have plenty to select from; the university has a bachelor of science (BS) degree program in software engineering. This bachelor’s degree is offered through the College of Engineering and Computing. Classes in this degree program are very cooperative, and learners work in teams to build designs. Areas of concentration consist of, but are not limited to, the following: bioinformatics, scientific systems, computer security, and e-business systems.
Many learners double major in computer science and software engineering. Even as a double-major, the institution’s career services office makes it easy to find internships that offer hands-on experiences.
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
The Rochester Institute of Technology is ranked among the world’s top technical institutions and, with campuses in China, Croatia, and Dubai, RIT is home to over 18,000 learners. RIT has a rigorous bachelor of science (BS) program in software engineering offered through its B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. This degree program requires all undergraduates to take a co-op experience of at least 40 weeks. A co-op may be finished during a learner’s third or fourth year. In addition to that, the required classes may consist of analysis of algorithms, software evolution and reengineering, software design for computing systems, software process and project management, and human-centered requirements and design. All learners must finish at least 127 credit hours to earn their degrees.
- San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
San José State University is a public research institution comprised of over 145 unique areas of study for its more than 30,000 learners. The institution’s School of Engineering is also home to one of the best software engineering degrees in the country. The bachelor of science (BS) degree is a four-year degree program made up of 120 credits. Required classes may consist of differential equations and linear algebra, computer organization and architecture, global and social issues in engineering, computer and human interaction, and enterprise software platforms. All undergraduate learners must finish a senior project.
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL
The university has a bachelor of science (BS) degree in software engineering. This degree program is offered at the institution’s Daytona campus and its Prescott, AZ campus. Classes are offered through the Electrical, Computer, Software, and Systems Engineering Department in the College of Engineering. Requirements may consist of data structures and analysis of algorithms, organization of programming languages, analysis and design of software systems, software quality assurance, and files and database systems.
Undergraduates must finish at least 127 credit hours including a final team project to earn this degree. On a full-time schedule, learners can graduate in just eight semesters. Candidates should have a strong background in mathematics, science, and especially physics. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach campus has a cybersecurity engineering lab, a digital systems lab, and a real-time systems lab for learners to utilize.
- Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL
Florida Tech’ has a top-rated bachelor of science (BS) degree in software engineering. Learners enrolled in this degree program will have access to Florida Tech’s state-of-the-art labs, which are housed within the F.W. Olin Engineering Complex. Required classes may consist of computer organization and machine programming, scientific and technical communication, software maintenance and evolution, programming language concepts, and human-computer interaction.
During their senior year, all learners will finish a cooperative design project with their peers to conceptualize, design, and present a software application. This design will be presented to both sector leaders and potential employers. Graduates of this degree program have gone on to land jobs at Google, NASA, Microsoft, and many other prominent companies. The Florida Institute of Technology also has plenty of ways for learners to get involved outside the classroom, such as the computer science honor society (Upsilon Pi Epsilon), the Computer Gaming Society, and more.
- Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh, PA
Robert Morris University offers degree programs across its four schools. Interested learners may earn a bachelor of science (BS) in engineering with a concentration in software engineering at RMU. Offered through the School of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science, this degree program requires that learners finish an institution core in addition to specialized classes and electives. Requirements may consist of coursework in engineering statistics, Linux system administration, circuits and electromagnetics, software design and construction, and distributed systems Implementation.
Learners must finish at 126 credits to graduate. Additionally, all learners must finish an internship or co-op experience. Every undergraduate learner at Robert Morris University is assigned an academic advisor as well as a counselor in the Center for Learner Success. Plus, RMU has scholarships ranging from $1,000 per year up to full tuition. In fact, 90% of RMU learners obtain some financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans.
