Software Engineering major
Software Engineering: courses, careers, and where to study
Software engineering is the team discipline of designing, building, testing, and maintaining reliable software, suiting students who want to turn working code into dependable products.
Software engineering applies scientific and mathematical thinking to the full life of a software system: designing it, building it, verifying that it behaves correctly, and keeping it working after release. Students write code in several programming languages, but the emphasis is on the practices that make software dependable at scale, including requirements gathering, system architecture, version control, automated testing, code review, and the day-to-day collaboration of working on a shared codebase. The coursework leans on discrete mathematics, probability and statistics, and core computer science, then layers on project management and the engineering process. This is what separates the major from computer science: where computer science centers on theory, algorithms, and computation as a science, software engineering centers on the disciplined process of producing and maintaining software that real users depend on.
Most roles tied to this field expect a bachelor's degree, and software engineering programs are typically multi-year undergraduate degrees built around hands-on labs, team projects, and a capstone in which students design and ship a working system across one or more terms. Many programs include a cooperative-education term or internship so students practice within an actual engineering organization before graduating. Software engineering does not carry a universal occupational license, though some programs may hold programmatic engineering accreditation and certain jurisdictions offer engineering licensure paths, so prospective students should verify accreditation and any licensure requirements directly with each program and the relevant state board. Graduates work across settings such as technology companies, financial and healthcare organizations, government and defense contractors, startups, and the in-house software teams of firms in nearly every industry.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of software developers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $133,080 and projects employment to grow about 15.8% from 2024 to 2034; a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Software Engineering maps to CIP 14.0903, Computer Software Engineering, within the ENGINEERING family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals to apply scientific and mathematical principles to the design, analysis, verification, validation, implementation, and maintenance of computer software systems using a variety of computer languages. Includes instruction in discrete mathematics, probability and statistics, computer science, managerial science, and applications to complex computer systems.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Software Engineering is awarded as
Of the 5,932 Software Engineering credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate5%268
- Associate3%181
- Bachelor's43%2,556
- Graduate49%2,927
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 18 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 23 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Programming across multiple languages and paradigms
- Data structures and algorithm design
- Software architecture and design patterns
- Requirements engineering and system specification
- Software testing, debugging, and quality assurance
- Version control and collaborative development workflows
- Discrete mathematics, probability, and statistics
- Database design and operating-systems fundamentals
- Team-based capstone project building and shipping a working system
Typical careers
- Software Engineer
- Backend Developer
- DevOps Engineer
- QA / Test Engineer
- Mobile Developer
- Engineering Manager
Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 software developers median $133,080).Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Software Engineering, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $133,080 | 115,200 | +15.8% | Bachelor's degree |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,740 | 14,500 | +3.8% | Bachelor's degree |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | $102,610 | 14,000 | +10% | Bachelor's degree |
| Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | $106,120 | 4,100 | +8.1% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Database Architects | $135,980 | 4,000 | +8.7% | Bachelor's degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 5 of these 5 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Software Engineering does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Software Engineering major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Software Engineering program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Software Engineering department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Software Engineering program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Software Engineering credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Northeastern UniversityMA · 1,086
- San Jose State UniversityCA · 475
- Western Governors UniversityUT · 388
- Arizona State University Campus ImmersionAZ · 277
- Carnegie Mellon UniversityPA · 237
- Kennesaw State UniversityGA · 173
- Southern New Hampshire UniversityNH · 151
- Full Sail UniversityFL · 148
- Iowa State UniversityIA · 142
- Arizona State University Digital ImmersionAZ · 140
- The University of Texas at DallasTX · 140
- DeVry University-IllinoisIL · 135
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Software Engineering credentials were awarded
10 states have a distinct enough set of Software Engineering colleges to be worth its own page.
Search Software Engineering schools by state
- Software Engineering in California
- Software Engineering in Florida
- Software Engineering in Georgia
- Software Engineering in Illinois
- Software Engineering in Maryland
- Software Engineering in Massachusetts
- Software Engineering in New York
- Software Engineering in North Carolina
- Software Engineering in Pennsylvania
- Software Engineering in Texas
Related majors
Computer Science
Computer Science combines the mathematical foundations of computation with practical software engineering, preparing graduates for careers in software, AI/ML, security, data, and research.
Computer Engineering
Computer Engineering blends electrical engineering and computer science to design the hardware and embedded systems that run modern devices, suiting students who enjoy both circuits and code.
Information Technology
Information Technology (IT) focuses on applying computing systems to organizational needs, administering networks, supporting users, building business systems, and managing IT operations.
Data Science
Data Science combines statistics, programming, and domain expertise to turn raw data into decisions, drawing on machine learning, visualization, and data engineering.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity prepares graduates to defend networks, systems, and data, combining computing fundamentals with offensive and defensive security techniques and the policy frameworks that govern them.
Still deciding between Software Engineering and something else?
These guides put Software Engineeringside by side with the major it is most often confused with, using the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk to show where the two actually lead.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Software Engineering degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Computing & Math careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Management careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Software Engineering degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Software Engineering path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.