Software Engineering · California

Software Engineering colleges in California

CampusPin lists 330 U.S. colleges in California that offer Software Engineering programs. Compare tuition, acceptance rate, and enrollment in the table below, every figure links back to the institution's official IPEDS data.

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.

Schools in California that offer Software Engineering

Software Engineering programs in California: by the numbers

A quick comparison of the 50 schools (of 330 total) listed above, drawn from each institution's published IPEDS data.

Schools listed

330

Public / private

17 / 33

Universities / 2-year

36 / 14

Cities represented

37

In-state tuition range

$1,104–$57,946

Median in-state tuition

$15,977

Lowest published in-state tuition

Barstow Community College

$1,104

Most selective

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

30% acceptance

Largest by enrollment

Ashford University

31,389 students

Figures reflect the schools currently listed and each institution's most recent reported data. Verify current tuition and admissions details with the school before applying.

What you'll study in a Software Engineering program

  • 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

Where a Software Engineering degree can lead

  • Software Engineer
  • Backend Developer
  • DevOps Engineer
  • QA / Test Engineer
  • Mobile Developer
  • Engineering Manager

Typical pay: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 software developers median $133,080).

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.

Software Engineering in other states

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Find more Software Engineering schools

Use CampusPin's filter-first search to narrow 330+ Software Engineering programs in California by tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting.

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