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Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California

27 Colleges
$99,796 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Computer Science Master's Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, computer science was ranked 9th in California. In fact, 13,148 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 27 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Computer Science Master's Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school in California for computer science students working on their master’s degree. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

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Out of the 27 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Berkeley Report

The excellent master’s degree programs at University of California - San Diego helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best computer science schools in California. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.

Full Computer Science at University of California - San Diego Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Full Computer Science at University of Southern California Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Computer Science at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - Santa Barbara

University of California - Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for computer science students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Irvine Report

#8

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

University of San Francisco came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of San Francisco

University of California - Riverside did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for computer science students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - Riverside

California State University - Channel Islands landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree computer science programs. Located in the suburb of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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Best Computer Science Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Computer Science Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 1,551
Oregon 1,282
Nevada 152
Hawaii 152
Alaska 31

Computer Science is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
Information Technology 40,555
Information Science 18,325
Computer Systems Networking 14,700
Computer Software & Applications 14,336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Negative Space.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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