2023 Best Value Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 27 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for compsci students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the best value school for computer science students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.
UC Berkeley graduate students pay an average of $14,160 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California rankings.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value computer science schools in California. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $11,629 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Full Computer Science at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report
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Out of the 27 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the # 3 spot on the list. UCSD is a fairly large public school located in the city of La Jolla.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UCSD are $13,564 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UCSD also did well on our Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at California State University - Channel Islands helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value computer science schools in California. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
CSUCI graduate students pay an average of $8,251 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Channel Islands
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The excellent master’s degree programs at California State University - Long Beach helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value computer science schools in California. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at CSULB are $8,280 per year.
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University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UCSB are $13,581 a year.
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California State University - Chico 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 Chico, Chico State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Chico State graduate students pay an average of $9,298 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Computer Science at California State University - Chico Report
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California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal Poly Pomona are $8,873 per year.
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San Jose State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
San Jose State graduate students pay an average of $9,286 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list. SDSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at SDSU are $9,570 a year.
Read full report on Computer Science at San Diego State University
Request InformationBest Value Computer Science Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Computer Science Colleges 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 |
More Computer Science Rankings in California
Computer Science Related Majors for CompSci
Computer Science is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.
- 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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