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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 7th in California. In fact, 3,408 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

The Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. 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 analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for computer science students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

Read full report on Computer Science at Stanford University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Computer Science Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Berkeley Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - San Diego is a great place for computer science students working on their master’s degree. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - San Diego

Out of the 27 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the # 4 spot on the list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of Southern California

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a great place for computer science students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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University of California - Santa Barbara 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 #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Irvine did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a very large student population.

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#8

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

With a ranking of #8, University of San Francisco did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.

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With a ranking of #9, University of California - Riverside did quite well on this year’s best schools for computer science students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Riverside Report

California State University - Channel Islands 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 #10 on the list. Located in the midsize suburb of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Read More…

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 306
Oregon 202
Nevada 17
Hawaii 20
Alaska 2

One of 9 majors within the area of study, computer science has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 20,748
Information Technology 10,754
Information Science 6,934
Computer Software & Applications 4,047
Computer Systems Analysis 817

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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