If you are a college student who is starting a career in computer engineering, you will find this list very helpful! It includes the Best Computer Engineering Schools In California, best undergraduate computer engineering schools in california , computer engineering colleges in california & top ranking schools in California for this major. This article provides ratings and important information you should know about each school.
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Computer Engineering Overview
Computer engineering is the branch of engineering that integrates electronic engineering with computer sciences. Computer engineers design and develop computer systems and other technological devices.
A Computer Engineer is basically a person who does research, design, development and testing of digital computers. The vast array of career options in this field are therefore restricted to the nature of work done by a Computer Engineer. A few common specializations include hardware, software and networking
Computer hardware engineers “research, design, develop and test computer systems and components such as processors, circuit boards, memory devices, networks and routers,” according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Computer hardware includes:
- microprocessors;
- memory chips: random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM) and nonvolatile rewritable flash memory;
- data storage devices: hard disks, solid-state drives and optical drives;
- input devices: keyboards, mice, joysticks and gaming controllers, cameras, microphones, scanners, touch screens and remote sensors;
- output devices: printers, monitors, audio devices and remote controls; and
- networking components: adapters, modems, switches and routers.
An important function of computer engineers is to integrate these components into computer and network systems. This all requires a good working knowledge of electrical engineering.
Another important aspect of computer engineering is software development. Computer software includes:
- operating systems;
- applications: word processing, spreadsheets, accounting, database management, graphics, computer-assisted design (CAD), computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM), audio, video, media and games;
- networking and communications: World Wide Web (WWW), voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), instant messaging and email;
- utilities: file handling, disk management, device drivers, archiving and backup systems;
- programming languages: editing, compiling and debugging; and
- security: antivirus, firewalls, encryption and user authentication.
Future of Computer Engineering?
Computer hardware engineers’ employment is expected to expand by just 7% between 2012 and 2022, which is less than the average for all occupations, according to the BLS. According to the BLS, “a small number of engineers will be required to supply the demand for new computer hardware because more technological innovation occurs with software than with hardware.” Software developer employment is expected to increase by 22% between 2012 and 2022, which is substantially faster than the average for all occupations. According to the BLS, “the fundamental cause for the quick expansion is a significant increase in the demand for computer software.” A job seeker should have an advantage over the competition if they have strong marks from a reputable college.
Computer engineering salary
Most computer engineering jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. Many employers also require state certification as a professional engineer (PE). A master’s degree is often required for promotion to management, and ongoing education and training are needed to keep up with advances in technology. Many computer engineers belong to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society.
According to Salary.com, as of July 2014, the salary range for a newly graduated computer hardware engineer with a bachelor’s degree was $44,997 to $74,249. The range for a midlevel engineer with a master’s degree and five to 10 years of experience was $77,138 to $107,644, and the range for a senior engineer with a master’s degree or doctorate and more than 15 years of experience was $101,574 to $154,500.
Salaries for newly graduated computer software engineers are similar to those of computer hardware engineers. According to Salary.com, as of July 2014, the salary range for a newly graduated computer software engineer with a bachelor’s degree was $48,688 to $77,138. The range for a midlevel engineer with a master’s degree and five to 10 years of experience was $73,631 to $109,108, and the range for a senior engineer with a master’s degree or doctorate and more than 15 years of experience was $98,626 to $145,287. Many experienced engineers with advanced degrees are promoted to management positions or start their own businesses, where they can earn even more.
best undergraduate computer engineering schools in california
Computer Engineering is a popular major and California is the 1st most popular state for students studying this major. 3,005 of the 15,694 Computer Engineering diplomas earned last year were given by schools in California. With so many choices it can be a challenge finding the best choice. This year’s Best Colleges for Computer Engineering in California ranking analyzed 17 colleges and universities that offer a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering.
If you want to become a computer engineer, there are 27 schools in California that can help you reach your goal. Only one of these schools has an Associate’s degree program and 26 schools have Bachelor’s degree programs. There are also 26 schools that offer Master’s degrees. There are 21 schools in California with doctoral degree options.
Different types of degrees can help you reach different career goals. If you are still trying to figure out if engineering is right for you, you may want to start with an Associate’s degree. This degree includes 60 credits and generally takes two years to complete. Many schools let you transfer these credits to a Bachelor’s degree.
A Bachelor’s degree includes 120 credits, which usually takes between four and five years to complete. Some of the courses you may take at this level include Digital Systems, Computer Organization, and Assembly Language.
If you want to teach or research in this field, you can look into earning a Master’s degree or PhD. A Master’s degree includes 30 credits and generally takes two years to earn. A PhD includes a thesis, so the average program length is seven years.
Since there are so many engineering schools in California, there are a wide range of tuition costs. In general, the average cost for residents is about $3000. If you are not a resident of California, the average tuition cost is $7500.
We have created a 2020 ranking of the best colleges in California that offer Computer Engineering degrees to help you find a school that fits your needs. Each school’s ranking is based on the compilation of our data from reliable government sources, student surveys, college graduate interviews, and editorial review. In addition, you can view our entire list of all 27 Computer Engineering schools located within California. We also provide reviews, facts, and questions and answers for schools on our site and offer you access to get valuable information from colleges and universities today.
Is Computer Engineering School Worth It
Really good, but marginally better than Electrical Engineering or Computer Science. It really depends on how much you want to dwell into the subset of Computer Technology. There’s a reason why it is a field of its own, but generally Computer Engineers take less ECE and CS courses.
Your choice of computer engineering school matters.
Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Quality Overall is Important
The overall quality of a school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school’s overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Graduates Earn More After College
Computer Engineering graduates from colleges on this list tend to earn more after college than those from other schools. Recent computer engineering graduates from California schools with a bachelors degree earned an average of $70,506 in 2017-2018.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus – How much a school focuses on Computer Engineering students vs. other majors.
- Major Popularity – How many other computer engineering students choose this school.
- Accreditation – Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or a recognized computer engineering related accrediting body.
Selecting a Computer Engineering College
The first thing to look out for when selecting a computer engineering college is the type of degree and specialization the school offers. Although you can get a holistic bachelor’s program that gives you the fundamental knowledge of Computer Engineering, you may wish for a more specific program in the field. Also, you have to be sure your best computer engineering college offers a postgraduate degree if you hope to further your education.
Furthermore, you may also want to check that your best computer engineering college offers you suitable career services. Does the computer engineering school connect you with professionals in the field either through internships, mentorships, e.t.c? What is the assurance of getting a wonderful job after a year or two of graduating?
Also, you may want to check out for academic support. Because of the rigorous nature of the computer engineering program, do your best school offer tutoring services? What is the computer engineering school graduation rate? What is their student to faculty ratio?
Another thing to look out for is the level of competitiveness of the school. Does the school attract students with strong mathematical and analytical skills? What is their acceptance rate? A lower acceptance rate shows how rigorous it is to get into the school. The school probably wants to attract only the best students.
Finally, you should also check out that your best computer engineering college is ABET-accredited. A school with ABET accreditation has met standards essential to produce graduates ready to enter the critical fields of STEM education. A major in a computer engineering college with ABET accreditation is a major of high technical quality. Such a degree program meets the global standard.
STEM field students may also check out the Masergy STEM Scholarship and apply!
Good GPA for Computer Engineering?
In general though, I would say having above a 3.4-3.5 on a 4.0 scale would generally be considered “good enough”, and above a 3.6, “above average”. This in no way means that if you have a lower GPA you won’t be considered. As long as you have good work / research experience, you should be a decent applicant.
computer engineering ranking undergraduate
Different types of degrees can help you reach different career goals. If you are still trying to figure out if engineering is right for you, you may want to start with an Associate’s degree. This degree includes 60 credits and generally takes two years to complete. Many schools let you transfer these credits to a Bachelor’s degree.
You may be able to pay less for school by applying for grants and scholarships. You can begin your scholarship search with the American Council of Engineering Companies California. This group awards scholarships of up to $7500 to California students. You can also look into scholarships offered by the California Transportation Foundation. You may be able to earn scholarships of up to $2000.
Before you can begin working as a professional engineer in California, you must get your license from the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Before you can get your license, you must successfully pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. Upon passing this exam, you can submit your application with a $125 check to the board. Once your application is processed, you can receive your license in about four weeks.
University of California, Berkeley
This computer engineering college is located in Berkeley, California. This California university has both a College of Engineering and a School of Information for graduate students interested in information systems.
Meanwhile, Berkeley’s engineering school department includes bioengineering, electrical engineering & computer science, etc. Also, Berkeley has a total undergraduate enrollment of 30,574 students, and a total of 14 schools.
If you want to compare IT and CS, then check out our Information Technology VS Computer Science comparison with Careers and Salaries.
Meanwhile, UC Berkeley’s charges its students $14,254 as tuition.
Also, this computer engineering school has an acceptance rate of 17%, a graduation rate of 76% and a student to faculty ratio of 18:1.
Additionally, UC Berkeley’s employability rate is 99.9%
Best computer engineering colleges
Though we might not always realize it, we enjoy handiwork of software engineers every single day.
From the graphics on an Xbox game to the GPS on our phones to the tracking system on our Amazon packages, software engineers have a part in essentially every step of a software system—design, development, troubleshooting, implementation, and management.
As more and more of our industries are going digital and requiring computer software for their products and workflow, the demand for software engineers continues to rise.
RANK | SCHOOL | LOCATION |
---|---|---|
1 | University of California, Irvine | Irvine, CA |
2 | Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken, NJ |
3 | California Polytechnic State University | San Luis Obispo, CA |
4 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
5 | Michigan Technological University | Houghton, MI |
6 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | Milwaukee, WI |
7 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson, TX |
8 | Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA |
9 | Auburn University | Auburn University, AL |
10 | Miami University | Hamilton, OH |
Accredited computer engineering colleges near me
If you’re looking into getting a degree in software engineering, have you thought about getting your degree online? We’ve even ranked the best online software engineering degrees. Take a look!
College undergraduates who pursue software engineering are almost guaranteed a job right out of college, with a projected job growth rate of 17 percent from 2014 to 2024.
Although the demand for software engineers is high, the financial reward is also quite high. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for software engineers is an impressive $98,260. Even more, first-year graduates can expect to make $50,000 to $70,000 right out of college!
Typically, software engineers work in one of two capacities—as an applications software developer or a systems software developer. In the former, engineers are at the front-end of the product, developing a specific software (like a word processor or an app or a game).
A systems software developer, however, works on the bigger picture and helps organize all of the moving parts of a computer system so that they work efficiently and smoothly.
Here are some jobs that fit perfectly with a BS in Software Engineering, and can apply to almost any work sector, from health care to renewable energy to entertainment:
- Software and Systems Architect
- Software and System Engineer
- Software Programmer, Developer, and Tester
- Requirements Engineer
- Project Leader
- Senior Computer Applications Engineer
If you’re a student who loves numbers and has a knack for seeing how tiny details fit into the bigger picture, a BS in Software Engineering at any of the schools on our list is a great route for you to take. You’re not only securing your financial future, but you also are choosing to join an exciting a cutting-edge field that has virtually endless options.
What Are the Best Software Engineering Bachelor Programs in the Country?
Below, you’ll find the twenty best Software Engineering programs in the country. Here at College Choice we’ve collated and compared the academic reputation, student satisfaction, affordability, and average annual salary of graduates from software engineering programs across the country to create a definitive ranking of the nation’s twenty best.
We first chose programs with the most renowned academic reputation and from those pared the list down to those with high retention rates—a reflection of student satisfaction—added those with the most economical accessibility, and finally we included the averages of early career salaries (care of PayScale) to arrive at a list marked by thorough research and extensive data aggregation.
Our figures come from the university and colleges’ websites as well as nationally recognized U.S. News & World Report and The National Center for Education Statistics.
The Best Schools and Universities for a Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering
See our rankings methodology page.Collapse All Expand All
- University of California, IrvineLOCATIONIrvine, CATUITION$$$$$
- Stevens Institute of TechnologyLOCATIONHoboken, NJTUITION$$$$$
- California Polytechnic State UniversityLOCATIONSan Luis Obispo, CATUITION$$$$$
- Iowa State UniversityLOCATIONAmes, IATUITION$$$$$
- Michigan Technological UniversityLOCATIONHoughton, MITUITION$$$$$
- Milwaukee School of EngineeringLOCATIONMilwaukee, WITUITION$$$$$
- The University of Texas at DallasLOCATIONRichardson, TXTUITION$$$$$
- Drexel UniversityLOCATIONPhiladelphia, PATUITION$$$$$
- Auburn UniversityLOCATIONAuburn University, ALTUITION$$$$$
- Miami UniversityLOCATIONHamilton, OHTUITION$$$$$
best computer engineering schools in the world
It’s also worth considering if the engineering school you are considering offers courses that will help support your academic and career goals. One key academic goal worth considering is whether the engineering school you’re considering has courses that teach you the programming language you need to learn. For instance, if you’re considering to work as a software engineer, it’s important to learn the programming languages you plan to use as a professional. Java, C, and Python are among some of the top 10 programming languages for engineers. So, it’s worth considering schools that offer courses that teach you these programming languages.
Whether you’re looking to be a software engineer or a computer hardware engineer, it’s important to know which school best fits your needs. With so many schools to choose from around the world, it’s a good idea to narrow down your list, and you can start with some of the best engineering schools for undergraduates. Check out some of the best engineering schools around the world offer an undergraduate computer engineering or computer science degree, according to Times Higher Education’s (THE) 2019 World University Rankings:
- ETH Zurich. (Switzerland)
- National University of Singapore. (Singapore)
- Stanford University (U.S.)
- Tshinghua University (China)
- University of Oxford (U.K.)
- University of Toronto (Canada)
What are the Some of the Best Graduate Computer Engineering Schools Worldwide?
From Singapore to the United States, several schools around the world offer quality education to prepare you as a computer engineer. However, some schools stand out among the crowd thanks to their support services, career opportunities, and high-quality curriculum. Here are some of the best engineering schools worldwide that offer a graduate degree for aspiring computer engineers:
- Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne (EPFL) (Switzerland). The EPFL offers various graduate degree programs for future computer engineers, including a master’s of science in computation science and engineering (CSE) and a master’s program in computer science that is taught in English. The school also offers multiple Ph.D. programs, where you can specialize in computer science fields, such as concurrent and distributed systems, security and networks.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (U.S.). Not only is MIT one of the best computer engineering schools in the USA for undergraduates, but it also offers one of the top degree graduate programs for future computer engineers. U.S. News & World Reports ranks MIT as the best engineering school in the U.S. for good reasons. The school boasts a low student-faculty ratio of 5.6 students per faculty member. MIT also has 20 research centers, including its Center for Computational Engineering.
- The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong). At the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, you can pursue postgraduate degrees in computer science and engineering at the masters and doctoral levels. The school offers various courses in subjects to prepare in your professional career, including parallel programming, computer vision and career development courses for engineering research students.
- University of Cambridge (U.K.). The University of Cambridge excels in research, specializations, innovation, and teaching. The school offers doctoral engineering degrees and studentships for international students through its department of engineering.
best computer engineering schools in ohio
A better way to pay for college!
Rank | University | Location |
---|---|---|
1 | Ohio University – Main Campus | Athens, OH |
2 | Ohio State University – Columbus Campus | Columbus, OH |
3 | Miami University – Oxford | Oxford, OH |
4 | University of Cincinnati – Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH |
best computer engineering schools in texas
Are you interested in becoming a computer engineer? If so, Texas may be a great place to study. There are 22 schools in the state that offer degrees in this field. Eight schools have Associate’s degree programs, and 18 schools award Bachelor’s degrees. There are 16 options for prospective Master’s degree students and 14 PhD programs.
If you do not yet have an engineering degrees, you may want to start with an Associate’s degree or Bachelor’s degree. An Associate’s degree includes 60 credits in engineering courses and general education courses. As a full-time student, you may be able to graduate in two years. A Bachelor’s degree consists of 120 credits, and it takes an average of four years to complete. Coursework at this level includes Software Engineering, Systems Programming, and Assembly Language.
Best Computer Engineering Schools
1. Texas A&M University – College Station
College Station, TX
Our analysis found Texas A&M University – College Station to be the best school for computer engineering students who want to pursue a degree in Texas. Texas A&M is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of College Station.
2. Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Texas Tech University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Computer Engineering Schools in Texas list. Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public school with a very large student population.
3. University of Houston
Houston, TX
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Houston is a great place for computer engineering students. Located in the city of Houston, U of H is a public college with a fairly large student population.
4. The University of Texas at Dallas
Richardson, TX
Out of the 13 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Dallas landed the # 4 spot on the list. UT Dallas is a very large public school located in the city of Richardson.
5. Prairie View A & M University
Prairie View, TX
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Prairie View A & M University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Computer Engineering Schools in Texas list. Located in the town of Prairie View, PVAMU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.