4 Best Colleges for Computer Science in Texas
The best colleges for computer science in Texas offer tough competition, with 10 universities ranked among the nation’s top 150 in computer science (U.S. News).
Computer science prepares you for a job as a software developer—named the best job in America by U.S. News and World Report. Software developers code the systems, programs and apps that we couldn’t live without, and they get paid well to do so. The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports a median annual salary of $105,590, and these jobs aren’t going away. The OOH predicts 21% job growth over the next ten years.
If you’re interested in computer science, you can also check out College Guidepost’s rankings for the best value colleges in computer science, as well as the best overall. In this article, we’ll just look at the best colleges for computer science in Texas.
With 19 ABET-accredited computer science programs in Texas, there are many colleges that offer great computer science programs but still didn’t manage to make our top four. These honorable mentions are still definitely worth considering.
Honorable Mention: Southern Methodist University, Texas Tech University, University of Houston, University of North Texas, University of Texas (Arlington, El Paso, San Antonio).
4. University of Texas – Dallas
Formed by the founders of Texas Instruments, UT Dallas is a rising star in the academic world. Today, UT Dallas enrolls over 20,000 undergraduate students, with an average ACT score of 29 and a 23:1 student to faculty ratio. With nationally-ranked programs and tuition under $14,000 a year, it’s no wonder Forbes named UT Dallas the best value public university in Texas.
In computer science, UT Dallas enrolls 2,800 students. The program offers great classroom teaching and facilities, a fast track to Master’s degrees, and plentiful internship opportunities. Accredited by ABET and ranked 54th in the nation by CSRankings, a UT Dallas computer science degree commands respect throughout the country—at an affordable price.
3. Texas A&M University
Located in College Station, Texas, Texas A&M University is huge. With 64,961 students enrolled in the spring of 2020, it vies with UCF for the highest campus enrollment in the nation.
Academically, Texas A&M has programs in practically everything, but it’s best known for its roots—agricultural and mechanical programs. In 2020, 9 of its engineering programs ranked in the top 15 nationally, with the petroleum engineering program winning the 1st place ranking. The Mays Business School is also well-known, and Money Magazine named it 8th in the country.
Washington Monthly actually ranked Texas A&M 10th overall in its National University Rankings, ahead of Ivy League giants such as Columbia and Cornell.
The university’s computer science department keeps up the reputation, ranked 2nd in the state and 32nd nationally by CSRankings. The B.S. in computer science is also accredited by ABET.
Outside of academics, Texas A&M is known for its pride, tradition, and sports. The school also has a strong military background, and the Corps of Cadets continues to produce officers for the armed forces.
If you’re from an Aggie family and the thought of attending UT makes you gag, don’t worry—Texas A&M offers a nationally-respected computer science degree, with in-state tuition set at a very reasonable $13,000 a year.
2. Rice University
Rice is a private research university based in Houston that enrolls 7,000 students. The university’s points of pride include consistent rankings among the top 20 universities in the nation, the 7th best student resources, the 2nd best quality of life, and an amazing 6:1 student to faculty ratio.
Rice’s computer science program has also won numerous accolades, including 20th nationally in graduate computer science, 11th in programming languages, and 1st in scholarly productivity by computer science faculty.
The undergraduate program includes both B.A. and B.S. options in computer science, with graduates finding employment with tech giants and often starting their own companies. The tuition of over $50,000 a year is the only mark against Rice, but this prestigious university sure does a great job in computer science. The 6:1 student to faculty ratio, especially, is something you just won’t find at Texas’ public universities.
1. University of Texas – Austin
UT has a proud history and ranks among the best public universities in the nation—as high as 7th overall, and 8th in best value. Today, UT Austin enrolls over 40,000 undergraduate students across 156 degree programs.
In computer science, the undergraduate program offers six undergraduate concentrations: Big Data, Computer Systems, Cybersecurity, Game Development, Machine Learning and AI, and Mobile Computing. With opportunities for undergraduate research and internships, UT Austin has it all. In fact, U.S. News put them 10th in the nation for computer science.
With in-state tuition under $12,000 a year, UT Austin boasts the best computer science program in Texas—and one of the best in the world—at an unbeatable value.
Conclusion
As you can see, the best colleges for computer science in Texas include some of the nation’s finest. If you’re looking to study computer science in-state, it will be hard to go wrong. Texas does a great job in higher education, and computer science is a prime example.
If you’d like to see the best colleges for computer science in another state, you can find the index here.