Professionals with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science are currently in high-demand due to the fact that this industry is constantly growing and evolving. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, you will be able to work in a wide range of industries doing things such as coding, creating software and providing companies with IT security.
We have picked the Top Ten Best Online Schools for obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science in an effort to allow students to not only obtain an excellent education, but to obtain their education in a highly flexible format. Because all of these programs offer a high-quality education, incredible flexibility, and curriculum specialization, we feel that these programs will give you the best education for your money, allowing you to achieve the career goals that you have set for yourself.
Picking an online program to earn your Bachelor’s degree in computer science can be a tall order, so we hope to help you narrow down your list of choices with this Top 10 Online Schools For A Bachelor’s Degree In Computer Science ranking. This list is a compilation of the ten schools we think will give you the best education for your money, allowing you to achieve the career goals that you want.
Methodology
Each school is ranked based on the following criteria:
50% Quality of the curriculum
50% Prior awarded accolades
We believe structuring our rankings this way will help students to choose a school that will give them a top-notch education so they can become productive leaders in their industry.
Employment in computer occupations is expected to increase by 13 percent through 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and to take full advantage of this, we recommend students to enroll in a program where they can obtain a high-quality, dynamic education. The online programs offered at these schools will fulfill that, and offer students greater flexibility than on-campus programs.
Here are the Top Ten Online Schools For A Bachelor’s Degree In Computer Science:
1. University of Florida
The University of Florida is a public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906. The University of Florida is one of sixty-two elected member institutions of the Association of American Universities (AAU), the association of preeminent North American research universities, and the only AAU member university located in Florida. The University is classified as a Research University with Very High Research by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In 2015, U.S. News & World Report ranked Florida as the fourteenth best public university in the United States. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It is the third largest Florida university by student population, and is the eighth largest single-campus university in the United States with 49,913 students enrolled for the fall 2012 semester. The University of Florida is home to sixteen academic colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. It offers multiple graduate professional programs including business administration, engineering, law, dentistry, medicine, and veterinary medicine on one contiguous campus, and administers 123 master’s degree programs and seventy-six doctoral degree programs in eighty-seven schools and departments.
The Bachelor’s degree programs in computer science offered at the University of Florida is offered on-campus and online. The on-campus degrees can be obtained either through the university’s school for liberal arts and sciences or the school of engineering. The online course will provide students with the same quality education as their on-campus counterparts. Collectively, the list of achievements and awards received by the faculty that teach these Bachelor’s degree programs include two recent Fulbright Scholars, twelve NSF Career Awards, four IEEE Fellows, two members of the European Academy of Sciences, one IEEE Computer Society Taylor Booth Education Award, one IEEE Computer Society Wallace McDowell Award;one SIAM Fellow, and one ACM Karl Karlstrom Education Award meaning attending students will receive a high-quality and well-rounded education allowing them to have the skills and knowledge needed to advance far in their careers. The faculty’s various accomplishments, the rigor of the coursework and the quality of the education received is why we have chosen the University of Florida as our top pick for best online Bachelor’s degree program in computer science.
Tuition: $42,938
Learn more about the University of Florida’s Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Computer Science here.
2. Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon. The university offers more than 200 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs and has the largest total enrollment in Oregon. More than 230,000 people have graduated from OSU since its founding. The Carnegie Foundation classifies Oregon State University as a doctoral university with the “highest research activity” and designates it a ‘Community Engagement’ university. Oregon State University is one of 73 land-grant universities in the United States and the school is also a sea-grant, space-grant, and sun-grant institution, making it one of only two U.S. institutions to obtain all four designations and the only public university to do so. Founded in 1868, the school has more than 100 years of experience at producing excellence in students.
The Bachelor’s degree programs in computer science offered at Oregon State University are available in a traditional on-campus format and a fully online format. The online format is available through the school’s Oregon State University Ecampus, which is the online education unit of the school. In January 2016, the Ecampus bachelor’s degree programs were ranked top 10 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report marking the third straight year the school has been ranked as such. All OSU Ecampus courses are developed by Oregon State faculty members and each year, OSU instructors share best practices in online teaching with features interactive discussions at the Ecampus Faculty Forum. The online format offers one-year, two-year, three-year or four-year track options. The intensive one-year track option is for students who can commit to be full-time distance students. The other track options allow for more scheduling flexibility and is recommended to those students that already have prior commitments, such as a career or family. Regardless of the track chosen, students enrolled in the online program will obtain a flexible and high-quality education.
Tuition: $43,899
Learn more about Oregon State University’s Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Computer Science here.
3. Florida State University
Florida State University is a public space-grant and sea-grant research university. Its primary campus is located in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Having been founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the state of Florida. The University is classified as a Research University with Very High Research by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university comprises 16 separate colleges and more than 110 centers, facilities, labs and institutes that offer more than 360 programs of study, including professional school programs. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Florida State University is home to nationally ranked programs in many academic areas, including law, business, engineering, medicine, social policy, film, music, theater, dance, visual art, political science, psychology, social work, and the sciences. Florida State University leads Florida in four of eight areas of external funding for the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
The Bachelor’s degree program for computer science is available to attending students in a traditional on-campus format and a fully online format. The online format will provide students with the same quality of education that the on-campus students receive. Students attending either of these formats will develop core competencies in the following areas: programming, database structure, computer organization, and operating systems. These programs also allows for opportunities to study a range of other aspects of computer and information science, such as information security, data communication/ networks, computer and network systems administration, theoretical computer science, and software engineering. Every attending student can expect to become proficient at programming in C, C++, and Assembly Language. Additionally, students of Florida State University will be exposed to other programming languages such as Java, C#, Ada, Lisp, Scheme, Prolog, Perl, and HTML. This means students that graduate from these degree programs will have a solid foundation on which to build their careers.
Tuition: $21,673
Learn more about Florida State University’s Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Computer Science here.
4. University of Illinois Springfield
The University of Illinois at Springfield is a public university located in Springfield, Illinois. The university was established in 1969 and became a part of the University of Illinois system on July 1, 1995. As a public liberal arts college, and the newest university campus in the University of Illinois system, the University of Illinois at Springfield is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. The school is also part of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the American Council on Education. The campus’ main repository, Brookens Library, holds a collection of almost 800,000 books and serials in addition to accessible resources at the University of Illinois at Chicago and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campuses. The University of Illinois at Springfield serves nearly 6,000 students in 27 different undergraduate degree programs, 20 master’s degree programs, and a doctorate in Public Administration. The university was once one of the two upper-division and graduate universities in Illinois, but it now accepts freshmen, transfer and graduate students.
The bachelor’s degree programs offered at the University of Illinois are a traditional on-campus program and a fully online degree program. On acceptance to one of these programs, students are assigned a member of the Computer Science faculty to serve as their academic advisor. This advisor will assist them in choosing how to obtain their education and help students to figure out what career path they wish to pursue. For the online program, applicants must have at least 30 semester hours of college-level transfer credit with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 on a 4.00 scale. The online Computer Science degrees have the same requirements as the on-campus degrees, allowing students to actively participate in a dynamic, diverse, and interactive online learning program. The online format enables them to complete coursework using cutting-edge networked information technologies for increased interaction with educational resources, advisors, and materials.
Tuition: $20,938
Learn more about the University of Illinois — Springfield’s Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Computer Science here.
5. Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a public, coeducational research university located in Norfolk, Virginia, with two satellite campuses in the Hampton Roads area. The school was established in 1930 and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia. Old Dominion University is classified as a Carnegie Doctoral, Higher Research Activity University whose purpose is to provide the highest quality of undergraduate and graduate education, while at the same time raising its stature as one of the nation’s best public research institutions. The university offers 168 undergraduate and graduate degree programs across all of its programs and is one of the nation’s largest providers of online distance learning courses. Old Dominion University has approximately 124,000 alumni in all 50 states and 67 countries. Old Dominion University derives its name from one of Virginia’s state nicknames, “The Old Dominion”, given to the state by King Charles II of England for remaining loyal to the crown during the English Civil War.
The Bachelor’s degree programs in computer science offered at Old Dominion University are available in both a traditional format and an online format that doesn’t require students to attend any on-campus meetings. The online format affords students a huge amount of flexibility due to allowing them to take classes whenever and wherever and due to the large amount of electives offered by the school. The programs at Old Dominion University have Honors and Advanced Placement courses for those that achieve and maintain a 3.50 in-major GPA (for an Honors designation) or for students who achieve a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the AP Computer Science A or AB exams or a 5, 6, or 7 on the IB Computer Science exams (for the Advanced Placement program). There’s also dual-degree programs available to students such as a Linked Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Master of Business Administration or a Linked Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Master of Science in Computer Science.
Tuition: $40,787
Learn more about Old Dominion University’s Online Bachelor Degree Programs in Computer Science here.
6. Regis University
Regis University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic and Jesuit university. Regis College was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1877, and it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Based in Denver, Colorado, Regis University is divided into five different colleges: Regis College, The Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions, the College for Professional Studies, the College of Computer and Information Sciences, and the College of Business and Economics. Regis college also offers a wide range of choices for majors, minors, emphases and pre-professional tracks The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the programs offered at Regis University are designed for recent high school graduates, or transfer students, with little or no professional work experience. Regis University, in accordance with its Jesuit heritage, has a long tradition of charitable service which includes the Father Woody Projects, Center for Service Learning (CSL) and Engaged Scholar Activist Programs.
The Bachelor’s degree programs in computer science offered at Regis University are offered in an on-campus, online and accelerated formats. Students enrolled in one of these formats have the opportunity to work on their B.S. in Computer Science degree in tandem with one of the Master of Science degree programs within Regis University’s College of Computer & Information Sciences. These programs follow a tenet of core beliefs in how students should be taught, emphasizing high standards of professionalism, unwavering ethics and a commitment to serving one’s community. With a total of 128–133 course hours, students will leave Regis University’s computer science programs with a strong foundation in the discipline, and will be in possession of everything they will need to be successful professionals in their industry and to make a positive impact in their community and in the world at large.
Tuition: $33,710
Learn more about Regis University’s Online Bachelor Degree Programs in Computer Science here.
7. Dakota State University
Dakota State University is a public university that is located in Madison, South Dakota. The university has a technology-centric focus with programs in computer and information science, business, education, natural sciences, liberal arts, among other graduate and undergraduate programs. The university requires all full-time undergraduate students to use tablet computers and laptops in their classes along with taking an introduction to computers course and an introductory programming course as part of their curriculum. DSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2004, DSU was designated by the National Security Agency as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. In 2012, DSU received two more designations from the National Security Agency: National Center of Academic Excellence in Research and National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations. DSU is home to the Smith-Zimmermann Heritage Museum and the Karl E. Mundt Library and Archives.
The Bachelor’s in Computer Science degree programs offered at Dakota State University include a traditional on-campus program and a fully online program. The on-campus program will give attending students the opportunity to attend small class sizes with a favorable student-faculty ratio. Due to the smaller class sizes, students will be able to receive more one-on-one assistance from their instructors, greatly increasing the chance of having a successful academic experience. The online program will allow students to take their classes on their own time, whenever and wherever they want. This flexibility is great for professionals or those that have other commitments as it allows them to further their careers. All computer science classes at Dakota State University are taught by professors who hold a PhD in computer science and are proven researchers, meaning these professors are highly qualified to provide lectures and assistance on this topic.
Tuition: $14,031
Learn more about Dakota State University’s Online Bachelor Degree Programs in Computer Science here.
8. Lamar University
Lamar University is a public coeducational doctoral and research university in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995 and it was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. Lamar University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Lamar offers students the choice of 96 undergraduate, 50 master’s and eight doctoral degree programs within the school’s seven academic colleges. The academic colleges are the College of Engineering, College of Education and Human Development, College of Business, College of Fine Arts and Communication, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Graduate Studies, and the Reaud Honors College. Lamar is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and is one of only two universities classified as such within the Texas State University System. Lamar and Kunming University of Science and Technology in southwest China have an exchange program that allows students from China to attend Lamar University for one year while pursuing their bachelor’s degree.
The Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science offered at Lamar University is available in both an on-campus format, a fully online format and a mixture of the two. The Computer Science program at Lamar is a broad-based program in Computer Science emphasizing the areas of computer programming languages, data structures, information systems, theory of programming languages, software engineering, networking, database, multimedia, applications of computer science and computer architecture. Students are also able to explore concentrations in computer science bioinformatics and computer science game development. With 121 total course hours required for graduation in core classes and 86 course hours required for computer science, these programs will provide graduating students with everything that they will need to be successful in a variety of careers in the computer science field.
Tuition: $16,362
Learn more about Lamar University’s Online Bachelor Degree Programs in Computer Science here.
9. Lewis University
Lewis University is a private Roman Catholic and Lasallian (a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation founded in France and now based in Rome) university located in Romeoville, Illinois. Lewis offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and programs of study, 22 graduate programs, and accelerated programs for working adults. Founded in 1932, Lewis University has a very storied history. During World War II, normal classes offered at Lewis were suspended so the campus could be given to the United States Navy to allow them to train pilots. Regular classes resumed in late 1944, a year before World War II ended, and the college soon adopted a more traditional arts and science curriculum. Lewis University employs 210 full-time faculty members who are committed to providing a high-quality education to students. The majority of the faculty hold terminal degrees in their respective fields and many are experienced practitioners. The student-faculty ratio is 13:1, allowing for a lot of personalized assistance for students.
The Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science programs offered at Lewis University are a standard Bachelor’s degree program, a 5‑Year B.S. and MSIS Fast-Track program and an accelerated Bachelor’s online degree program. The standard Bachelor’s degree program offered at Lewis allows students to choose a specialization in their curriculum. These specializations are Computer and Network Security, Video Game Development, Distributed and Mobile Computing Technologies and Simulation of Scientific Systems. The 5‑Year B.S. and MSIS Fast-Track program allows students to obtain a dual-degree of a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Information Security degree in only five years. The accelerated Bachelor’s online degree program is in a completely online format, allowing great flexibility in when, where and how students obtain their Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. In addition to the flexible course options offered at Lewis, the school is also ranked as one of U.S. News & World Report’s “Top Tier Colleges.”
Tuition: $38,580 per year
Learn more about Lewis University’s Online Bachelor Degree Programs in Computer Science here.
10. Regent University
Established in 1977, Regent University is a private Christian-affiliated (Interdenominational, Evangelical, Orthodox) research university that is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Regent offers distance education, in addition to its traditional on-campus programs. And through its eight academic schools, Regent offers associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in over 70 courses of study. The school is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, CHEA (School of Education), ABA (School of Law), CACREP and CoA (School of Psychology and Counseling), TEAC (School of Education), ACBSP and ASEL (School of Business and Leadership), ATS (School of Divinity) and is a member of NASPAA (Robertson School of Government). With 620 academic staff–many of whom are graduates of Yale, Harvard, Oxford, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and many other top schools and five of whom are Fulbright Scholars–and with approximately 400 administrative staff, Regent University has an excellent faculty-student ratio of about 6:1, allowing for a lot of hands-on assistance.
The online Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science offered at Regent University gives students the skills and knowledge needed to become successful professionals in a variety of careers, such as Software Development & Engineering, Video Game Programming & Digital Arts, Systems Analysis & Engineering, Computer Information Security, Networks Administration, Database & Data Mining Analyst, Web Development. The requirements for this course are 120 credit hours, which includes 49 general education, 54 Computer Science and 17 electives. Through this program, students will gain many skills and a strong computer science foundation with a Christian worldview that will position them to be able to achieve what they set their minds to. Students will learn to analyze, design, develop and document computing systems and networking infrastructures using precision-based work, creativity and careful reasoning along with a keen attention to detail.
Tuition: $22,660 per year
Learn more about Regent University’s Online Bachelor Degree Programs in Computer Science here.
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