Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Software Engineers For Applications
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Washington State University and University of Washington Seattle.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Gonzaga, Walla Walla University, University of Washington Seattle, and Saint Martin's University.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Heritage, City University of Seattle, Seattle University, and Saint Martin's University.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider City University of Seattle, Heritage, and Saint Martin's University.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of University of Puget Sound, Walla Walla University, Gonzaga, and Seattle University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Walla Walla University, University of Puget Sound, Saint Martin's University, and Whitworth University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Puget Sound, University of Washington Seattle, Gonzaga, and Whitworth University.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Whitworth University.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at University of Puget Sound, Walla Walla University, Gonzaga, and Saint Martin's University.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studying (completion in 2012)
• 7/12/2011
"I am quite happy with the school. The program could benefit from cross-lingual assignments. The current focus is only on English."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | UW has a beautiful campus and is well equipped. The atmosphere is very liberal. My field currently has a lot of job openings. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | UW us a highly ranked university in the Pacific Northwest region. There are very few schools offering a specialized major such as ours in the US. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The master's program UW provides has been developed from scratch with help from industry practitioners and Ph.D.s. This makes it highly competitive. The large number of students that get relevant jobs right after graduation is also a testimony to the program's efficacy. |
| Instruction | 8 | Fancy qualifications don't always make for good teaching abilities. |
| How Difficult | 8 | There is tons of coding to do. The field also demands fluency with advanced math and probability. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program is a mix of these two. On one hand the subject matter is theoretical. But we also code a lot. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The whole program is offered online. Classes are also conducted on campus. This makes it possible for folks out of state to also attend classes live. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The above mentioned facilities are very well developed at UW. |
| Social Life | 5 | I am not very social so this does not apply to me. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I haven't really availed of these facilities, though I am aware of an active career assistance program. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The program is just 4 years old so there isn't much of an alumni network. |
University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studying Linguistics (completion in 2012)
• 7/20/2011
"The school was great. I loved the campus and enjoyed learning."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If you are interested in language computing, UW Linguistics is a great place to be. You'd be exposed to the latest techniques in a fast paced environment that challenges you to work really had to earn your degree. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | The program is one of a few such specialized programs offered by universities in the US. It attracts several smart industry folks to the program. |
| Program Quality | 9 | It has great faculty. It also has great infrastructure and organizes many seminars where esteemed members of the community come and interact with students. |
| Instruction | 9 | It has highly qualified teachers. They have a passion to impart their knowledge to the students. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I had to work for many hours a week to finish homework. Most of the times, I would finish only the night before the assignment was due. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | A programming assignment was due each week. This forced us to apply whatever we learned the previous week. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | The program is offered online as well. This allows remote students to take classes. It also allows students to finish the program over 1, 2, or 3 years. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The university has a great library. Our program has also invested in a superb computer lab. |
| Social Life | 5 | I did not take part too much socially, so I cannot comment on this aspect. |
| Placement Services | 5 | We don't have a placement service. The faculty do dig up job postings from the internet and provide references. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The program has been around for just 5 years. There aren't too many alumni around. |
Spokane Community College • Spokane, WA
Studying Software Development (completion in 2012)
• 7/29/2011
"I got what I wanted out of it for the most part. Being certified helps a lot with jobs."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | You get a good variety of different programming languages. You also get to learn web design/development. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | There is a high success rate. There are always jobs within the program. |
| Program Quality | 9 | There are minuscule things that I would change about the program, but nothing major. The layout of the courses needs some revising. |
| Instruction | 10 | I have never enjoyed class more. The Instructors are top notch. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It is very difficult, but easy to learn with some effort. It's easier to learn something that you're interested in. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It's a pretty good mix. A little more hands on than book learning, but not by much. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | You pretty much just have 1-2 assignments per week per class and you just have to have them done by the end of the week. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | There is a large amount of resources available. Computer labs are almost always available. |
| Social Life | 5 | There isn't much as far as spirit goes. However, there are a lot of organized events and parties. |
| Placement Services | 10 | The instructors are programmers themselves, so they farm out jobs to current and past students. There is almost always a constant work flow. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | There are often benefits and functions for alumni. There is also a newsletter. |
University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studying M.S. Electrical Engineering (completion in 2005)
• 8/7/2011
"I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated my time at the UW. I believe it was very beneficial to my career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The UW offers a wide variety of subject matter and top notch teachers and technologies. I think it would be a good place for anyone to attend. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | The UW offers one of the top programs in the country. Cutting edge research, professors that are experts in their field, and a high standard of academic excellence give it a good reputation. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The professors were definitely experts in their fields, and most had a real passion for teaching. Technology used was top notch. |
| Instruction | 9 | Classes were interesting and relevant. With the exception of one course, all were well prepared, and the teachers were obviously well versed in the subject matter. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Some may disagree, but I don't find EE to be all that difficult. I enjoy the marriage of electronics and software that I have experienced in my career, and the mix of both at the UW seemed good to me. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There were plenty of opportunities for both kinds of learning. Most classes included some sort of lab portion. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I took advantage of non-matriculated courses as well as evening and online courses while I was there. I don't recall ever having an inconvenient class. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The Paul Allen building was brand new, but it was very cold - most of the walls were bare concrete. Computer resources were plentiful, and there was lots of tutor and professor help available. |
| Social Life | 10 | I was part of a research lab while I was at the UW, and my group took part in many shared activities. Additionally, there were many events involving my incoming class throughout our tenure as well as the EE program in general. |
| Placement Services | 7 | I was either not privy to career placement assistance, or I just don't remember it very well. I sought out my own employment opportunities at graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | I haven't had much interaction with any alumni members. There isn't much advertising of the network or support available. |
DigiPen Institute Of Technology • Redmond, WA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2009)
• 9/19/2011
"I think I've become a much better programmer after going through DigiPen. However, it is very expensive."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It depends on their financial situation. If they can cover it or don't mind being in massive debt, then yes. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | They are world famous at what they do, probably the best known school for it. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The education I received was top notch. They are the best at this particular niche of Computer Science. |
| Instruction | 8 | All the professors were very skillful. They were also extremely helpful. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was a challenging program at a challenging school. That is how they put out the best programmers. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Books were barely used in most of my classes. Things are mostly taught through lectures and projects. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | There are some summer classes. For the most part, though, you have to fit your schedule to them. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | The computer laboratories and media and computer resources are very good. Classroom space, academic advisors, and professor accessibility are good. Everything else is so-so or non-existent. |
| Social Life | 2 | DigiPen isn't much of a social school. You pretty much have to go elsewhere for a social experience. |
| Placement Services | 5 | They provide a few resources for finding jobs. It is mostly up to the students, though. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I actually haven't heard anything from the alumni program. I'm not sure what they do. |
University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studying Anthropology (completion in 2004)
• 10/16/2011
"UW met my needs at the time I had those needs. I have few complaints. The 7 comes from my dissatisfaction with the reductions in their evening degree programs that occurred while I was attending."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I don't know what it is like to pursue an education specifically targeted to my career. I think when it comes to software development, the vast majority of it can be learned hands on. Yes, there are some areas of deep CS work where a degree in the field would be beneficial, but for most of the work-a-day apps that need to be built the esoterics of theory don't come to bear on the tasks at hand. |
| Program Reputation | A lot of years have passed since I went to school. Reputations in academe change slowly, but I never got a good sense of what the reputation of the school was like outside of the school itself. | |
| Program Quality | 8 | My degree is not directly related to my career. That being said, indirectly it has proved highly beneficial to have a solid understanding of qualitative examinations of human behavior when I sit down to do a needs analysis for a client. |
| Instruction | 8 | Could easily have been less rote and more engaging. However, there are some professors that were outstanding at creating an environment of active participation. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The challenge would have been down at around 2 if not for the fact I was working full time as a software engineer while going to school full time to get my degree in Anthropology. The workload for the actual program was moderate as well. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Some professors were better than others at providing hands on experiences. My particular field of study is difficult to engage in a hands on fashion without a firm basis in theory. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | When I first started at UW I could have given them a 7 in this category. While I was attending, their evening degree program took a major budget hit and the offerings became scant. Fortunately, my status as a student prior to the changes allowed me to round out my degree with day classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | On all counts and in all departments the school has world class facilities. I wanted for nothing while attending. The only demerit may be that the humanities are suffering cuts and classes are getting shuffled off to buildings with the least resources. |
| Social Life | I couldn't care less about school spirit. I was all grown up and working full time when I went to UW, so that tom foolery never entered the picture for me. | |
| Placement Services | Again, I had no experience with the job placement and career services offered at my school. I already had a job while going to school, and have continued to have one since then (though now I work for myself). | |
| Alumni Network | Honestly, I haven't really had any experience with my school's alumni network. I'm more of a go it alone kind of person. |
University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studying Computer Engineering (completion in 2006)
• 12/1/2011
"I met a lot of people I'm still friends with today. I learned a lot of things that my life is better for knowing - in and out of the classroom, related to my major and from random electives. I have a great job and many fond memories."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The rain of Seattle makes being a computer engineer at the UW exceptionally easy! Sure, run around on those few sunny days and enjoy life! But you'll be happy to be inside, in front of your computer, dreaming up code on those typical drizzly days. Also, UW has a lot of connections with big-name companies - Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc. It's a great place to pick up internships or to network for future startup plans. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | UW is well funded and does a lot of research. They also pair closely with the EE department (the buildings are joined), which helps with research and interesting projects. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The University of Washington has a fantastic computer science/engineering department. The Seattle area has a lot of software/tech around it (Microsoft), and the department has received a lot of money and donations. The current building is a relatively recent construction (around 2003, perhaps). This means it's a great place to spend time (although undergrads are kept in the basement), and it attracts a lot of talented professors. |
| Instruction | 9 | A lot of tech companies stopped by the campus to recruit or just give general presentations. A lot of internship opportunities are made clearly available and the courses are constantly updated. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The department is split between computer science and computer engineering. The first has more of the arts as requirements, and the second has more science/engineering. Learning to program in general can be a rough start. It's one of those fields that sort of "clicks" with people, or it doesn't. There is a lot of theoretical math involved in parts of it, and that can be hard to wrap one's head around. The homework assignments can be quite time-consuming, but they are also often rewarding and fun. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | You will write a lot of code in the CS department. You will also have some classes that make you wire things together. There are a couple theoretical/math-related classes, so it's not entirely hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The University of Washington is a traditional campus. Classes happen M-F, from 8am to 8 or 9pm. There can be tests and homework due on weekends. Perhaps there are some online courses, but for the most part, the university is very traditional. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The newish CS building is very nice. There are several large computer labs exclusively for CS students (with free printing). It is always possible to find help from folks in the lab, and all the professors and grad students are located just a couple stories up. There is also a very large, very well-equipped hardware lab for CS hardware classes. |
| Social Life | 8 | There are a large number of clubs that are very open to people joining. The sports teams are well funded and known -- the Huskies, for example. There is a frat system and dorms on campus. All students seem to have school pride, even the most cynical. |
| Placement Services | 6 | I didn't speak to anyone in the placement services. Many students in the department have a job (or further education lined up), so they must be doing something right. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | UW sends frequent mailers about events and soliciting donations. Alumni often recommend and recruit from the university, which means a continuing high presence of UW graduates in the tech industry. |
Digipen Institute Of Technology • Redmond, WA
Studying Real Time Interactive Simulation (completion in 2008)
• 1/7/2012
"Overall I am satisfied with my experience. I wish there was a bit more variety and extra things to do around campus though."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It is the best in the nation. I would recommend it highly to anyone pursuing a degree in software engineering or game design. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Digipen was the first school to offer a Bachelor's in RTIS. They also remain the top school for game design in the country, if not the world. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I loved the classes and the unique focus on game design. I felt over-prepared after graduating and had no trouble finding a position. The atmosphere of the school lacked variety though. |
| Instruction | 10 | There is nothing extra to explain. The curriculum was superb. |
| How Difficult | 9 | There was a lot of homework, and a lot of stress before big tests and projects, especially the team projects where you had to complete entire game builds in limited time. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We were expected to buy textbooks, as any university would do. On the other hand we did a lot of hands on work as our focus was on programming games. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | The school is small and many times there was very limited access to additional class options. I didn't give it a lower rating due to the fact that they had makeup options for next semester if you failed one or two subjects in the BA line. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | There were many top notch computers but no library. There were also no extra amenities. |
| Social Life | 2 | The school was 98% male. There was not much in the way of school spirit, it felt like a grind at times. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I had absolutely no problem finding a job. Many companies recruit right out of my school before we graduated. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | The school is so small that the Alumni network suffers from lack of communication. I hardly keep in touch with anyone from school. |
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