Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Computer Programmers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Tri-C, Franklin, Columbus State Community College, and Lorain County Community College.
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 Cleveland State, College of Mount St. Joseph, Defiance College, and Central State.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Ohio Valley College of Technology, Ohio Business College-Sheffield, and Ohio Business College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Wilberforce University, Central State, Cleveland Institute of Electronics, and The University of Findlay.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Franklin, Ashland University, Marion Tech, and Tri-C.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Cleveland Institute of Electronics, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Oberlin, and Wilberforce University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Wilberforce University, The College of Wooster, Denison, and Oberlin.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Oberlin, Case Western Reserve, Denison, and Ohio State.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Wilberforce University, Oberlin, Central State, and Denison.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Oberlin, Denison, Case Western Reserve, and The College of Wooster.
Spotlight Schools Search
Spotlight Ohio Schools Related to This Career
- Locations: Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Independence
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor
- Locations: Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Fairborn, Mason
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor, Certificate, Diploma
- Locations: Beachwood, Independence
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor
- Locations: Dayton, Norwood, Strongsville, Youngstown
- Programs: 8 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
- Locations: Broadview Heights
- Programs: 4 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Diploma
- Locations: Toledo
- Programs: 3 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor, Diploma
- Locations: Cincinnati
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate
- Locations: Cleveland
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Diploma
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Study from Anywhere at Online Schools Related to This Career
- Programs: 3 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor, Master
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate
Colorado Technical University Online
- Programs: 3 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor, Doctorate
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Kent State University • Kent, OH
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2007)
• 5/1/2011
"The school gave me the college experience as well as the learning experience. Without the knowledge from the program, I would easily be lost in this field."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | There's no reason I would not. I think this school could really add to the computer programming field as a whole. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | The school has one of the highest reputations for this particular field and many other fields. It has been rated as a top school for programming in Ohio. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Kent State has an excellent Computer Science program which taught me everything I know. I really could not have asked for more. |
| Instruction | 9 | As I've stated, I thought the instructing was fantastic and very hands on. They taught the most up to date programming each year. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It was fairly difficult, but, as most would admit, this subject is certainly very difficult for the general public. I have a passion for it. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | This program was very hands-on. Certain classes would set you up by teaching through book learning, but as the classes became more advanced, everything became hands-on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | All types of options were available. This included pure online courses, all days of the week, and all times of the day. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Any type of media and help is available for this program. There were powerful computers, multiple libraries, wonderful tutoring, etc. |
| Social Life | 7 | There were tons of social events at Kent State. I attended a decent chunk of them, but tried to make sure my studies came first. |
| Placement Services | 8 | Kent State has a great internship program which allowed me to get going easily. I work at the company I was originally interning at. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | I think Kent has a great alumni network. In fact, I have come back to the school to tell the students about my studies and my experience. |
Case Western Reserve University • Cleveland, OH
Studying Systems And Control Engineering (completion in 2008)
• 5/5/2011
"I feel like I got a good education. The social scene could have been a bit better, however."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It is a good program for the right type of person. Be ready for lots of work! |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Good engineering program. Good reputation. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Interesting subject material. Broad application. |
| Instruction | 8 | Good professors. Good subject material |
| How Difficult | 8 | Lots of math. Lots of homework |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Some homework. Classes often finished with term projects. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | Core classes offered once a semester. Elective offered bi-yearly. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | Good robotics lab. State of the art video game design lab. |
| Social Life | 2 | Crappy weather. Unsocial student body. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Never really used it. It is available though. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | We have a newsletter. Not much other contact. |
Ohio State University • Columbus, OH
Studying CIS (completion in 2006)
• 5/5/2011
"OSU is a great school for most things, with easy access to most things you need to live your life. As for a tech degree, it seems as though we are behind the times slightly."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would say that someone who is interested in programming needs to do more homework and not just default to a state school. Engineering and CIS does not seem to be the focus of OSU, more of a liberal arts focus at times. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | Again, it's a farm. They churn out a lot of people with minimal talent which makes it hard for those of us who can code. |
| Program Quality | 5 | OSU is a farm for programmers, little to no oversight or one on one interaction. I don't think the university has the cache that it thinks it does. |
| Instruction | More than 5 years ago | |
| How Difficult | 4 | Old, passe classes and challenges. The instructors are too busy looking for better jobs of their own or are just riding it out to retirement. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Very little lab work, more reading and on your own examples. Limited hands on time due to limited lab space. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Most classes had to be during Tues/Thurs between 9-3pm. Limited nights or online available. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | OSU has outdated labs with horrible hardware. Learning on COBOL is a necessity? |
| Social Life | 2 | OSU is great if you want to be a business major. Anyone who wants to do something that actually helps the business world's back-end are pariahs. |
| Placement Services | 1 | They were not able to find me an internship, let alone an entry level position. I had to do it all on my own and they were less than helpful after I had established a career. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | They are extremely great at bothering me for donations. They have done little to help in a career search. |
The Ohio State University • Columbus, OH
Studying CIS (completion in 1999)
• 7/8/2011
"I love the school experience but I did not love some of the TAs. If OSU would limit the number of foreign nationals teaching us to write scripts for Visual Basic. it might help our reputation."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It depends on what they are looking for. It is a bit of a cookie cutter mass production run, but it is cheap for in-state students and a good starter school. If you want to do anything with the degree, you will need to get external certifications to boost your resume out so you stand out from everyone else that just says B.S., CIS on their resumes. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | OSU is regarded as a factory for CIS degrees. While we have a good business school and a decent MBA/MIS program, our rep on the street as coders is far from great. It's considered a "Wal-mart," if you will. |
| Program Quality | 8 | While I learned the bones of what you need to code (starting with COBOL, moving up to Assembler, etc), there was very little exposure to linux and the teaching was dated (cold fusion, etc still being taught). |
| Instruction | 7 | Tons of TA's were always available in the labs to assist us with our work. The problem is that most of them had english as their 2nd language and could make conceptual learning difficult as they could not phrase the idea properly. |
| How Difficult | 7 | There were many challenging courses and lab work as you reached the higher levels. However, there were some courses which were archaic or more suited for a community college (HTML). |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Some reading is, of course, required, but most of the in-class time was devoted to coding, not lectures. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | Limited options for core classes. You had to take around 4 classes in your major per quarter as they were only about 3-4 credit hours each. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Decent computer labs for the time, but for the most part almost anything will do in the early programs as you are using a notepad style editor or using programs from the 60s like COBOL. |
| Social Life | 8 | Great times, great school. While I certainly learned enough to get a job on my own as I previously said, the placement was lacking. |
| Placement Services | 1 | The above answer about alumni offices holds for job placement. There were a few "job fairs" for unpaid internships, but the only job offer I got was from the CIA and it was not to actually code. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | My alumni association just cares about fundraisers and football tickets. While this is probably typical, they were of little to no help in finding a career or networking. |
University Of Cincinnati • Cincinnati, OH
Studying Computer Information Systems (completion in 2007)
• 7/12/2011
"I feel that my school had significantly prepared me for life after college. I also feel that after taking all of the necessary classes that I had all the tools and skills I needed to make a very stable living for myself."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The teachers that the school features are knowledgeable and can help prepare those who are looking for a great industry to get onto some stepping stones to a bright future. I would recommend this college to those who are looking for a major in the IT field. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | UC is known for their IT programs. While they may not be tops in the nation, I feel that those who go through their programs are held up as experts in their chosen fields. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The school that I attended trained me extremely well and gave me the necessary tools that I needed to succeed in the IT industry. The university prepared me for the realities of the working world and helped to shape the person I am today. |
| Instruction | 8 | The teachers were well versed in what they were teaching to me and my fellow classmates. They also went out of their way to explain things to me if I was having a hard time. |
| How Difficult | 8 | There are, of course many aspects that go into any IT field. There was a great deal of studying and memorizing material that, later on, proved to be extremely useful. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Many of the classes that I took had a very hands-on approach to programming and the IT field. There were also points, however, where book-learning was a focus. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The university features a variety of flexible options when it comes to choosing class times. The class times are scheduled according to the days of the week, with weekend options also available. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The facilities pertaining to my major and the school in general are great. The class sizes themselves are very small, allowing for the professors to focus individually on students who need help and to make sure that every student understands the material. |
| Social Life | 9 | There were many events that centered on sports and many school sponsored gatherings and parties. Many of these events were great fun for those who chose to participate. |
| Placement Services | 8 | Many of those who go through programs at UC are well equipped to handle the job market. The career assistance services at the university are top notch, with people who are willing to help students and prepare them for the reality of the working world. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | The university has a great alumni network. There are a great deal of people who have passed through the halls of the university who are willing to donate both their time and money to the institution. |
University Of Cincinnati • Cincinnati, OH
Studying Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering (completion in 1987)
• 7/16/2011
"The school gave me an excellent education. I was able to take what I learned and apply it to a different career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I think UC is an excellent school for anyone. It feels like a small school with caring individuals that want you to succeed. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | The school has improved even more in recent years. They have state of the art facilities and cutting edge technologies. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The engineering program at UC was excellent at the time and I learned much from it. I learned enough to realize that a career in engineering was not what I wanted. |
| Instruction | 8 | I studied computer and software engineering and was given a good foundation for programming. I was taught problem solving skills that help me today. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The math and science courses were very difficult and challenging. They were designed to prepare us for an engineering career. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school provided a good mix of book and hands-on learning. There were plenty of opportunities to practice what we were learning to help make sense of it all. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | The school offers evening and weekend classes. I was able to take a full load of courses during summer sessions. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The laboratories - science and computer - had everything that was needed for hands-on experience. It was very helpful to understanding the curriculum. |
| Social Life | 8 | Every type of excellent athletic events were available. There were mixers and all types of social clubs. The school is very large but felt small because of all the tight knit groups. |
| Placement Services | 8 | They had a full staff available to help in job placement services before and after graduation. They provided support and tools for job finding. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I have not taken advantage of the alumni network. I still get newsletters and information about alumni activities. |
Ohio State University • Columbus, OH
Studying Theatre (completion in 2008)
• 10/3/2011
"I learned much, even if I am not using those skills in my current job. I cannot complain about learning what I chose, even if there was no work in the field."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | By studying a communication field, I am very prepared to converse with others. On the other hand, learning in the way that I did requires that you learn programming on your own, without instruction. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The program is currently becoming better known, but is still young. All of the programs at OSU are improving their reputation over time. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Ohio state has a comprehensive theatre program with a strong focus on physical theatre. The program, built by Jeanine Thompson, is one of the best in the country for movement artists. |
| Instruction | 5 | The theatre program was very good, but I was only minimally prepared for entering the work force. I was forced to learn other useful skills to be able to make money. |
| How Difficult | 10 | The Theatre curriculum requires more of your time than any other program. It is common to spend 30+ hours outside of class each week preparing. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Different classes have different needs. I think most classes did a good job teaching by using the correct methods. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | My schedule was entirely my choosing. There were only a handful of classes that I could not take at the time that I wanted. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | OSU has some of the best facilities in the country. There are libraries for almost every college, and also a main library beside that. |
| Social Life | 10 | Nothing compares to Columbus school spirit - "O-H-I-O". |
| Placement Services | 1 | I was given no help finding a job. A job placement building was mentioned, but I was never told where I would find it. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | There are Buckeyes everywhere. They are not always helpful, but I can always find someone with a similar background. |
Wright State University • Fairborn, OH
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2005)
• 10/23/2011
"Its does a good job getting you ready for a career, and the facilities were excellent. However I think it's more of a commuter school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend the school for the most part, but I think it's more of a commuter school. Those looking for that whole "Animal House" college experience might be better served going elsewhere. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I think its good. I had no problems getting hired. However, I think our program gets overshadowed by other quality programs at universities nearby. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The facilities and professors were great. However my school is less than 80 miles away from Ohio State which also has a good computer science program. I think causes ours to get overshadowed. |
| Instruction | 9 | I was able to use my knowledge immediately since we were taught using actual computer languages used in industry and not "teaching" languages. |
| How Difficult | 9 | It was challenging but fair. The work load was a bit heavy but served its purpose. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was mostly hands on and labs, however there was a good balance based on major. I think my major by definition is more hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | This is the reason I was able to start working prior to graduation. Plenty of evening classes were offered |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The computer science and engineering facility was excellent. The computers and labs were up to date and they were accessible and secure to students when needed. Professors were available when needed and my advisor was thorough and helpful. |
| Social Life | 5 | More neutral since I was able to work prior to graduation due to the flexible class schedule to was an area I ignored due to lack of time. I did go to basketball games when I could and enjoyed them very much |
| Placement Services | 8 | I didn't need it since I had my own network of contacts and was able to get work related to my major prior to graduation but others I know who used it got a lot of good leads and were able to get employment related to their major. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I haven't really used the alumni network like I could or should. But I do get mailings pretty regularly. |
University Of Cincinnati • Cincinnati, OH
Studying Electrical And Computer Engineering (completion in 1983)
• 10/28/2011
"I loved my time at UC. I learned everything I know about computers and programming there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | UC is a great state university. The engineering programs teach you what you need to know. This is a very affordable engineering degree. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Locally, UC has a good reputation. I don't know about nationally. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The instructor were well qualified and helpful. The coursework was relevant and interesting. |
| Instruction | 8 | The SW Engineering courses prepared me to program in any language. Some coursework was not relevant to my career. |
| How Difficult | 6 | The workload was not overly heavy. However, the course material was appropriately difficult so as to be meaningful. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of my learning was through classroom and books. The laboratories were OK, but could have been better. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | There was not much flexibility with my program. Most classes were offered only at a single time. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The library was top-notch. I used it for research many times. The labs were acceptable, but not great. |
| Social Life | 5 | I did not attend many social events. I did play intramural softball one year. |
| Placement Services | 9 | When I was there the job placement services were great. I was able to get many interviews and offers. |
| Alumni Network | I don't know anything about this. I never used my school's alumni network. |
Columbus State Community College • Columbus, OH
Studying Arts And Communication (completion in 2005)
• 1/1/2012
"They are lucky I already have a clear understanding. I feel sorry for the people who graduate and think they will actually have marketable skills."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | There are better places to learn computer programming. |
| Program Reputation | I don't know their reputation. | |
| Program Quality | 8 | It was fine. The Associate's degree was general, and I was pleased overall. |
| Instruction | 2 | Now that I am in school for programming I am very disappointed with the quality of the education I am getting. I have taught myself all of the concepts and learned many languages prior to beginning classes as I have been a developer for 14 years. The teachers giving the lessons are below par - they don't deliver the concepts in an easy to understand manner and miss key points I would stress if I were teaching. I can't test out of many of the classes so I'm bored and frustrated. |
| How Difficult | 5 | It's not difficult, but it's pointless. There are better ways to see that the class is understanding the concepts, and better ways for a class to be conducted in general. They assign papers for boring topics in every class. I know how to write a paper - I'm tired of it by now. I have figured out how to pass the class with an A or B without even doing the paper anymore. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Book and the lectures are lacking. The books for several of the C++ courses are terrible. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | It would be nice for more on campus classes in evenings. |
| Academic Facilities | 1 | I was very disappointed. Poor quality overall. |
| Social Life | I am not really looking for social aspects, so I don't feel comfortable rating. | |
| Placement Services | I have not had any experience with this. | |
| Alumni Network | I don't know anything about it. |
Ohio State University • Columbus, OH
Studying Communications (completion in 2000)
• 1/1/2012
"I was very satisfied with my education at this school, and not only that but I was very happy with the flexibility and the knowledge I had gained. Although I look back and wish I could have changed my career, I am happy with my salary and I am happy they taught me to be such a great programmer."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If you can teach yourself the basics of what you need to know as well as learn the important information the professors hand out then I recommend it. This school is not for the hands-on learning type person. |
| Program Reputation | I don't know my school's reputation in the major because I was in a hurry to get a good job to support my kids. I just chose the closest college near home. | |
| Program Quality | 8 | I loved my professors, I felt like I really understood what I was being taught. The overall learning experience was just fantastic. |
| Instruction | 6 | Although the professors taught me well, most of the stuff I have had to use today I have end up teaching myself, especially the new programming software and techniques. I wish they could have better prepared me for this. |
| How Difficult | 6 | Computer programming is very easy for me. Something about it just makes sense, maybe because in a way it is very logical and precise. I am a person who loves logic and that why is was easy for me. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | In my school, the professor would teach you what you had to know, and you'd have to teach yourself everything else. Maybe it was just my professors but that is how it seemed. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | With my kids I needed as much flexibility as I could get and they definitely offered that. I don't know how I could have done it if they weren't so flexible. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | They had just about everything I needed. The library was perfect for finding books I needed on any given subject, computer labs were always plentiful and the teachers were just amazing. My favorite part of the school's academic facilities was that with so many students attending you could always find a study group to meet your needs. |
| Social Life | 2 | I never spoke to many students as I didn't have your typical college life. I lived off campus in an apartment for my kids. So I never partied. When I wasn't in classes I was either taking care of my children, working, or doing school work. |
| Placement Services | I never used Job Placement services because I never needed help finding a job and I didn't like the options they would have presented. As for the career services assistance, they were okay. They did their job but I don't feel like I have enough information on them in order to give you a rating. | |
| Alumni Network | 5 | They helped when I needed but they never really went out of their way for it. There is/was room for improvement but overall it met my needs. |
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