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 UW Milwaukee, UW Eau Claire, Cardinal Stritch, and UW La Crosse.
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 Milwaukee Area Technical College, UW Parkside, Carroll University, and Lakeland.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Alverno and Mount Mary College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider College of Menominee Nation, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, Concordia, and Milwaukee Area Technical College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Cardinal Stritch, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, Concordia, and College of Menominee Nation.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Beloit, Marquette, UW River Falls, and UW Superior.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Beloit, Ripon College, Saint Norbert College, and Carthage College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Wisconsin, Beloit, Marquette, and Ripon College.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Cardinal Stritch, Mount Mary College, and Milwaukee Area Technical College.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Beloit, Nicolet Area Technical College, Silver Lake College, and Southwest Wisconsin Technical College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Wisconsin Madison • Madison, WI
Studying Computer Engineering (completion in 2007)
• 7/25/2011
"I received a world class education. At the end of the degree I got a job in a Fortune 500 company in Silicon Valley, which made my investment of money and time worthwhile."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I very highly recommend it to students who want the best education in computer science and engineering. But be prepared to work hard!! |
| Program Reputation | 10 | It's ranked #16 in the annual US news survey. The company I work for still hires students from my university. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Excellent faculty who are familiar with the latest technologies. Modern labs and equipment. |
| Instruction | 9 | All course had hands on assignments and project work that reinforced key concepts. Students were encouraged to work in groups, which helped train students for real life work. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Courses were challenging because of regular tests, assignments, projects, midterms, and finals. The bar was set quite high since only the brightest students were admitted into the program, so I had to work extra hard in order to shine among the crowd. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There wasn't a single class in which there was no lab work. Books were obviously important, but only to support learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | For graduate school, the class schedule was pretty much fixed, since each course was offered by only one professor each semester. Evening classes were not offered, but there was summer school. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | We had modern computer labs, professors held office hours everyday, and teaching assistants were also very helpful. Students who needed extra help were also offered tutors. |
| Social Life | 9 | I learned more in those two years than I had during the four years of my undergraduate program because of the rigorous curriculum. Studying with smart and talented students from around the world was a very exciting experience for me. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They were very well organized and provided excellent career guidance to students. They invited over a hundred companies for campus interviews. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | We have regular alumni meetings. There's an alumni website and monthly newsletter as well. |
University Of Wisconsin - La Crosse • La Crosse, WI
Studying Information Systems (completion in 2006)
• 7/27/2011
"It has provided a great income and a stable job situation that I would not have been able to secure if I didn't go to college. I could have went elsewhere, but I would have paid nearly twice as much and received the same education."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The cost versus other schools for the same education cannot be beaten. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The program is very small but is respected across the UW system colleges. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The overall coursework gives a broad understanding of technology and business, but should go more into detail. |
| Instruction | 5 | They provided education on a lot of outdated technologies that aren't applicable to today, but most of the techniques and ideas are still very applicable. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Only one course at a time in my major should be attempted during college. The time demand outside of class is above and beyond any other class in other majors. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | In the general education classes you are mostly required to use the book because the student-to-professor ratio is so large. As you progress into your major you get more one-on-one time with the professors. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | Some classes are only offered every other year, so unless you plan your entire schedule when you're a freshman, you might miss out on a class that is required or that you might want to take as an elective. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The computers were adequate, although they were Apple products. The majority of programmers use PCs and that is what I've used the past 5 years in the work force. |
| Social Life | 5 | UW-L is okay at providing entertainment, but sports is definitely "more important" than the other programs. |
| Placement Services | 10 | The majority of students were placed right out of school and in their field. I think only one student in my major did not have a position directly after graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | You only hear from them when they ask for a donation. Otherwise you have no idea what is changing at the school. |
University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee • Milwaukee, WI
Studying Management Information Systems (completion in 2008)
• 7/26/2011
"I am slightly satisfied. It taught what I needed to know to find a job and excel."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would not give it a glowing review. It is still not a terrible place to learn, though. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I do not believe my school has much of a reputation. It is neither good not bad. |
| Program Quality | 7 | It was a good program but it could have been better. I wish that it was less business orientated and more computer orientated. |
| Instruction | 6 | Some of my instructors were just average in their teaching abilities. The counselors were not very good with job placement. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It was very difficult. I spent countless hours in the lab attempting to get my programs to work as needed. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My school was more hands-on that book. The book was still required material in order to understand the hands-on portion, though. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The schedule was flexible. I was able to take night classes when needed and group my classes all on to one day to leave other days entirely open. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The labs were above average. The classroom sizes were generally small which made things much easier. |
| Social Life | 5 | The parties were great. I did not get too involved with all the athletics events. I did enjoy some of the goings on in the Quad. |
| Placement Services | 3 | The job placement was not very good. I went off on my own to find the job I was looking for. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | The alumni network is non-existent. The only contact I receive is requests for donations. |
Marquette University • Milwaukee, WI
Studying Information Technology (completion in 1998)
• 10/18/2011
"Marquette is a great school. I learned a lot and wouldn't have gotten my start if it weren't for the job that I received through the university placement program."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend 4 or 5 other schools locally that would provide a better technical curriculum than Marquette. However, it's definitely better than a lot of the smaller universities and community colleges. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | Marquette is a great business school but not a great school for programmers. Knowing what I know now, I would have gone to either UW Madison or University of Illinois and gone into computer science. Programming is definitely a field that you can really excel in with good mentors and alumni connections that are relevant and doing cutting edge things in the field. |
| Program Quality | 7 | As an information technology major, I didn't have as intensive a technical workload as the computer science majors. I took some relational database, visual basic and C classes but most of my technical knowledge was acquired in the real world. It wasn't Marquette's fault that I didn't come out as technical as I would have liked, it was my own. |
| Instruction | 6 | Many of my instructors were IT contractors and retired project managers or business analysts. Again, not as technical as the Computer Science instructors. |
| How Difficult | 6 | Aside from Visual Basic and C, everything was pretty easy for me. I rated it a four because some of the knowledge I attained helped me get my first programming job (i.e. SDLC). |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of my programming courses were very hands on but the vast majority of the IT management courses were very book oriented. Looking back, I would have enrolled in Computer Science instead of Information Technology but what's done is done. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I would imagine Marquette had more flexibility than I was aware of. My class load only consisted of weekday classes during the spring and fall semesters. I did have a few friends who took a good number of night classes and attended summer programs. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | We had a computer lab with about 60-80 computers but you have to take into consideration that it was in 1998 and computers weren't as big a deal as they are now. My software instructors were always available for me and since most of my assignments consisted of developing applications, I was very appreciative of that. |
| Social Life | 8 | Marquette is located right in the heart of Milwaukee so social events and parties were always plentiful. We didn't have a football team but the school took basketball pretty seriously. So school spirit wasn't as radical as a big ten university, but it was still really good. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I received my first job from my university's placement program. I had two other offers to choose from as well and they both came from the university placement program. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | It's not really good at all, at least for what I do. I haven't had one event pertinent to what I do in the last 13 years. I've been asked to speak to students graduating within the past few years but I never really received the same offer. Maybe it's because jobs were more plentiful in 1998? |
UW-Green Bay • Green Bay, WI
Studying Computer Science/English (completion in 2012)
• 12/19/2011
"I attended an average school, got average grades, and ended up in an average job. It wasn't MIT, but it was good enough."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If you are of average intelligence and desire a modest living, then sure, go to my school. If you're smart and have talent in computer science, then go somewhere better, if you can. |
| Program Reputation | In the surrounding community, my degree was respected. However, in other places, it did not particularly stand out, because the institution it was earned at wasn't distinguished. | |
| Program Quality | 5 | I attended a mediocre state university. The professors, as a result, were mediocre as well. |
| Instruction | 6 | The quality of instruction was decent. Because I attended a standard school, the professors were mostly educated in mathematics and not necessarily in computer science. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Most of the assignments were projects that we were able to complete throughout the course of the semester; there was usually only one or two projects assigned per class. Also, the projects were not extremely time-consuming, but were difficult in nature. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of the assignments were self-directed projects. They were assigned to us and were often open-ended, and we made very little use of textbooks. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | My classes were standard college courses. Many of them were during the weekdays, in the mornings and afternoons. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | We had multiple labs to use, which held PCs and Macintosh software. Computers and their systems were constantly updated, and courses were amended to keep up with ever-new technology. |
| Social Life | 3 | I worked too much and socialized too little. When I was not at work, I was either in class or studying. |
| Placement Services | 8 | Career services in my school did an exceptional job with me. They referred me to many internships and provided good feedback on my resume. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I did not have anything to do with networking or communicating with alumni. I suppose that would be a fault of the school for not telling students about it. |
Milwaukee Area Technical College • Milwaukee, WI
Studying Visual Communication Graphics (completion in 2012)
• 2/28/2012
"I really enjoy the classes. I feel like I will have no problem finding a job after graduation, due to the skills I've obtained."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I'd recommend this school to anyone who is not looking to spend 4 years in college. It's a quick education and an exciting field to be in. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Since it is a 2-year school, they get straight to the point, which is nice. It is one of the only schools in the area that offer a computer programming/web development degree. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Most of the classes are very interesting and you can learn a lot from them. The only downside is that they are very slow moving sometimes. |
| Instruction | 8 | The teachers all have experience in the field, which is very useful in the classroom. I feel like they could fit more into the curriculum, however. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It depends on the person and how much previous knowledge they have of computer programming, but if the student is motivated, the material can be picked up pretty easily. There are a lot of programming languages to be learned, though, and that can be pretty difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of the classes are very hands on. The teacher works on the projector while we follow along on our own computers. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Classes only meet once a week for 4 hours at a time, so I don't have to spend as many days on campus. They also offer a lot of online classes, which are very convenient. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | They offer us 20+ different mobile devices that we can rent and take home with us, in order to debug our web apps on different devices; many schools do not provide this. There are also many computer labs available to us. |
| Social Life | 1 | The school is located in a bad area and I don't feel safe being around a majority of the students. I tend to only stay at school when I have class; I'd prefer to study at home. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I have been attending this school for one year now and have still not met my advisor. They don't seem to be involved much with their students and they don't seem to help much with job placement following graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | Since it is not a 4-year university, they don't offer any alumni programs. |
UW-Whitewater • Whitewater, WI
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2011)
• 3/26/2012
"I was satisfied with some of the teachers and courses. Wish they had different classes and new teachers."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I enjoyed the school and earning my degree. Very fun social life and parties. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Some good professors and courses. Wish they offered more variety. |
| Program Quality | 7 | Taught me everything about programming and other skills, but not much about programming computer/video games, had to learn most of that on my own. |
| Instruction | 7 | Some teachers didn't care about the class and let us do what we wanted, which wasn't good for the students. We wanted to learn more. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Some courses were hard and some were easy. They made us take some business courses which I did not like or do well in. I did better in the computer science courses. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Depends on the class. Some classes were more by the book. The programming classes were more hands-on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Offered many classes at different times. Also, there were many online options. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Many computer labs with lots of computers. The library was very nice as well, and there was lots of space for students. |
| Social Life | Didn't care too much about the athletics, but the parties were great. | |
| Placement Services | They didn't help me find a job at all. I found mine on my own. | |
| Alumni Network | I didn't use the alumni support. I have no need for it. |
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