According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), software developers are among the highest paid professionals in the modern workforce with a median salary of $130,160 (2023). Furthermore, the BLS estimates that the number of software developer jobs will grow exceedingly rapidly (25%) from 2022 - 2032.
Strong labor market demand has translated into growing demand from students. According to Gray Decision Intelligence (DI), student demand indicators like Google Search Volume, New Student Enrollment & Completions data all rank in the 99th percentile.
Given this demand, it is unsurprising that over 1,000 institutions now over a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, with median annual completions of 19 students. It has become a core, foundational degree across institution types. Despite this healthy competition, Gray DI’s program scorecard system still ranks the program in the 99th percentile for new programs given growing student + employer demand.
This Computer Science major is designed around real-world software development problems across 13 courses, culminating in a capstone project. The program has been developed in collaboration with industry and academic experts from Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Capital One, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and W3Schools, by first defining the most valuable outcomes and the skills that students need to achieve them.
Our interviews with curriculum committee members and hiring managers from Fortune 500 companies, exposed perceived shortcomings of typical computer science programs. The core concerns of hiring managers were that existing computer science degrees placed too much emphasis on theoretical concepts and not enough on practical skills for programming, such as testing, team collaboration, and software deployment, placing the burden on the employer to build these skills. They also shared concerns over the accessibility of computer science, noting that most successful graduates typically had prior programming experience, and they felt that this detrimentally affected the diversity of the graduate pool.
To address these concerns, this Computer Science major is designed to specifically achieve the following:
| Target Outcome | Type | Salary Range (USD) | Availability | Requirements | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer (or Developer) | Role | $130,160 | Very High | BA in Computer Science | The most common career path. |
| Web Developer | Role | $67,601 | High | BA in Computer Science or Bootcamp | |
| Product Manager | Role | $118,892 | Medium | Bachelor’s Degree | |
| AI/ML Engineer | Role | $127,368 | Medium | Master’s Degree in Computer Science / AI | |
| MS in Computer Science | Graduate Ed. | N/A | N/A | BA in Computer Science |
The field of Computer Science has evolved significantly, offering a broad spectrum of career opportunities. The most common pathway for graduates is to become a software engineer. This role involves designing, developing, testing, and maintaining software applications by utilizing the technical and analytical skills developed during a Computer Science degree.
Graduate education is a strong option for students looking to deepen their expertise in specialized areas of Computer Science, such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or Cybersecurity. Pursuing advanced degrees can also open doors to research and academic positions.
Additionally, the versatility of a Computer Science degree supports various high-value roles outside of the traditional software engineering role. Graduates can find opportunities as business analysts, where their problem-solving skills are highly valued, or in roles such as IT manager, data scientist, systems analyst, and technical consultant. Furthermore, the computational and analytical skills gained can be a significant asset in fields such as finance, healthcare, and even creative industries.
In order to support the above target outcomes, the following Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) have been defined by the program Curriculum Committee. This may seem like more PLOs than typical for an undergraduate major, however Rize programs scale the number of PLOs with the number of courses covered in order to ensure that PLOs are targeted and assessed in course projects. A full mapping of PLOs to courses and Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) may be found at the bottom of this section.