Software Development
What you'll do in college
This track is about building and shipping working software. The coursework is hands-on and project-driven: programming, databases, web and mobile development, software-engineering practices, version control, testing, and cloud deployment. The theory is lighter and the applied work is heavier — you'll spend less time on proofs and more time inside real codebases.
Many programs bake co-ops, industry capstones, or internships into the curriculum. By graduation you'll have a portfolio of apps and systems you actually built, not just a binder of problem sets.
What you'll do after college
Graduates step straight into software development, web and mobile engineering, DevOps, IT, QA, and product roles. The emphasis on tooling, teamwork, and shipping means many are productive on day one — it is the most direct path from classroom to a working developer job.
Demand is broad and steady across every industry that runs software, which is now nearly all of them. Pay is solid, remote work is common, and many grads keep leveling up through certifications and on-the-job specialization.
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
By SAT median
Earnings vs. selectivity rank
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | 5yr Earn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Development | 521 | 26,670 | 80% / 20% | 7% | $96,084 |
| Computer Science | 462 | 23,052 | 82% / 18% | 7% | $95,470 |
| Informatics | 39 | 1,400 | 64% / 36% | 11% | $103,315 |
| Computer Programming | 38 | 961 | 83% / 17% | 6% | $93,687 |
| Computer Software Engineering | 21 | 271 | 82% / 18% | 7% | $104,718 |
| Computer Science and Software Engineering | 2 | 247 | 78% / 22% | 11% | |
| Software Engineering | 12 | 199 | 78% / 22% | 5% | $98,364 |
| Computer Science and Systems | 1 | 176 | 78% / 22% | 2% | |
| Computing | 2 | 83 | 87% / 13% | 1% | $100,317 |
| Computational Science | 12 | 62 | 66% / 34% | 8% | |
| Computer Science (Games) | 1 | 45 | 64% / 36% | 29% | $146,212 |
| Software Development | 1 | 42 | 93% / 7% | 0% | |
| Computing and Software Systems | 1 | 37 | 73% / 27% | 3% | |
| Computer Science and Engineering | 10 | 28 | 79% / 21% | 0% | |
| New Media Interactive Development | 1 | 25 | 76% / 24% | 0% | |
| Computer Programming, Specific Applications | 3 | 13 | 54% / 46% | 0% | $111,941 |
| Applied Software Engineering | 1 | 13 | 77% / 23% | 38% | $95,324 |
| Computer Science (Other) | 1 | 10 | 40% / 60% | 0% | $169,994 |
| Computing Sciences | 1 | 4 | 100% / 0% | 25% | |
| Computer Software | 1 | 1 | 100% / 0% | 0% | |
| Computing Studies | 1 | 1 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $81,620 |