Computer Programming Master’s degree
19 programs — 3 with federal cost data, the rest suppressed for small class sizes and listed after them, ordered by median debt against median earnings — lowest first.
Data last updated
Field
Delivery
Hide for-profit colleges(4 programs)What our data shows about for-profit collegesAcross the creative fields on this site, students at private for-profit institutions borrow 27% more than students at public ones ($29,332 against $23,033) and earn 15% less four years after completing ($38,361 against $45,110).The combined effect is severe. Median debt at a for-profit equals 70% of a graduate’s annual earnings, against 47% at a public institution. And 10% of for-profit programs leave graduates owing more than they earn in a year — against 1% of public ones. Ten times the rate.This is a pattern across 212 for-profit programs, not a handful of outliers, and it holds in every creative field we cover. It does not mean no for-profit program is worth taking: some appear high in our best-value rankings, and this filter hides those too. It means the odds are materially worse, and the burden of proof sits with the school.Figures are medians computed from the College Scorecard and IPEDS data behind every table on this site.
| Institution | Programcredential and delivery | at completion | 4 yrs after | Median federal loan debt at completion, divided by median earnings four years later. It answers a single question: how much of one year’s income do you owe on the day you finish?Below 50% is generally considered manageable. Above 100% means graduates owe more than they earn in a year, and repayment on a standard ten-year plan starts to consume a serious share of income.Debt covers federal loans only, so real ratios are often worse. Both figures are medians — half of graduates fall on the wrong side of each. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DePaul UniversityIL · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully onlineWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Computer Programming, Specific ApplicationsThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | $61,500 | $158,509 | 39% |
| Maryville University of Saint LouisMO · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Computer Programming, Specific ApplicationsMaster’s degree · Hybrid | $33,334 | $84,866 | 39% |
| University of ChicagoIL · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Computer Programming, OtherMaster’s degree · On campus | — | $179,964 | — |
| American National University-PikevilleKY · Private for-profitRequest information → | Computer ProgrammingMaster’s degree · Fully online | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Aspen UniversityAZ · Private for-profitRequest information → | Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralMaster’s degree · Hybrid | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Brandeis UniversityMA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Computer Programming, OtherMaster’s degree · Hybrid | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Chapman UniversityCA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Computer ProgrammingMaster’s degree · Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Clemson UniversitySC · PublicRequest information → | Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campus | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| DigiPen Institute of TechnologyWA · Private for-profitRequest information → | Computer ProgrammingMaster’s degree · Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Grand Canyon UniversityAZ · Private for-profitRequest information → | Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralMaster’s degree · Hybrid | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Harvard UniversityMA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campus | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Kansas State UniversityKS · PublicRequest information → | Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralMaster’s degree · Hybrid | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Maharishi International UniversityIA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully online | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Marist CollegeNY · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Computer Programming, Specific ApplicationsThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Southern Adventist UniversityTN · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Computer ProgrammingMaster’s degree · On campusOffers: Film Production (BFA) · Animation (BFA) · Media Production (BS) · Photography (BFA) · Advertising (BS) · Public Relations (BS) · Broadcast Journalism (BS) | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of Detroit MercyMI · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralMaster’s degree · Hybrid | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of Maryland-College ParkMD · PublicRequest information → | Computer ProgrammingMaster’s degree · On campus | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of Michigan-DearbornMI · PublicRequest information → | Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralMaster’s degree · Hybrid | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Youngstown State UniversityOH · PublicRequest information → | Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campus | Not reported | Not reported | — |
Source: College Scorecard, Field of Study (retrieved September 2026)
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One thing these figures cannot tell you
Earnings and debt are reported by the federal government at a four-digit program level, so a figure shown against “Computer Programming” covers every related program at that institution rather than one named degree. Full methodology.