In a world where AI and Big Tech are ushering us into an unfamiliar world, Software Engineering seems to be as safe a bet as anything. And for those who love computers (and can tell you how a computer works), you might consider trying to get into one of these top schools for Software Engineering.
But first, a word about our methodology: we browsed Linkedin to find the top schools for employees at the nation’s top tech companies. Some results may include students who attended graduate programs or even received certifications from these schools. But overall, we fill that if a company has a high number of students from a particular school, there’s a good indication it remains a top feeder school for that company.
UC BERKELEY
Berkeley is the ultimate for tech students. With Silicon Valley right in its backyard, it’s no wonder Berkeley is the top feeder to the nation’s top companies. Out of all of the schools we looked at, Berkeley had the most students working at Meta, Google Oracle, and Apple. We also searched for current employees from Berkeley with “software engineer” in their title. There were 290 at Meta, 1,700 at Google, 394 at Apple, and 106 at Oracle.
CARNEGIE MELLON
Carnegie Mellon is another excellent school for all things tech and science. It’s no wonder all of the top tech companies have high yields for recent Carnegie graduates. A survey from the class of 2021 showed that 46 students went to Amazon after graduation, with 37 of them heading in as software engineers, developers, or into related positions. Microsoft took 27 grads from the class and 15 of them were software engineers. Facebook/Meta took 20 students with 17 as software engineers. 17 students went on to work at Google after graduation, 14 as software engineers. Apple employed 10 recent grads, almost all in positions related to software engineering or UX design.
MIT
MIT is a smaller school, with approximately 4,600 undergraduates. And yet, it’s still a big feeder to many of the top tech companies. We searched current employees with “software engineer” in their title from MIT. 118 currently work at Amazon and 848 currently hold those titles at Google. MIT is also one of the best all-around schools for Software Engineering and Computer Science.
U OF ILLINOIS--URBANA CHAMPAIGN
The University of Illinois continues to be a top performer for tech-related sciences and it offers a B.S. in Computer Science with a Software Engineering concentration. According to a Linkedin search, there are 466 current Amazon employees with MIT in their profile and have “software engineer” in their title. There are 1,000 at Google.
GEORGIA TECH
Georgia Tech offers a B.S. in Computer Engineering with courses in Software Design, Software Engineering, Software Processes, and more. According to a Linkedin search, there are 961 current employees with “software engineer” in their title and Georgia tech in their profile and 1,200 at Google.
STANFORD
Stanford is another school that’s very close to the heart of Silicon Valley and all things Tech. It should be no surprise that, per Linkedin, 1,400 current Google employees with “software engineer” in their title and Stanford in their profile. Stanford offers a Bachelor’s a B.S. in Computer Science that’s housed in the renowned School of Engineering. They also offer a track in Computer Engineering and another in Systems.
UT AUSTIN
Austin has become a Tech hub in its own right, sometimes referred to as Silicon Hills. Companies like Google, Amazon, Meta, and IBM all have offices in Austin and there are also a host of tech incubators and accelerators in the area. Ambitious students might try to get started early with internships in a smaller market with less competition than the west coast. According to a Linkedin search, there are 658 current Google employees with “software engineer” in their title and UT on their profile, and 141 at Apple.
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
The University of Washington offers a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Computer Engineering. The school boasts an impressive alumni network as well as opportunities for current students to rub shoulders with potential employers. They say more than 100 companies attend their Autumn and Winter career fairs for CSE majors. According to Linkedin, there are 736 current employees with “software engineer” in their title and Washington in their profile. There are 1,300 at Microsoft.
UC IRVINE
UC Irvine, another California school, offers a B.S. in Software Engineering. Upper-level courses include Software Testing, Software Design and Application, User Interaction Software, Embedded Software, and more. According to a Linkedin search, there are 600 current employees at Google with the title “software engineer” who went to UC Irvine.
PURDUE UNIVERSITY – WEST LAFAYETTE
Purdue’s Department of Computer Science offers a track in Software Engineering. Course offerings include Cloud Computing, Operating Systems, Machine Learning, Programming Languages, and more. There are 273 current Amazon employees with “software engineer” in their title who hail from Purdue.
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