Top 20 Computer Science Programs with the Best Return on Investment

If you are applying to MS in Computer Science in USA you would be curious about whether or not it is worth it or if you will be able to secure a job after graduating from it. This is exactly why you need to look at an important metric called ‘Earnback period’.

As the name suggests, Earnback period is the time it takes for you to recover the money that you spent (tuition + living costs) on your Master’s degree. Given below are the top 10 MS in Computer Science in USA programs with the shortest earnback period:

1. Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, U.S.A

Program Name: M.S. in Computer Science
Average Salary: ₹77,00,000
Total Program Fees: ₹21,18,130
Earnback Period: 10 months!

Topping the list of programs of MS in Computer Science in USA is Michigan Tech’s MS in CS. Graduates of this computer science program can expect to earn an annual salary of ₹77 lakhs which will cover the total program costs in a very short span of 10 months!

2. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Indiana, U.S.A

Program Name: M.S. in Computer Science
Average Salary: ₹89,10,370
Program Fees: ₹31,00,000
Earnback Period: 10 months

In at second, University of Iowa’s graduate program in Computer Science enables its graduates to earn an annual salary of ₹89 Lakhs upon graduating!

Students can expect to recover their initial investment of ₹31,00,000 within 10 months of working.

3. University of Maryland, Baltimore, U.S.A

Program Name: M.S. in Cyber Security
Average Salary: ₹74,00,000
Total Program fees: ₹22,00,000
Earnback period: 11 months

One of the hottest fields today, Cyber Security professionals from University of Maryland’s Baltimore campus go on to earn ₹74 Lakhs upon graduating. Moreover, graduates of this program can recover their original investment in about 11 months.

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4. University of California, Santa Cruz, U.S.A

Program Name: M.S. in Computer Science
Average Salary: ₹68,15,480
Total Program fees: ₹21,00,000
Earnback period: 1 year

Loved for its beaches, the University of California, at Santa Cruz is a hot spot for Computer Scientists. Because of the university’s unique CS pedagogy, graduates go on to earn the equivalent of ₹68 Lakhs and can earn back their total investment within 1 year. This earns it a place in our list of top programs of MS in Computer Science in USA.

5. University of Maryland, Baltimore, U.S.A

Program Name: M.S. in Computer Science
Average Salary: ₹74,08,100
Total Program fees: ₹26,12,260
Earnback period: 1 year

UMB’ Master’s in Computer Science may not be as impressive as its Cybersecurity program. However, it still offers a great bang for your buck by allowing you to earnback the program fees of ₹26 Lakhs in exactly 1 year of employment.

The expected salary of a UMB CS graduate is ₹74 Lakhs.

6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.A

Program Name: M.S. in Data Science
Average Annual Salary: ₹76,00,000
Total Program fees: ₹28,00,000
Earnback period: 1 year

The Industry’s ever-evolving needs of Data Science professionals has transformed WPI’s M.S.in Data Science into a highly lucrative course. Graduates can recover their total program fees of ₹28 Lakhs in about 1 year of employment.

Additionally, graduates can expect to earn the equivalent of ₹76 Lakhs upon graduating.

7. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, U.S.A

Program Name: M.S. in Computational Data Science
Average Annual Salary: ₹82,32,350
Total Program fees: ₹41,22,720
Earnback period: 13 months

Heralded as one of the most prestigious research universities in the world, Carnegie Mellon’s innovative computer science program on Computational Data Science gives its students the skills to fetch a high paying job with an annual salary of ₹82 Lakhs. This earns it a place among the top 10 MS in Computer Science in USA programs.

Moreover, students can expect to recover their original investment of ₹41 lakhs in 13 months of employment.

8. Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, U.S.A

Program Name: M.S. in Data Science
Average Annual Salary: ₹77,00,000
Total Program fees: ₹32,00,000
Earnback period: 13 months

Featuring on this list for the second time, Michigan Tech has multiple superstar Computer Science programs. Their master’s program in Data Science fetches its graduates a whopping ₹77 Lakhs annual salary with a total investment of ₹32 lakhs.

Essentially, this means that you can expect to recover your investment within 13 months of graduating and landing a job!

9. Southern Methodist University, University Park, Texas, U.S.A

Program Name: M.S. in Data Science
Average Annual Salary: ₹71,47,560
Total Program fees: ₹29,34,330
Earnback period: 13 months

Southern Methodist University’s Master’s in Data Science gives its students the opportunities to carve a bright and lucrative career in the field of Data Science. Graduates typically earn an average salary of ₹71 Lakhs per annum.

Furthermore, students can recover their total program fees of ₹29.3 Lakhs in 13 months of working as a Data Scientist.

10. University of California, Irvine, U.S.A

Program Name: M.S. in Data Science
Average Annual Salary: ₹74,39,810
Total Program fees: ₹29,00,310
Earnback period: 13 months

We conclude this list with UC Irvine’s M.S. in Data Science. Graduates go on to earn an annual salary of ₹74.3 Lakhs and manage to recover their total program fees within 13 months of securing employment.

This is part 1 of a two part blog covering the top 20 programs of MS in Computer Science in USA. You can look at the rest of the programs in the part 2, which can be accessed here.

Interested in learning about the Earnback period for more programs? Click here to explore.