Best Software Engineering Schools Near Amherst, MA (2026)

Amherst, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering software engineering programs. Amherst has a population of about 40,989. In the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area, the top-earning software engineering-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $156,040 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Software Engineering Schools to Amherst

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer software engineering programs near Amherst, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Amherst city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Amherst. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA 70.9 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
90.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $101,817
Avg net price $19,066/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 174

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Tufts University

Medford, MA 70.9 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $83,214
Avg net price $39,998/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 130

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Northeastern University

Boston, MA 72.4 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,538
Avg net price $30,915/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts software engineering page.


Software Engineering Wages Near Amherst

Amherst is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developers $126,670 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $126,417
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $122,210 MA statewide $121,966
Computer Programmers $68,090 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $67,954
Web Developers $77,830 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $77,675
Computer and Information Systems Managers $156,040 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $155,729
Computer Occupations, All Other $95,280 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $95,090
Computer Network Architects $119,140 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $118,902
Computer Systems Analysts $101,480 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $101,277

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Amherst at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 100.2 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Amherst-Area Cities With Software Engineering Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited software engineering schools are near Amherst, MA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering software engineering programs near Amherst. The closest is Connecticut State Community College in New Britain, CT (42.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Tufts University (70.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying software engineering roles near Amherst?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying software engineering-related roles near Amherst are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($156,040), Software Developers ($126,670), Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers ($122,210). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Northampton instead of Amherst?

Northampton, MA is 9.0 miles from Amherst and has its own set of local software engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Software Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Amherst

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Amherst:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.