Best Bachelor's in Computer Teacher Education Programs in 2026
All 3 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on graduation rate, affordability, and more. CIP 13.1321.
- In-state tuition typically runs from $5,995 to $15,502 a year, with a median near $7,616.
- 3 of 3 ranked programs sit at public universities.
- We rank on graduation rate first, then selectivity and affordability, all from federal IPEDS data.
- 1
Grand Valley State University
80score- 67%Grad rate
- $15,502/yrIn-state tuition
- $21,894/yrOut-of-state tuition
- 83%Admit rate
- 19,002Undergrads
- 98Grads/yr
- 1065SAT mid
About the programGrand Valley State University offers a Computer Science major through its College of Computing, a general degree rather than a teacher-certification program. The university's secondary and K-12 teaching endorsements cover subjects such as mathematics, science, English, history, and world languages. Students interested in computing pursue the College of Computing major, which sits outside the teacher-preparation endorsement areas. It is a bachelor's degree in computer teacher education at the bachelor's level, based in Michigan.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageWe rank on the things that actually shape a teaching degree: whether students finish, how hard it is to get in, and the price of admission. Its strongest card is completion: a 67% graduation rate lands it in the top 1% of programs nationwide, and since finishing counts for the most, that does much of the work. A 83% admission rate makes it moderately selective, neither a gatekeeper nor open enrollment. The one drag is price, $15,502 in state, above the national median, so it earns its rank on outcomes rather than affordability. Strong on the measures that matter most, it earns a place near the top.
- 2
Dakota State University
50score- 51%Grad rate
- $7,616/yrIn-state tuition
- $10,718/yrOut-of-state tuition
- 88%Admit rate
- 3,066Undergrads
- 1Grads/yr
- 1315SAT mid
- Computer Education, BSEd
- Hybrid
About the programDakota State University's Computer Education, BSEd, is a 120-credit degree that leans into the university's technology focus, preparing candidates for K-12 licensure to teach computing. Offered on campus and online through the College of Education and Human Performance, it threads laptops, smartboards, iPads, 3D printers, and server rooms through coursework that spans differentiated learning, coding, cyber safety, and content standards, so future teachers learn the tools alongside the pedagogy. A K-12 technology endorsement is built in, with room to add specialties such as English as a New Language, Adapted PE, Coaching, or Kindergarten. Candidates round out their preparation with a mentored, year-long student teaching residency, and those looking further ahead can use a 4+1 pathway to reach a master's in one extra year. The program is CAEP accredited and approved by the South Dakota Department of Education. This program offers a bachelor's degree in computer teacher education in South Dakota.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageThree things decide where a program lands on this list: how many students finish, how selective it is, and what it costs. On completion, the heaviest factor, it lands mid-pack among programs nationwide at 51%, solid without being a standout. Admission is close to open access at 88%, so this is a program that bets on teaching students well rather than screening them out. Tuition is middle of the road for programs nationwide at $7,616 in state, so cost neither helps nor hurts its standing. That combination is what puts it in the top handful here.
- 3
Arkansas Tech University
20score- 49%Grad rate
- $5,995/yrIn-state tuition
- $11,989/yrOut-of-state tuition
- 96%Admit rate
- 8,145Undergrads
- 1Grads/yr
- 990SAT mid
- Computer Science, B.S. + Secondary Education Advanced Certificate
About the programArkansas Tech University reaches computer science teaching through a combination rather than a single major, and understanding that structure matters for prospective students. There is no standalone computer science education degree, so Computer Science majors add the Secondary Education Advanced Certificate, a 26 credit hour teacher-preparation sequence that layers licensure onto the B.S. The computing coursework lives in the Division of Computing Sciences, while the certificate is administered by the Department of Teaching and Educational Leadership, so candidates draw on both. Fieldwork is substantial, starting with at least 270 hours of field experience in the Residency A semester and finishing with a nine credit hour Residency B placement in the final term. All initial licensure programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and aligned to InTASC standards, leading to secondary teacher licensure. This program offers a bachelor's degree in computer teacher education in Arkansas.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageWe rank on the things that actually shape a teaching degree: whether students finish, how hard it is to get in, and the price of admission. The sticking point is completion, the factor we weigh most heavily: at 49% the graduation rate trails the national median, which caps how high it can climb. Admission is close to open access at 96%, so this is a program that bets on teaching students well rather than screening them out. Cost only helps its case: at $5,995 in state, tuition runs below the national median, so students are not paying a premium for those results. That combination is what puts it in the top handful here.
How we rank
Each program is scored 0 to 100 against the other programs in its specialty: graduation rate (50%), selectivity by admission rate (30%), and affordability by in-state tuition (20%). Scores are percentile-based within the specialty, so they compare like with like. A program missing a field gets the neutral median for it, so it is neither rewarded nor punished. Earnings are intentionally excluded: federal per-school earnings are not yet published for education programs, and the field-level salary figure is identical for every school, so ranking on it would be meaningless. To keep the overall list from being dominated by a single state's public-university system, it shows at most 2 programs per state; the value, affordability, graduation-rate, and selectivity pages rank every program without that limit.
- Graduation rate: 50%
- Selectivity (admission rate): 30%
- Affordability (in-state tuition): 20%
How much a bachelor's in Computer Teacher Education program costs
Published in-state tuition across the 3 ranked bachelor's programs typically runs from $5,995 to $15,502 a year, with a median near $7,616. Most of that spread is public versus private: public universities charge state residents the least, while private colleges set a single sticker price that applies to everyone. 3 of the 3 programs here are public, which is usually where the lowest in-state numbers come from.
Sticker price is rarely what a student pays. Grants and scholarships lower the net cost, and future teachers have aid written specifically for them: the federal TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000 a year to students who agree to teach a high-need subject in a low-income school, and many states add service scholarships and loan-forgiveness programs for people who commit to the classroom. Two costs to watch are out-of-state tuition, which at public schools often runs two to three times the resident rate, and mandatory fees and living expenses, which the tuition figure leaves out entirely.
Sources: tuition and program data from IPEDS; the TEACH Grant from Federal Student Aid.
Ways to earn your bachelor's in Computer Teacher Education
A traditional four-year, on-campus bachelor's is the most common route into teaching, and for good reason: the degree leans on in-person field placements that build to a full term of student teaching. Most programs here are delivered on campus for exactly that reason.
You do not have to start at a four-year school. Many students spend their first two years at a community college, earn an associate's, and transfer in, which trims the cost of the early coursework, and statewide articulation agreements often guarantee the credits apply. If you already hold a bachelor's in another field, you can usually skip a second degree entirely and enter through an alternative-certification program or a master's-with-licensure route built for career-changers.
Whatever the format, the non-negotiable is supervised clinical practice. Every licensure-track program includes a student-teaching placement, and some now pair it with a paid, year-long residency alongside a mentor teacher, an increasingly common model that eases the unpaid-semester crunch traditional student teaching can create.
Sources: online and program counts from IPEDS; alternative-certification pathways per the US Department of Education.
Data sources for our Bachelor's in Computer Teacher Education ranking
- Program counts, tuition, graduation and admission rates: IPEDS, US Department of Education.
- Program descriptions: each school's official catalog and program pages.