Opinions differ, of course, but an annual ranking by The Academic Ranking Of World Universities of 200 universities around the globe indicates that nine of the top 10 universities for computer science are right here in the U.S.
The list is among several published by researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. The organization surveys more than 1,000 world-class universities each year and publishes an overall quality ranking of 500 on its website, breaking out smaller rankings of 200 related to institutions' strengths within a range of academic fields.
Originally, the ranking's purpose was to gauge the global standing of China's best universities. It's grown to greater relevance and is considered -- along with Times Higher Education's ranking -- among the most influential university rankings by higher education professionals.
Check out the top 10 in the slideshow below:
[I]nstitutions are ranked according to their academic or research performance in each broad subject field. Ranking indicators include alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, Highly Cited Researchers, articles indexed in Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI). Two new indicators were introduced, one is the percentage of articles published in the top 20 percent journals of each field, and the other is the computer science research expenditure.
It's no surprise that interest in computer science has risen in recent years: It's tied to demand. Engineering, computer science and finance degrees are the top-paying majors for college graduates, according to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
The Shanghai ranking differs slightly from the better-known U.S. News and World Report's list.