2023 Best Engineering Schools in California
Finding the Best Engineering School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, engineering was ranked 4th in California. In fact, 9,121 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Engineering Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 23 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Engineering Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for engineering majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Best Engineering Schools
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for engineering students who want to pursue a degree in California. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.
Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Clara University landed the # 2 spot on the list. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Santa Clara.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for engineering students. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools in California list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Read full report on Engineering at University of Southern California
Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for engineering students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a very large student population.
With a ranking of #7, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for engineering students. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Engineering at San Jose State University
University of California - San Diego came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Engineering Schools in California ranking. UCSD is a fairly large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.
With a ranking of #9, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on this year’s best schools for engineering students. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for engineering students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a very large student population.
Full Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara Report
Best Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Washington | 939 |
Oregon | 555 |
Nevada | 169 |
Hawaii | 63 |
Alaska | 32 |
More Engineering Rankings in California
Engineering Related Rankings by Major
Engineering Majors to Study
Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Electrical Engineering | 11,021 |
Mechanical Engineering | 9,007 |
Civil Engineering | 6,042 |
Computer Engineering | 5,557 |
Biomedical Engineering | 4,252 |
General Engineering | 3,548 |
Systems Engineering | 3,068 |
Industrial Engineering | 3,028 |
Chemical Engineering | 2,662 |
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering | 2,375 |
Other Engineering | 1,820 |
Materials Engineering | 1,810 |
Operations Research | 1,191 |
Electrical and Computer Engineering. | 928 |
Environmental Engineering | 919 |
Robotics Engineering | 560 |
Engineering Science | 451 |
Nuclear Engineering | 437 |
Manufacturing Engineering | 423 |
Petroleum Engineering | 401 |
Agricultural Engineering | 332 |
Construction Engineering | 288 |
Engineering Physics | 286 |
Architectural Engineering | 243 |
Geoscience Engineering | 173 |
Polymer & Plastics Engineering | 167 |
Engineering Mechanics | 144 |
Mining Engineering | 132 |
Ocean Engineering | 112 |
Textile Engineering | 96 |
Biological Engineering | 80 |
Energy Systems Engineering | 79 |
Marine Engineering | 44 |
Metallurgical Engineering | 40 |
Biochemical Engineering | 21 |
Ceramic Engineering | 20 |
Electromechanical Engineering | 16 |
Surveying Engineering | 11 |
Paper Science & Engineering | 7 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Engineering
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Computer & Information Sciences | 60,971 |
Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 28,851 |
Mathematics & Statistics | 15,127 |
Physical Sciences | 12,705 |
Engineering Technologies | 7,672 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 23 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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