2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master's Degree Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering Master's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 46,178 people earned a degree or certificate in mechanical engineering, making the major the #21 most popular in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 215 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for ME students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Mechanical Engineering
Our 2023 rankings named University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez the best value school in the United States for mechanical engineering students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Mayaguez, UPR Mayaguez is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UPR Mayaguez are $3,800 per year.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Brigham Young University - Provo is a great value for mechanical engineering students working on their master’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at BYU are $7,700 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, BYU is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Youngstown State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a large student population.
Youngstown State University graduate students pay an average of $6,931 in tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at North Dakota State University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value mechanical engineering schools in the United States. North Dakota State University is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Fargo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at North Dakota State University are $12,028 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, North Dakota State University is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Northern Illinois University is a great value for mechanical engineering students working on their master’s degree. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
NIU graduate students pay an average of $11,390 in tuition and fees each year.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools ranking. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
SIUE graduate students pay an average of $9,316 in tuition and fees each year.
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Purdue University Northwest came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Hammond, Purdue Northwest is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Purdue Northwest graduate students pay an average of $11,356 in tuition and fees each year.
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University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for mechanical engineering students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,936 per year.
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With a ranking of #9, Lawrence Technological University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their master’s degree. Lawrence Tech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Southfield.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Lawrence Tech are $18,436 a year.
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With a ranking of #10, Villanova University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Villanova are $21,199 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Villanova also is in the top 5% of our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for mechanical engineering students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $21,133 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list.
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University of Dayton ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UDayton are $18,140 a year.
UDayton excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Seattle University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Seattle U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Seattle U are $14,310 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Seattle U also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree mechanical engineering programs. UNL is a very large public school located in the large city of Lincoln.
UNL graduate students pay an average of $19,541 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UNL is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Bradley University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Bradley are $17,400 per year.
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The University of Texas at Austin landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree mechanical engineering programs. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UT Austin are $22,944 per year.
UT Austin excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Loyola Marymount University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for mechanical engineering students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Loyola Marymount are $19,922 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Loyola Marymount also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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California Baptist University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Riverside, Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cal Baptist are $14,320 a year.
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San Jose State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at San Jose State are $18,790 a year.
San Jose State also claimed a spot on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #20, Michigan Technological University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their master’s degree. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Houghton.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Michigan Tech are $22,981 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Michigan Tech also is in the top 10% of our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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Santa Clara University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree mechanical engineering programs. SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SCU are $25,170 per year.
SCU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Marquette University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Marquette is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Milwaukee.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Marquette are $21,960 per year.
Marquette excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list.
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With a ranking of #23, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UW - Madison are $25,501 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison also is in the top 5% of our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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South Dakota State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
South Dakota State graduate students pay an average of $16,917 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, South Dakota State also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of Delaware did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for mechanical engineering students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the suburb of Newark, UD is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UD graduate students pay an average of $18,128 in tuition and fees each year.
UD excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 34 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 34 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX |
| 34 | University of St Thomas Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
| 37 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 38 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona, CA |
| 38 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| 40 | Oakland University | Rochester Hills, MI |
| 41 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 42 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach | Daytona Beach, FL |
| 43 | University of New Haven | West Haven, CT |
Mechanical Engineering by Region
View the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
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Mechanical Engineering Related Majors for ME
One of 40 majors within the area of study, mechanical engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Electrical Engineering | 28,844 |
| Civil Engineering | 21,388 |
| Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
| Chemical Engineering | 12,917 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 12,811 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 Michel Villeneuve.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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