2023 Best Engineering Master's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Engineering Master's Degree School for You
With 198,468 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, engineering is the #7 most popular major in the United States.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Engineering Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 250 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for engineering majors pursuing a master's degree.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Master's in Engineering
Our analysis found Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be the best school for engineering students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cambridge.
Read full report on Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Request Information
Out of the 250 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Dartmouth College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.
Request Information
The excellent master’s degree programs at Harvard University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best engineering schools in the United States. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Engineering at Harvard University
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Rice University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Read full report on Engineering at Rice University
Request Information
Northwestern University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Engineering at Northwestern University
Request Information
Princeton University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree engineering programs. Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Princeton.
Full Engineering at Princeton University Report
Request Information
Duke University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree engineering programs. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Read full report on Engineering at Duke University
Request Information
Brown University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Providence.
Full Engineering at Brown University Report
Request Information
Santa Clara University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for engineering students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Santa Clara.
Request Information
Bucknell University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Lewisburg.
Read full report on Engineering at Bucknell University
Request Information
Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for engineering students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
Read full report on Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University
Request Information
Vanderbilt University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Full Engineering at Vanderbilt University Report
Request Information
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools ranking. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.
Full Engineering at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #15, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on this year’s best schools for engineering students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Request Information
Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology ranked #16 on this year’s Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Terre Haute, Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Engineering at Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #17, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on this year’s best schools for engineering students working on their master’s degree. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
Read full report on Engineering at Johns Hopkins University
Request Information
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree engineering programs. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a very large student population.
Full Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report
Request Information
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report
Request Information
Washington University in St Louis landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree engineering programs. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
Read full report on Engineering at Washington University in St Louis
Request Information
With a ranking of #21, Villanova University did quite well on this year’s best schools for engineering students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Full Engineering at Villanova University Report
Request Information
University of California - Berkeley landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree engineering programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Full Engineering at University of California - Berkeley Report
Request Information
University of Southern California landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree engineering programs. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Request Information
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Georgia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Atlanta.
Full Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Report
Request Information
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #25 on this year’s Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a very large student population.
Full Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles Report
Request InformationRest of the Top Best Engineering Master's Degree Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Engineering students that almost earned our Best Engineering Master's Degree Schools award.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
38 | Tufts University | Medford, MA |
39 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH |
40 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
41 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
42 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
43 | Michigan Technological University | Houghton, MI |
44 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
45 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
46 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
47 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
48 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
49 | Lawrence Technological University | Southfield, MI |
50 | University of Rochester | Rochester, NY |
Engineering by Region
View the Best 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 |
More Engineering Rankings
Engineering Related Rankings by Major
Engineering Majors to Study
Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Mechanical Engineering | 46,178 |
Electrical Engineering | 28,844 |
Civil Engineering | 21,388 |
Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
Chemical Engineering | 12,917 |
Biomedical Engineering | 12,811 |
General Engineering | 11,796 |
Industrial Engineering | 9,072 |
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering | 8,001 |
Systems Engineering | 3,904 |
Materials Engineering | 3,415 |
Other Engineering | 2,760 |
Environmental Engineering | 2,759 |
Operations Research | 1,698 |
Agricultural Engineering | 1,472 |
Engineering Science | 1,454 |
Electrical and Computer Engineering. | 1,378 |
Petroleum Engineering | 1,256 |
Robotics Engineering | 1,243 |
Architectural Engineering | 1,012 |
Engineering Physics | 994 |
Manufacturing Engineering | 947 |
Construction Engineering | 878 |
Nuclear Engineering | 864 |
Marine Engineering | 445 |
Biological Engineering | 410 |
Polymer & Plastics Engineering | 360 |
Geoscience Engineering | 325 |
Mining Engineering | 314 |
Textile Engineering | 310 |
Ocean Engineering | 285 |
Engineering Mechanics | 272 |
Metallurgical Engineering | 179 |
Energy Systems Engineering | 138 |
Biochemical Engineering | 109 |
Ceramic Engineering | 94 |
Surveying Engineering | 73 |
Electromechanical Engineering | 45 |
Forest Engineering | 41 |
Paper Science & Engineering | 27 |
Engineering Chemistry | 13 |
Most Popular Related Majors
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Computer & Information Sciences | 254,454 |
Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 177,778 |
Engineering Technologies | 85,188 |
Mathematics & Statistics | 52,396 |
Physical Sciences | 50,306 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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.