2023 Best Engineering Master's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Engineering Master's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, engineering students earned 25,076 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 8th in the state.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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, Course Advisor has created its Best Engineering Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 22 schools in California to see which ones offered the best master's degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California
Check out the engineering master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Engineering Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for engineering students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at Santa Clara University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best engineering schools in California. Located in the city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
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Out of the 22 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 3 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the city of Berkeley.
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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 Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for engineering students working on their master’s degree. UCLA is a very large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
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With a ranking of #6, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on this year’s best schools for engineering students working on their master’s degree. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
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University of California - San Diego came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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With a ranking of #8, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for engineering students working on their master’s degree. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
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Loyola Marymount 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 #9 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.
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Request InformationBest 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 | 3,545 |
| Oregon | 2,281 |
| Hawaii | 301 |
| Nevada | 900 |
| Alaska | 178 |
More Engineering Rankings in California
Rankings in Majors Related to Engineering
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 Majors Related to Engineering
| 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 22 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.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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