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Best Engineering Master's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Engineering Master's Degree Schools in California

22 Colleges
$85,090 Avg Salary

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

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

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 college with a large student population.

Read full report on Engineering at Stanford University

#2

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Clara University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Engineering at Santa Clara University

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 midsize city of Berkeley.

Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best engineering schools in California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a very 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 fairly 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 very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

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University of California - San Diego ranked #7 on this year’s Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on Engineering at University of California - San Diego

San Jose State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California list. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the city of San Jose.

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#9

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree engineering programs. UCSB is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.

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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 3,545
Oregon 2,281
Hawaii 301
Nevada 900
Alaska 178

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

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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