2023 Best Value Engineering Graduate Certificate Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Engineering Graduate Certificate 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Engineering Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 6 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value graduate certificate programs for engineering 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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Best California Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Engineering
Our analysis found San Jose State University to be the best value school for engineering students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in California. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at San Jose State are $9,286 a year.
Read full report on Engineering at San Jose State University
Request Information
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a great value for engineering students working on their graduate certificate. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $11,629 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Engineering Graduate Certificate Schools in California list.
Read full report on Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at SDSU are $9,570 a year.
Full Engineering at San Diego State University Report
Request Information
The excellent graduate certificate programs at Loyola Marymount University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value engineering schools in California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Loyola Marymount are $19,922 per year.
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Stanford graduate students pay an average of $55,011 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Stanford also did well on our Best Engineering Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Engineering at Stanford University Report
Request Information
University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for engineering students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at USC are $61,396 a year.
Request InformationBest Value Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value 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
Majors Related to Engineering
Engineering Majors to Study
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 6 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 Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes.
More about our data sources and methodologies.