2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering in California
21
Ranked Colleges
929
Degrees Awarded
$76,613
Avg Salary

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2021-2022, 20,655 people earned their degree in civil engineering, making the major the 50th most popular in the United States. In , civil engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $63,350 and had an average of $22,686 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 3,269 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,987 and $18,757 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 929 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,735 and $51,649 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered a degree in civil engineering. That schools that top this list have a program in civil engineering in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree civil eng students.
Top 21 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 137 masters’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Civil Engineering at Stanford University
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 248 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at UC Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 45 masters’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 74 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Davis Civil Engineering Report
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #5 spot on the list. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 57 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at UCSD
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 90 diplomas to qualified masters’s civil eng students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UCLA Civil Engineering Report
San Jose State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California ranking. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 47 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full San Jose State University Civil Engineering Report
California State University - Fullerton ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 41 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 17 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at Fresno State
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California ranking, coming in at #10. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 38 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Civil Engineering Report
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 22 degrees to qualified masters’s civil eng students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of California - Irvine Civil Engineering Report
Loyola Marymount University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s civil eng degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at Loyola Marymount University
University of Southern California came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California ranking. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at USC
San Diego State University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s civil eng degrees to 20 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Civil Engineering at San Diego State University
California State University - Long Beach landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 16 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full California State University - Long Beach Civil Engineering Report
California State University - Sacramento landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California ranking. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s civil eng degrees to 5 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Sac State Civil Engineering Report
With a ranking of #17, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California list. Santa Clara University is located in Santa Clara, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 masters’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Santa Clara University Civil Engineering Report
California State University - Northridge came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California ranking. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 17 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at CSUN
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California ranking, coming in at #19. California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Cal Baptist Civil Engineering Report
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Civil Eng Major in California ranking, coming in at #20. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at Cal State LA