2025 Best Environmental Engineering Schools in California
10
Colleges in California
342
Environmental Engineering Degrees Awarded
$65,461
Avg Early-Career Salary
Environmental Engineering is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #173 out of the 395 majors across the country that we analyze each year. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for environmental engineering students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 342 degrees in environmental engineering annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Environmental Engineering School
Your choice of environmental engineering school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for environmental engineering schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Environmental Engineering Rankings by Degree Level
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Environmental Engineering Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Environmental Engineering in California
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the environmental engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top California Schools in Environmental Engineering
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
40
Environmental Engineering Degrees Awarded
University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in environmental engineering. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were about 40 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in environmental engineering from University of Southern California
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
33
Environmental Engineering Degrees Awarded
University of California - Davis is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in environmental engineering. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were roughly 33 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in environmental engineering from University of California - Davis
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
11th
Most Popular In CA
It is hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you want to pursue a degree in environmental engineering. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were roughly 7 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in environmental engineering from University of California - Berkeley
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In CA
It's hard to beat University of California - Irvine if you want to pursue a degree in environmental engineering. UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were about 27 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in environmental engineering from University of California - Irvine
Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #165 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were approximately 29 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. Environmental Engineering degree recipients from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo earn a boost of around $16,736 above the typical earnings of environmental engineering majors.
More information about a degree in environmental engineering from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Diego. This university ranks 25th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 38 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, environmental engineering degree recipients usually earn around $66,482 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in environmental engineering from San Diego State University
Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 28th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 26 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the environmental engineering program report average early career earnings of $59,309.
More information about a degree in environmental engineering from University of California - Riverside
Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 41st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 48 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent year we have data available. Environmental Engineering degree recipients from California State University - Fullerton earn a boost of about $31,929 above the average income of environmental engineering majors.
More information about a degree in environmental engineering from California State University - Fullerton
Humboldt State University is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Arcata. This university ranks 125th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 51 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at Humboldt State University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the environmental engineering program make around $55,589 for their early career.
More information about a degree in environmental engineering from Humboldt State University
UC Merced is a medium-sized public university located in the suburb of Merced. This university ranks 51st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 22 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Merced in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the environmental engineering program state that they receive average early career wages of $47,028.
More information about a degree in environmental engineering from University of California - Merced
