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2024 Best Environmental Engineering Schools in California

10 Colleges in California
339 Environmental Engineering Degrees Awarded
$56,600 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.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Environmental Engineering Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 339 degrees in environmental engineering to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Environmental Engineering School

Best Environmental Engineering Schools in California 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

Bachelor's Degrees in Environmental Engineering
Master's Degrees in Environmental Engineering
Doctor's Degrees in Environmental Engineering

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

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
48 Environmental Engineering Degrees Awarded

University of Southern California is one of the best schools in the country 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 #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 48 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

2

It is difficult to beat University of California - Irvine if you want to pursue a degree in environmental engineering. UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 30 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the environmental engineering program report average early career earnings of $52,400.

More information about a degree in environmental engineering from University of California - Irvine

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA
37 Environmental Engineering Degrees Awarded

University of California - Davis is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in environmental engineering. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were roughly 37 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in environmental engineering from University of California - Davis

4
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In CA

Every student who is interested in environmental engineering needs to look into Stanford University. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 8 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in environmental engineering from Stanford University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In CA
77.8% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a degree in environmental engineering. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 9 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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$54,240 Median Starting Salary
$21,169 Median Student Debt

SDSU is a very large public university located in the city of San Diego. This university ranks 22nd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 29 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the environmental engineering program earn an average of $54,240 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in environmental engineering from San Diego State University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Environmental Engineering Degrees Awarded
$59,486 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 17th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 36 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. Those environmental engineering students who get their degree from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo receive $2,886 more than the average environmental engineering student.

More information about a degree in environmental engineering from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$57,269 Median Starting Salary
$22,743 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 25 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, environmental engineering degree recipients generally earn about $57,269 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in environmental engineering from University of California - Riverside

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$80,029 Median Starting Salary

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 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 28 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the environmental engineering degree program at California State University - Fullerton get $23,429 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in environmental engineering from California State University - Fullerton

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Environmental Engineering Degrees Awarded
$51,856 Median Starting Salary

Humboldt State University is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Arcata. This university ranks 126th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 39 environmental engineering students who graduated with this degree at Humboldt State University in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, environmental engineering degree recipients typically make around $51,856 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in environmental engineering from Humboldt State University

Best Environmental Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 19
Oregon 266 50
Nevada 192 25
Alaska 119 1

View All Rankings >

Environmental Engineering is one of 41 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.

Environmental Engineering Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Environmental Engineering 339

View All Environmental Engineering Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 5,137
Electrical Engineering 4,697
Computer Engineering 3,389
Civil Engineering 3,198
Biomedical Engineering 1,744
General Engineering 1,386
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 1,275
Chemical Engineering 1,136
Systems Engineering 537
Materials Engineering 497

View All Environmental Engineering Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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