by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major” ranking.
General Engineering is the 79th most popular major in the country with 11,796 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,873 and had an average of $20,557 in loans still to pay off.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 477 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major” ranking looked at 52 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general engineering. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in general engineering.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree engineering students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s engineering degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
Out of the 52 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Morgan State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Morgan State University is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 52 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, SUNY Polytechnic Institute landed the #3 spot on the list. SUNY Poly is a small public school situated in Utica, New York. It awarded 6 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Engineering at SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Out of the 52 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arkansas landed the #4 spot on the list. UARK is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 47 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 52 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, West Virginia University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Morgantown, West Virginia, this large public school handed out 41 degrees to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at West Virginia University
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #6. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is a fairly large public school situated in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It awarded 16 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, Louisiana Tech University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Ruston, Louisiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s engineering degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
Brown University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Brown is a fairly large school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 16 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 29 degrees to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Full University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee General Engineering Report
Mississippi State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #10. Mississippi State University is a public institution located in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Old Dominion University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Old Dominion University is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at Old Dominion University
With a ranking of #12, Villanova University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Tennessee Technological University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Located in Cookeville, Tennessee, this medium-sized public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 Tennessee Technological University General Engineering Report
Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. RIT is located in Rochester, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #15. UNM is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Wright State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #16. Wright State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Dayton, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at Wright State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #17, University of Arkansas at Little Rock did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Little Rock, Arkansas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s engineering degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. UNL is a large public school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 18 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Texas A&M University - Kingsville came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Texas A&M University - Kingsville is a public institution located in Kingsville, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Engineering at Texas A&M University - Kingsville
University of Alaska Fairbanks did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Fairbanks, Alaska, this medium-sized public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
University of Memphis came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. UofM is a large public school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 10 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Carnegie Mellon is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about General Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #23. UMass Dartmouth is located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 7 degrees to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Jackson State University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Jackson, Mississippi is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s engineering degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
