2024 Best General Engineering Schools in California
17
Colleges in California
1,386
Engineering Degrees Awarded
$85,262
Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in
general engineering is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #79 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 17 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for general engineering students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,386 degrees in general engineering during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great General Engineering School
Your choice of general engineering school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall General Engineering School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
General Engineering Rankings by Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best General Engineering Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for General Engineering in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the engineering degree levels they offer.
10 Top California Schools in Engineering
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
57th
Most Popular In CA
University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in general engineering. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were roughly 5 general engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general engineering from University of California - Berkeley
It is hard to beat Harvey Mudd College if you wish to pursue a degree in general engineering. Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Harvey Mudd College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Harvey Mudd College is a great college overall.
There were about 58 general engineering students who graduated with this degree at Harvey Mudd College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the engineering program state that they receive average early career income of $81,948.
More information about a degree in general engineering from Harvey Mudd College
It is difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a degree in general engineering. UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were about 58 general engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the general engineering degree program at University of California - Los Angeles earn $31,020 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in general engineering from University of California - Los Angeles
Santa Clara University is a good choice for students interested in a degree in general engineering. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 5 general engineering students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general engineering from Santa Clara University
UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were approximately 123 general engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the engineering program earn around $74,487 for their early career.
More information about a degree in general engineering from University of California - Davis
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In CA
54
Engineering Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means San Jose State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 54 general engineering students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general engineering from San Jose State University
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were approximately 8 general engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. After graduation, engineering degree recipients generally make about $74,873 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in general engineering from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the city of Stockton, Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 40th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 34 general engineering students who graduated with this degree at Pacific in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the engineering program earn about $78,722 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in general engineering from University of the Pacific
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
14th
Most Popular In CA
Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 35th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 29 general engineering students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general engineering from San Francisco State University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
45th
Most Popular In CA
Located in the city of San Diego, USD is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 29th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 7 general engineering students who graduated with this degree at USD in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general engineering from University of San Diego
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