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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

11 Ranked Colleges
89 Degrees Awarded
$26,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

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 “Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Mechanical Engineering is the 20th most popular major in the country with 47,598 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, mechanical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $64,495 and had an average of $23,104 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 3,206 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $64,126 and $23,280 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 89 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,701 and $106,703 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in mechanical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality mechanical engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the mechanical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #1 spot on the list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 4 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Washington University in St Louis are $56,562, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at WUSTL

#2

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #2 spot on the list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s ME degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities are $28,845.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Rolla, Missouri, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Missouri University of Science and Technology also took the #5 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Missouri University of Science and Technology are $30,943, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Missouri University of Science and Technology Mechanical Engineering Report

#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this large public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s ME students in 2019-2020.

Mizzou also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Missouri - Columbia are $27,193.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Mizzou

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Nebraska - Lincoln is a large public school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 5 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

UNL also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nebraska - Lincoln are $19,513, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

#9 in overall quality

North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. North Dakota State University is located in Fargo, North Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s ME degrees to qualified students.

North Dakota State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Dakota State University are $11,589, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at North Dakota State University

#7

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#3 in overall quality

University of Iowa came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified doctorate’s ME students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Iowa are $27,613.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Iowa

#8

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Kansas State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. K -State is a large school located in Manhattan, Kansas that handed out 5 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

K -State also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at Kansas State University are $24,115, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at K -State

#9

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas
#10 in overall quality

Wichita State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Wichita State University is a fairly large public school situated in Wichita, Kansas. It awarded 3 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree me students whose families make $0-$30k list, WSU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wichita State University are $15,112, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Wichita State University

#10

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#7 in overall quality

University of Kansas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

KU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at KU

#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Rapid City, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s ME degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SD Mines, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SD Mines are $19,250, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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