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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $30-$48k)

141 Ranked Colleges
1,700 Degrees Awarded
$44,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 47,598 people earned their degree in mechanical engineering, making the major the 20th most popular in the United States. 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.

At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,700 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,680 and $116,043 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 141 colleges that offer a degree in mechanical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent mechanical engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the mechanical engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 57 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

MIT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at MIT are $56,719, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full MIT Mechanical Engineering Report

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 57 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University

#3

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 141 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #3 spot on the list. Duke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Duke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Duke are $59,140.

Full Duke University Mechanical Engineering Report

#4

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 141 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University

#5

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Princeton University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k list. Princeton is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 doctorate’s ME degrees to qualified students.

Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Princeton University are $56,470, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Princeton University

#6

Rice University

Houston, Texas
Top 25% in overall quality

Rice University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k list. Rice University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 4 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Rice are $47,913.

Full Rice Mechanical Engineering Report

#7

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#20 in overall quality

Washington University in St Louis ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Washington University in St Louis are $56,562.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at WUSTL

#8

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#7 in overall quality

Cornell University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 20 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Cornell also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell University are $30,042.

Full Cornell University Mechanical Engineering Report

#9

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Pennsylvania is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 7 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UPenn are $41,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UPenn

#10

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#15 in overall quality

Vanderbilt University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt are $50,624, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt

#11

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
#6 in overall quality

Johns Hopkins University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 doctorate’s ME degrees to qualified students.

Johns Hopkins also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at Johns Hopkins University are $59,425, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Johns Hopkins Mechanical Engineering Report

#12

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#12 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s ME degrees to 55 students in 2019-2020.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor are $49,548.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Mechanical Engineering Report

#13

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 13 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Notre Dame are $57,522.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Notre Dame

#14 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia University in the City of New York are $51,194, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University in the City of New York

#22 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#16

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 doctorate’s ME degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UF are $30,130, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Florida Mechanical Engineering Report

#17

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

University of California - Berkeley ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 43 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

#18

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#21 in overall quality

Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 60 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue are $28,794.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Purdue

#19

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts
#24 in overall quality

Tufts University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. Tufts is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s ME degrees to qualified students.

Tufts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Tufts are $55,168, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Tufts

#20

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 28 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UCLA Mechanical Engineering Report

#21

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Northeastern University is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 14 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern are $25,558, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Northeastern University Mechanical Engineering Report

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 22 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Mechanical Engineering Report

Top 25% in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 51 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UIUC

#24

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#10 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of Technology are $56,649.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at California Institute of Technology

#13 in overall quality

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Georgia Tech is a large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 44 doctorate’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Georgia Tech, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus are $31,334.

Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Mechanical Engineering Report

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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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