2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in California
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking.
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 California, there were 5,259 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $66,612 and $20,850 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 985 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking, we looked at 20 colleges that offer a degree in mechanical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great mechanical engineering programs and 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California” list to help you make the college decision.
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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree me students.
Top 20 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 99 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s ME degrees to 62 students in 2019-2020.
UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of California - San Diego
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 35 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $21,009.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s ME degrees to 148 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 39 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Irvine
University of California - Davis landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 29 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State University - Long Beach ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 masters’s ME degrees to qualified students.
CSULB also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Long Beach
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California ranking, coming in at #8. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 48 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Jose State University are $18,790, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State University - Northridge landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 masters’s ME degrees to qualified students.
CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Northridge are $17,955, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #10, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 masters’s ME degrees to qualified students.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full San Diego State University Mechanical Engineering Report
California State University - Fullerton came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 29 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Fullerton
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 16 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona are $18,377, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #13, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California list. Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Loyola Marymount did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola Marymount are $19,756, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Santa Clara University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California list. This medium-sized school is located in Santa Clara, California, and it awarded 23 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SCU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Santa Clara University are $23,507, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #15, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 15 degrees to qualified masters’s ME students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Riverside are $28,686.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Riverside
With a ranking of #16, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California list. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 16 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
Sac State also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Sacramento are $18,356, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 10 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Los Angeles are $17,723, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Southern California came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 96 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
USC also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Stanford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California ranking, coming in at #19. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 163 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011.
California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in California ranking, coming in at #20. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 11 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
Caltech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” 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.
- Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Far Western US Region
- Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Michel Villeneuve.
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