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2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

29 Ranked Colleges
7,805 Degrees Awarded
$27,200 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master's in California 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 Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 200,458 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, engineering is the 6th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $64,888 and had an average of $23,564 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 25,440 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $67,620 and $21,114 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 7,805 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 29 colleges that offered a degree in engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

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

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 654 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Engineering at Stanford University

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 842 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Engineering at UC Berkeley

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 448 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #7 spot in our “Best 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 - Los Angeles are $28,131.

Read full report on Engineering at UCLA

#4

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 75 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Caltech are $56,649, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Engineering at Caltech

#25 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 60 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA also made our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Los Angeles are $17,723.

Read full report on Engineering at Cal State LA

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Fresno came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 42 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also took the #22 spot in our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Fresno State are $17,581, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Engineering at Fresno State

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 257 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - Irvine Engineering Report

#21 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 261 degrees to qualified masters’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best 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 Engineering at California State University - Fullerton

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 686 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Engineering at UCSD

#10

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#17 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 130 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Riverside are $28,686, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Engineering at University of California - Riverside

#11

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#12 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 87 degrees to qualified masters’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara

#20 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 111 masters’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best 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 CSULB are $17,784.

Full CSULB Engineering Report

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 81 students in 2019-2020.

CSUN also made our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Northridge are $17,955, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full California State University - Northridge Engineering Report

#14

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#16 in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 92 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #16 spot in our “Best 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 San Diego State University are $18,658.

Read full report on Engineering at San Diego State University

#10 in overall quality

University of California - Davis came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 186 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - Davis Engineering Report

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 161 masters’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #11 spot in our “Best 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 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo are $21,009.

Read more about Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#17

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

University of Southern California came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1,328 masters’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, USC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best 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 Southern California are $48,715.

Full University of Southern California Engineering Report

#18

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#13 in overall quality

San Jose State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 962 students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Jose State University are $18,790, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Engineering at San Jose State

#24 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best 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 State University - Sacramento are $18,356.

Read more about Engineering at Sac State

#20

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Santa Cruz are $28,952, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Santa Cruz

#18 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 70 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. 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.

Read more about Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#22

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 29 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at San Francisco State University are $17,944, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Engineering at SFSU

California State University - Chico ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best 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 Chico State are $18,802.

Read full report on Engineering at California State University - Chico

University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 17 degrees to qualified masters’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Merced are $43,854, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UC Merced Engineering Report

#25

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California
#4 in overall quality

Santa Clara University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 319 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

SCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Santa Clara University are $23,507, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Engineering at Santa Clara University

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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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