Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Engineering

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California

13 Ranked Colleges
1,288 Degrees Awarded
$33,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Engineering is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 6th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 200,458 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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 doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,288 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking analyzed 13 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.

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 engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Doctorate in California”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California.

Top 15 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering in California

#1

University of California - San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Francisco landed the #1 spot on the list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s engineering degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

UCSF also made our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSF are $28,092, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Engineering at UCSF

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 143 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Engineering Doctor’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 University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Engineering Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California list. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 164 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #8 spot in our “Best Engineering Doctor’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 UCSD are $28,631.

Read more about Engineering at UCSD

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 179 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UC Berkeley Engineering Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 90 degrees to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree engineering students list, UC Davis has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UC Davis Engineering Report

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 90 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #9 spot in our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - Irvine Engineering Report

#7

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#10 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking, coming in at #7. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 49 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Engineering Doctor’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 - Santa Barbara are $28,670.

Full UCSB Engineering Report

#11 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 47 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree engineering students list, UCR has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. 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 full report on Engineering at University of California - Riverside

#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#14 in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s engineering degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Engineering Doctor’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 SDSU are $18,658.

Read more about Engineering at San Diego State University

#9

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#12 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 15 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree engineering students list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Santa Cruz are $28,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UC Santa Cruz Engineering Report

#13 in overall quality

University of California - Merced came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. UC Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 14 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Merced also made our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Merced are $43,854, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Engineering at UC Merced

#11

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California
#8 in overall quality

Santa Clara University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. SCU is located in Santa Clara, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

SCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Engineering Doctor’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 more about Engineering at Santa Clara University

#11

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

University of Southern California came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 123 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree engineering students list, USC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Engineering at USC

#12

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Stanford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s engineering degrees to 275 students in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Engineering Doctor’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 Stanford University are $55,011.

Read full report on Engineering at Stanford

#13

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Doctorate in California list. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Caltech also took the #3 spot in our “Best Engineering Doctor’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 Caltech are $56,649.

Full Caltech Engineering Report

Switch to a More Focused Major

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You