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2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California

17 Ranked Colleges
1,252 Degrees Awarded
$106,144 Avg Salary
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 198,468 engineering students received their degree, making the major the 7th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,653 and had an average of $23,855 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 25,212 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,831 and $20,014 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,252 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,525 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California” ranking, we looked at 17 colleges that offer a degree in engineering. That schools that top this list have a program in engineering in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California”.

Top 17 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering in California

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 81 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Caltech Engineering Report

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 262 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Stanford University Engineering Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Francisco. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California. UCSF is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 16 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full University of California - San Francisco Engineering Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 162 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCSD Engineering Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 168 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at UC Berkeley

6

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s engineering degrees to 135 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Engineering Report

7

University of California - Merced ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 17 degrees to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Merced

8

University of California - Irvine landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 95 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at University of California - Irvine

9

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 59 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSB Engineering Report

10

University of California - Davis landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 77 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at UC Davis

11
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 109 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Engineering at USC

12

University of California - Riverside ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 41 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Riverside Engineering Report

13
Naval Postgraduate School crest
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, California

Naval Postgraduate School came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Monterey, California, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at Naval Postgraduate School

14
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s engineering degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering at Santa Clara University

15

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Engineering at UC Santa Cruz

16
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full SDSU Engineering Report

17

International Technological University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. ITU is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 34 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at International Technological University

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