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2023 Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering in California

17 Ranked Colleges
1,252 Degrees Awarded
$106,144 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 198,468 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, engineering is the 7th most popular major in the United States. 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 “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking, we looked at 17 colleges that offer a degree in engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular engineering programs in the United States.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate”.

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 262 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 full report on Engineering at Stanford

2

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 168 degrees to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 full report on Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

3

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 162 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 UCSD Engineering Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 135 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 UCLA Engineering Report

5
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 109 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering at University of Southern California

6

University of California - Irvine came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate 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.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 UC Irvine Engineering Report

7

With a ranking of #7, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate list. California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 81 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Caltech Engineering Report

8

University of California - Davis landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s engineering degrees to 77 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.

Full University of California - Davis Engineering Report

9

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 59 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 UCSB

10

University of California - Riverside came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Engineering at University of California - Riverside

11

University of California - Merced ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate list. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 17 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Merced Engineering Report

12

University of California - San Francisco landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. University of California - San Francisco is a small public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Engineering at UCSF

13

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s engineering degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 University of California - Santa Cruz

14
Naval Postgraduate School crest
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, California

Naval Postgraduate School ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate list. Located in Monterey, California, this small public school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at Naval Postgraduate School

14
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate 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.

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 0.7% 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 Santa Clara University

16
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate 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%.

Read full report on Engineering at San Diego State University

17

International Technological University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. International Technological University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 34 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Full ITU Engineering Report

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