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2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Colleges for Engineering

370 Ranked Colleges
48,049 Degrees Awarded
$85,090 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master's

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 48,049 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s” ranking looked at 370 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular engineering programs in the United States.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree engineering students.

1
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s. Northeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,856 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 97%.

Read full report on Engineering at Northeastern

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 1,221 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on Engineering at U-M

3
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 1,178 students 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Engineering at USC

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 1,058 students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Columbia Engineering Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 999 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 Georgia Tech Engineering Report

6
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 996 masters’s engineering degrees 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 full report on Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University

7

Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 941 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe

8
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

With a ranking of #8, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s list. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 910 masters’s degrees 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 86%.

Read more about Engineering at San Jose State University

9
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

Johns Hopkins University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 908 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Engineering at Johns Hopkins

10

University of California - San Diego ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s list. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 816 masters’s 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 University of California - San Diego Engineering Report

11
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina State University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s list. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 800 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Engineering at NC State

12
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 796 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 93%.

Read more about Engineering at Purdue

13

Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 725 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 94%.

Full Texas A&M College Station Engineering Report

14
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 712 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cornell University Engineering Report

15
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York

New York University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #15. New York University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 663 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full NYU Engineering Report

16

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 655 masters’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 2.3% 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Engineering Report

17
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #17. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 647 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Engineering at UF

18

University of California - Berkeley came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 645 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Engineering Report

19

With a ranking of #19, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 618 masters’s engineering degrees 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering at UW Seattle

20
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 617 diplomas to qualified masters’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Stanford University Engineering Report

21

Stevens Institute of Technology landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking. Stevens is a medium-sized school located in Hoboken, New Jersey that handed out 543 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Stevens Engineering Report

22

Massachusetts Institute of Technology came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 540 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 98%, 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full MIT Engineering Report

23

With a ranking of #23, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s list. The University of Texas at Arlington is a public institution located in Arlington, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 526 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Read more about Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington

24

University of Maryland - College Park ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s list. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 522 degrees to qualified masters’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Engineering at UMCP

25
University at Buffalo crest
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, New York

University at Buffalo did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #25. University at Buffalo is a public institution located in Buffalo, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 511 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at University at Buffalo

Rest of the Best 50 in Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
28
Naval Postgraduate School crest
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, California
30
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
31
32
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
33
WPI crest
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts
34
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois
35
36
37
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
38
39
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts
40
41
42
42
44
45
46
47
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
48
Mines crest
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado
49
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Most Well Attended Engineering Major for a Master’s

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ
52University of HoustonHouston, TX
52Michigan Technological UniversityHoughton, MI
54Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY
55Oregon State UniversityCorvallis, OR
56University of Central FloridaOrlando, FL

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Notes and References

References

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