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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Systems Engineering

32 Ranked Colleges
113 Degrees Awarded
$160,692 Avg Salary
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Systems Engineering is the 160th most popular major in the country with 3,904 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, systems engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $89,736 and had an average of $21,799 in loans still to pay off.

At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 113 systems engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major” ranking, we looked at 32 colleges that offer a degree in systems engineering. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in systems engineering.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major

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

Top 32 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Systems Engineering

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 Systems Engineering Major list. California Institute of Technology is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at California Institute of Technology

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. AFIT Graduate School of Engineering & Management is located in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Systems Engineering at AFIT Graduate School of Engineering & Management

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stevens Institute of Technology. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major. Stevens Institute of Technology is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Hoboken, New Jersey. It awarded 10 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Systems Engineering at Stevens

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Louisiana at Lafayette. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. UL Lafayette is a fairly large school located in Lafayette, Louisiana that handed out 7 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Systems Engineering at University of Louisiana at Lafayette

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Missouri University of Science and Technology. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major. Rolla, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s systems engineering degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Missouri University of Science and Technology Systems Engineering Report

6
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 doctorate’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 0.7% 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%.

Full University of Virginia Systems Engineering Report

7
GWU crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia

George Washington University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. This large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Systems Engineering at George Washington University

8

With a ranking of #8, University of South Alabama did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. Located in Mobile, Alabama, this fairly large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s systems engineering students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at University of South Alabama

9

With a ranking of #9, Case Western Reserve University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full Case Western Reserve University Systems Engineering Report

10

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #10. RPI is a medium-sized school located in Troy, New York that handed out 2 doctorate’s systems 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 91%.

Read more about Systems Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

11

Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking. Colorado State is a public institution located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, 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 more about Systems Engineering at Colorado State

12
MIT crest
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #12, Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 3 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at MIT

13
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. Boston University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 8 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Boston University Systems Engineering Report

14

With a ranking of #14, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s systems 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.

Read more about Systems Engineering at UCSD

15

Florida Institute of Technology came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking. Florida Institute of Technology is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Melbourne, Florida. It awarded 1 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Florida Tech Systems Engineering Report

16
Naval Postgraduate School crest
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, California

Naval Postgraduate School did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #16. Naval Postgraduate School is located in Monterey, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Systems Engineering at Naval Postgraduate School

17
Texas Tech crest
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking. Texas Tech is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees to qualified 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Texas Tech Systems Engineering Report

18
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at University of Arizona

19

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified doctorate’s systems engineering students in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at ASU - Tempe

20
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

With a ranking of #20, George Mason University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s systems engineering degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

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 2.5% 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 GMU Systems Engineering Report

21

With a ranking of #21, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

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 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Systems Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

22
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #22. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Systems Engineering at UF

23
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

With a ranking of #23, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. Washington University in St Louis is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Washington University in St Louis Systems Engineering Report

24

University of New Hampshire - Main Campus landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking. UNH is a fairly large school located in Durham, New Hampshire that handed out 0 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 UNH Systems Engineering Report

24

Southern Methodist University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking. SMU is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 43 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at Southern Methodist University

24
WPI crest
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #24, Worcester Polytechnic Institute did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Worcester, Massachusetts, and it awarded 56 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Systems Engineering Report

24

With a ranking of #24, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. UT Chattanooga is a fairly large school located in Chattanooga, Tennessee that handed out 0 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

24
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

With a ranking of #24, Oakland University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. Oakland University is a fairly large public school situated in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It awarded 11 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at Oakland University

24
Mines crest
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

Colorado School of Mines landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking. Located in Golden, Colorado, this medium-sized public school awarded 45 degrees to qualified doctorate’s systems engineering students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 92%.

Full Colorado School of Mines Systems Engineering Report

24

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Santa Cruz Systems Engineering Report

24
DU crest
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado

With a ranking of #24, University of Denver did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major list. DU is a fairly large school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 31 doctorate’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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 DU Systems Engineering Report

24
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Systems Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 93 degrees to qualified doctorate’s systems engineering students in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Cornell University Systems Engineering Report

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