2026 Best Materials Sciences Schools in California
Materials Sciences programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. The schools below stand out for the quality of their materials sciences programs.
College Factual analyzed 7 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best materials sciences schools.
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Best Schools for Materials Sciences in California
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the materials sciences degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Materials Sciences
University Of California Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in materials sciences. Located in the city of Berkeley, University Of California Berkeley is a very large public university. University Of California Berkeley graduates 93% of students within six years. There were roughly 111 materials sciences students who graduated with this degree at University Of California Berkeley in the most recent data year. Materials Sciences graduates of University Of California Berkeley earn a median of $70,847 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $14,238 to complete this degree.
Read more about the materials sciences program at University Of California Berkeley
A rank of #2 makes University Of California Santa Barbara one of the top schools for materials sciences. This very large public university is located in the suburb of Santa Barbara. Roughly 83% of students complete a degree within six years here. University Of California Santa Barbara awarded about 46 materials sciences degrees in the most recent data year. Materials Sciences graduates of University Of California Santa Barbara earn a median of $45,488 early in their careers. University Of California Santa Barbara graduates carry a median of $15,501 in student loans.
See the full materials sciences program report for University Of California Santa Barbara
University Of California Riverside is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in materials sciences, ranking #3. University Of California Riverside is a very large public school located in the city of Riverside. Roughly 76% of students complete a degree within six years here. University Of California Riverside awarded about 13 materials sciences degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the materials sciences program make about $40,040 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $19,187 to complete this degree.
See the full materials sciences program report for University Of California Riverside
More Materials Sciences Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 7 schools evaluated.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
