Resources › For Students and Parents Best Engineering Schools and Programs Excellent Engineering Programs at Comprehensive Universities Print For Students and Parents College Admissions Choosing A College College Admissions Process College Profiles College Rankings Application Tips Essay Samples & Tips Testing Graphs College Financial Aid Advanced Placement Homework Help Private School Test Prep College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More By Allen Grove Allen Grove College Admissions Expert Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with over 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on January 31, 2021 The U.S. has so many strong engineering programs that my list of the top ten engineering schools barely scratches the surface. In the list below you'll find ten more universities that have top-rated engineering programs. Each has impressive facilities, professors, and name recognition. I've listed the schools alphabetically to avoid the arbitrary distinctions often used to rank equally strong programs. For schools where the focus is mostly on undergraduates rather than graduate research, take a look at these top undergraduate engineering schools. Harvard University Harvard University. _Gene_ / flickr When it comes to engineering in the Boston area, most college applicants think of MIT, not Harvard. However, Harvard's strengths in engineering and applied sciences continue to grow. Undergraduate engineering students have several tracks they can pursue: biomedical sciences and engineering; electrical engineering and computer science; engineering physics; environmental sciences and engineering; and mechanical and materials sciences and engineering. Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts Enrollment (2007): 25,690 (9,859 undergraduate) Type of University: Private Explore the Campus: Harvard University Photo Tour Distinctions: Member of the Ivy League; Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; Member of the Association of American Universities; top ten private university; highly selective admissions Harvard admissions profile Penn State University Penn State University Old Main. acidcookie / Flickr Penn State has a robust and diverse engineering program that graduates well over 1,000 engineers a year. Be sure to look into Penn State's Liberal Arts and Engineering Concurrent Degree Program -- it's a great choice for students who don't want a narrow pre-professional curriculum. Location: University Park, Pennsylvania Enrollment (2007): 43,252 (36,815 undergraduate) Type of University: Large Public Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; Member of the Association of American Universities; selective admissions; flagship campus of Pennsylvania's university system; member of the Big Ten Athletic Conference Penn State admissions profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Penn State Princeton University Princeton University. _Gene_ / Flickr Students in Princeton's School of Engineering and Applied Science concentrate in one of six engineering fields, but the curriculum also has a strong grounding in the humanities and social sciences. Princeton states the school's goal is to "educate leaders who can solve world problems." Location: Princeton, New Jersey Enrollment (2007): 7,261 (4,845 undergraduate) Type of University: Private Distinctions: Member of the Ivy League; Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; Member of the Association of American Universities; top ten private university; highly selective admissions Princeton admissions profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Princeton Read More Top Engineering Schools in the U.S. By Allen Grove Texas A&M at College Station Texas A&M. StuSeeger / Flickr Despite what the university's name might suggest, Texas A&M is far more than an agricultural and engineering school, and students will find strengths in the humanities and sciences as well as the more technical fields. Texas A&M graduates over 1,000 engineers a year with civil and mechanical engineering being the most popular among undergraduates. Location: College Station, Texas Enrollment (2007): 46,542 (37,357 undergraduate) Type of University: Large Public Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; Member of the Association of American Universities; member of the NCAA Division I SEC Conference; Senior Military College Texas A&M admissions profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Texas A&M University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) UCLA Royce Hall. _gene_ / flickr UCLA is one of the most selective and highly-ranked public universities in the country. Its Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science graduates over 400 engineering students a year. Electrical and mechanical engineering are most popular among undergraduates. Location: Los Angeles, California Enrollment (2007): 37,476 (25,928 undergraduate) Type of University: Large Public Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; Member of the Association of American Universities; highly selective admissions; top 10 public university; member of the NCAA Division I Pacific 12 Conference Explore the Campus: UCLA photo tour UCLA admissions profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UCLA University of California at San Diego RightCowLeftCoast / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 UCSD is one of the top-ranked public universities in the country, and the school has wide-ranging strengths in engineering and science. Bioengineering, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and structural engineering are all particularly popular among undergraduates. Location: La Jolla, California Enrollment (2007): 27,020 (22,048 undergraduate Type of University: Public Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; Member of the Association of American Universities; top 10 public university Explore the Campus: UCSD Photo Tour UCSD admissions profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UCSD University of Maryland at College Park University of Maryland Patterson Hall. forklift / Flickr UMD's Clark School of Engineering graduates over 500 undergraduate engineers a year. Mechanical and electrical engineering draw the greatest number of students. Aside from engineering, Maryland has wide-ranging strengths in the humanities and social sciences. Location: College Park, Maryland Enrollment (2007): 36,014 (25,857 undergraduate) Type of University: Large public Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; Member of the Association of American Universities; member of NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference Maryland admissions profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Maryland University of Texas at Austin University of Texas, Austin. _Gene_ / Flickr UT Austin is one of the largest public universities in the country, and its academic strengths span the sciences, engineering, business, social sciences, and humanities. Texas's Cockrell School of Engineering graduates around 1,000 undergraduates a year. Popular fields include aeronautical, biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical and petroleum engineering. Location: Austin, Texas Enrollment (2007): 50,170 (37,459 undergraduate) Type of University: Large public Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; Member of the Association of American Universities; Member of the NCAA Division I Big 12 Conference; flagship campus of the Texas university system UT Austin admissions profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UT Austin University of Wisconsin at Madison University of Wisconsin Social Sciences. Mark Sadowski / Flickr Wisconsin's College of Engineering graduates close to 600 undergraduates a year. The most popular majors are chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering. Like many of the comprehensive universities on this list, Wisconsin has strengths in numerous areas outside of engineering. Location: Madison, Wisconsin Enrollment (2007): 41,563 (30,166 undergraduate) Type of University: Large public Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; member of the Association of American Universities; member of the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference Wisconsin admissions profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Wisconsin Virginia Tech Virginia Tech. BS Pollard / iStock / Getty Images Virginia Tech's College of Engineering graduates over 1,000 undergraduates a year. Popular programs include aerospace, civil, computer, electrical, industrial and mechanical engineering. Virginia Tech has been ranked among the top 10 public engineering schools by U.S. News & World Report. Location: Blacksburg, Virginia Enrollment (2007): 29,898 (23,041 undergraduate) Type of University: Public Explore the Campus: Virginia Tech Photo Tour Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; member of the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference; Senior Military College Virginia Tech admissions profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Virginia Tech Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Grove, Allen. "Best Engineering Schools and Programs." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/best-engineering-programs-787000. Grove, Allen. (2023, April 5). Best Engineering Schools and Programs. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/best-engineering-programs-787000 Grove, Allen. "Best Engineering Schools and Programs." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/best-engineering-programs-787000 (accessed April 16, 2024). copy citation