2024 Best Civil Engineering Schools in California
22
Colleges in California
3,269
Civil Eng Degrees Awarded
$68,987
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in
civil engineering, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #50 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 22 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for civil engineering students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,269 degrees in civil engineering to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Civil Engineering School
Your choice of civil engineering school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Civil Engineering School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Civil Engineering Rankings by Degree Level
The civil eng school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Civil Engineering Schools in California.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
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.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Civil Engineering in California
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the civil eng degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top California Schools in Civil Eng
Every student pursuing a degree in civil engineering has to check out Stanford University. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.
There were approximately 181 civil engineering students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Civil Engineering degree recipients from Stanford University receive an earnings boost of around $9,924 over the average earnings of civil engineering majors.
More information about a degree in civil engineering from Stanford UniversityUniversity of Southern California is a great option for students pursuing a degree in civil engineering. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 79 civil engineering students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the civil engineering major at University of Southern California earn $9,649 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in civil engineering from University of Southern CaliforniaIt's hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a degree in civil engineering. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 199 civil engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the civil eng program state that they receive average early career earnings of $67,329.
More information about a degree in civil engineering from University of California - Los AngelesUniversity of California - Davis is a great decision for students interested in a degree in civil engineering. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were roughly 227 civil engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the civil eng program earn an average of $68,802 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in civil engineering from University of California - DavisUC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were about 383 civil engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Those civil engineering students who get their degree from University of California - Berkeley earn $2,931 more than the average civil eng student.
More information about a degree in civil engineering from University of California - BerkeleyUCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were about 187 civil engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the civil engineering degree program at University of California - San Diego get $2,048 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in civil engineering from University of California - San DiegoLocated in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were about 175 civil engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. Those civil engineering students who get their degree from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo earn $5,954 more than the average civil eng student.
More information about a degree in civil engineering from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis ObispoUC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were roughly 161 civil engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the civil eng program report average early career earnings of $62,257.
More information about a degree in civil engineering from University of California - IrvineSDSU is a very large public university located in the city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were about 248 civil engineering students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, civil eng degree recipients usually make an average of $63,495 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in civil engineering from San Diego State UniversityMaster's Degree
Highest Degree Type
22nd
Most Popular In CA
Located in the city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 22 civil engineering students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in civil engineering from Santa Clara University
