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2024 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region

22 Colleges in the Plains States Region
2,877 ME Degrees Awarded
$67,644 Avg Early-Career Salary
Mechanical Engineering is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #21 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 22 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,877 degrees in mechanical engineering during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School

Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region The me program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Mechanical Engineering rankings. For our Best Overall Mechanical Engineering School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Mechanical Engineering Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in ME
Master's Degrees in ME
Doctor's Degrees in ME

The me 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 Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Mechanical Engineering in the Plains States Region

The schools below may not offer all types of me degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in ME

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
152 ME Degrees Awarded
$77,064 Median Starting Salary

Washington University in St Louis is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 152 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering major at Washington University in St Louis make $9,420 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St Louis

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
269 ME Degrees Awarded
$69,495 Median Starting Salary

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were roughly 269 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program report average early career wages of $69,495.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
278 ME Degrees Awarded
2.2% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering has to check out Missouri University of Science and Technology. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Rolla. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Missouri University of Science and Technology is a great university overall.

There were approximately 278 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Missouri University of Science and Technology in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, me degree recipients generally make around $67,693 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
138 ME Degrees Awarded
$66,571 Median Starting Salary

University of Missouri - Columbia is a good option for students pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. Mizzou is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were about 138 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program state that they receive average early career income of $66,571.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Missouri - Columbia

5
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 ME Degrees Awarded
$63,367 Median Starting Salary

Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were about 104 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the me program make about $63,367 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Iowa

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
406 ME Degrees Awarded
$72,899 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 406 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering major at Iowa State University earn $5,255 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
162 ME Degrees Awarded
6.8% Growth in Graduates

UNL is a very large public university located in the large city of Lincoln. A Best Colleges rank of #138 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.

There were roughly 162 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the me program make an average of $63,572 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
160 ME Degrees Awarded
$64,224 Median Starting Salary

North Dakota State University is a large public university located in the medium-sized city of Fargo. This university ranks 2nd out of 12 schools for overall quality in the state of North Dakota.

There were roughly 160 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at North Dakota State University in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the me program make about $64,224 for their early career.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 ME Degrees Awarded
$64,974 Median Starting Salary

KU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 108 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program report average early career earnings of $64,974.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Kansas

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
194 ME Degrees Awarded
6.2% Growth in Graduates

K -State is a large public university located in the city of Manhattan. This university ranks 2nd out of 47 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were roughly 194 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at K -State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program state that they receive average early career income of $65,670.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State

Explore the best mechanical engineering colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Minnesota284582
Missouri283722
Kansas266445
Iowa264611
Nebraska238151
North Dakota210291
South Dakota204144

View All Rankings >

One of 41 majors within the Engineering area of study, Mechanical Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

ME Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
General Mechanical Engineering2,877

View All ME Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Civil Engineering1,355
Electrical Engineering1,111
Computer Engineering1,012
Chemical Engineering799
Industrial Engineering637
Biomedical Engineering627
General Engineering566
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering562
Agricultural Engineering261
Other Engineering181

View All ME Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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