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2025 Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

12 Colleges in California
764 Bachelor's Degrees
$67,401 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #51 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 12 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for chemical engineering students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 764 bachelor's degrees in chemical engineering to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Chemical Engineering School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California The chem eng bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for chemical engineering students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Chem Eng Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The chem 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 Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Chemical Engineering in California

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for chemical engineering students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Chem Eng

1

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering has to check out University of California - Berkeley. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley get an earnings boost of about $14,152 over the typical income of chemical engineering graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of California - Berkeley

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
10 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Stanford University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford.More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Stanford University

3

University of California - Davis is a great decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduating, chem eng bachelor's recipients usually make about $68,337 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of California - Davis

4

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering has to look into University of California - San Diego. UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the chem eng program report average early career income of $59,508.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of California - San Diego

5

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.

Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles receive an earnings boost of around $9,279 above the typical earnings of chemical engineering majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of California - Los Angeles

6

USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the chem eng program report average early career wages of $68,234.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Southern California

7

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine.

After graduating, chem eng bachelor's recipients generally earn about $57,540 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of California - Irvine

8

Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering degree program at University of California - Santa Barbara earn $12,336 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of California - Santa Barbara

9

Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Pomona.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the chem eng program earn around $69,009 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

10
50 Annual Graduates
$68,245 Median Starting Salary
$15,395 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the chem eng program earn about $68,245 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of California - Riverside

Best Chemical Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Chemical Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 122
Oregon 185 115
Nevada 129 38

View All Rankings >

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

Chem Eng Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Chemical Engineering 764

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 3,722
Electrical Engineering 2,314
Computer Engineering 2,214
Civil Engineering 2,049
Biomedical Engineering 998
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 899
Industrial Engineering 277
Environmental Engineering 234
Other Engineering 178
Materials Engineering 177

Notes and References

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