2024 Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California
12
Colleges in California
1,120
Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
Chemical Engineering is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #64 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 12 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,120 degrees in chemical engineering during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Chemical Engineering School
The chem eng program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Chemical Engineering rankings. We derive our Best Overall Chemical Engineering School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Chemical Engineering Rankings by Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for Chemical Engineering in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the chem eng degree levels they offer.
10 Top California Schools in Chem Eng
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
10th
Most Popular In CA
65
Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
It's difficult to beat Stanford University if you want to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.
There were about 65 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Stanford University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
9th
Most Popular In CA
68
Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 68 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Southern California
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
175
Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
It is hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were roughly 175 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California - Berkeley
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
119
Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
University of California - Los Angeles is a great choice for students interested in a degree in chemical engineering. UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 119 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California - Los Angeles
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
130
Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were roughly 130 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California - San Diego
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In CA
104
Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis. This university ranks 13th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 104 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California - Davis
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CA
77
Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 15th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 77 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California - Irvine
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
11th
Most Popular In CA
59
Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were roughly 59 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California - Santa Barbara
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
12th
Most Popular In CA
49
Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 49 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in chemical engineering from San Jose State University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In CA
88
Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
UCR is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Riverside. This university ranks 36th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 88 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California - Riverside