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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

21 Ranked Colleges
1,002 Degrees Awarded
$26,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 21,561 people earned their degree in civil engineering, making the major the 45th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, civil engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $60,122 and had an average of $23,807 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 3,291 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $65,300 and $21,468 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,002 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered a degree in civil engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great civil engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the civil engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 21 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 177 diplomas to qualified masters’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Stanford Civil Engineering Report

#2

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Caltech are $56,649, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Civil Engineering at California Institute of Technology

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 227 diplomas to qualified masters’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UC Berkeley Civil Engineering Report

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #4 spot on the list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s civil eng degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - Irvine Civil Engineering Report

#5

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 79 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at UCLA

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 16 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Los Angeles are $17,723, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Cal State LA Civil Engineering Report

#17 in overall quality

California State University - Fresno landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 20 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also took the #17 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fresno are $17,581, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Fresno State

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s civil eng degrees to 51 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fullerton are $17,892, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Civil Engineering at California State University - Fullerton

University of California - San Diego landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 53 diplomas to qualified masters’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSD has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631.

Full University of California - San Diego Civil Engineering Report

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s civil eng degrees to 76 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #5 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Davis are $28,700, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of California - Davis

#11

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 21 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SDSU are $18,658, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full San Diego State University Civil Engineering Report

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 25 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full California State University - Long Beach Civil Engineering Report

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 masters’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Northridge are $17,955, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at CSUN

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 masters’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo are $21,009.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 29 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal Poly Pomona are $18,377, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona

California State University - Sacramento landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 17 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Sacramento are $18,356.

Read more about Civil Engineering at California State University - Sacramento

#17

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #17, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 74 masters’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715.

Full University of Southern California Civil Engineering Report

#18

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 41 masters’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

San Jose State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Jose State University are $18,790, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Civil Engineering at San Jose State University

#19

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s civil eng degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

SCU also made our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at Santa Clara University are $23,507, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full SCU Civil Engineering Report

#20

California Baptist University

Riverside, California
#19 in overall quality

California Baptist University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California Baptist University is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 4 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Baptist did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Baptist University are $14,140, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full California Baptist University Civil Engineering Report

#21

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California
#9 in overall quality

Loyola Marymount University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Loyola Marymount is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 7 masters’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Civil Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola Marymount University are $19,756.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Loyola Marymount

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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