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2025 Best Materials Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools in California

5 Colleges in California
105 Doctor's Degrees
$111,998 Avg Early-Career Salary
a doctor's degree in materials engineering is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #40 out of 306 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 5 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Materials Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 105 doctor's degrees in materials engineering to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Materials Engineering School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Materials Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools in California The materials engineering doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality materials engineering program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for materials engineering students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Materials Engineering Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Materials Engineering Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Materials Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Materials Engineering in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in materials engineering.

Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Materials Engineering

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
19 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a doctor's degree in materials engineering has to take a look at Stanford University. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in materials engineering from Stanford University

2
22 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in materials engineering. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in materials engineering from University of California - Los Angeles

3
29 Annual Graduates

University of California - San Diego is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in materials engineering. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in materials engineering from University of California - San Diego

4
15 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of California - Irvine if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in materials engineering. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in materials engineering from University of California - Irvine

5
10 Annual Graduates

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis.More information about a doctorate in materials engineering from University of California - Davis

Best Materials Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 122 14
Nevada 84 0

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Materials Engineering is one of 41 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.

Materials Engineering Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Materials Engineering 105

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 350
Mechanical Engineering 219
Biomedical Engineering 193
Chemical Engineering 138
Civil Engineering 135
Computer Engineering 50
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 43
Other Engineering 39
Systems Engineering 16
Environmental Engineering 13

Notes and References

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