by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2023 ranking, College Factual looked at 131 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for mechanical engineering students pursuing a doctor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,634 doctor's degrees in mechanical engineering to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The ME doctor'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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
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.
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 schools for mechanical engineering students working on their doctor's degree.
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 Doctor's Degree Schools.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in mechanical engineering. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is difficult to beat Massachusetts Institute of Technology if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in mechanical engineering needs to look into Stanford University. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University
Duke University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Duke University
It's hard to beat University of Pennsylvania if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from University of Pennsylvania
Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University
Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from University of Notre Dame
U-M is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University
Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Cornell University
Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University
Purdue is a very large public university located in the city of West Lafayette.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Purdue University - Main Campus
Located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from University of California - Berkeley
Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University
Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Columbia University in the City of New York
Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Rice University
Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St Louis
Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Princeton.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Princeton University
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
| 26 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 20 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX |
| 21 | University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 22 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA |
| 23 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 24 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
| 25 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
View the Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Mechanical Engineering is one of 40 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Electrical Engineering | 2,179 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 1,096 |
| Chemical Engineering | 1,087 |
| Civil Engineering | 1,086 |
| Materials Engineering | 712 |
| General Engineering | 477 |
| Computer Engineering | 386 |
| Industrial Engineering | 370 |
| Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering | 361 |
| Other Engineering | 182 |
