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2025 Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

14 Colleges in the Southeast Region
295 Doctor's Degrees
$92,933 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #17 in popularity, mechanical engineering is one of the most sought-after doctor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 14 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 295 doctor's degrees in mechanical engineering during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region The me doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality me 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

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.

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

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

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More ME 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 Mechanical Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Mechanical Engineering in the Southeast Region

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

10 Top Southeast Region Schools for a Doctorate in ME

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
13 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in mechanical engineering needs to take a look at Duke University. Located in the 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

2
45 Annual Graduates

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the large 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

3
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
26 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Virginia Tech if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech

4
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
17 Annual Graduates

Vanderbilt University is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in mechanical engineering. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University

5
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
16 Annual Graduates

Auburn is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Auburn.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Auburn University

6
22 Annual Graduates

NC State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Raleigh.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University

7
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, me doctorate recipients usually make around $92,933 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from University of Florida

8
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC
10 Annual Graduates

Clemson is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Clemson.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Clemson University

9
12 Annual Graduates

UA is a very large public university located in the city of Tuscaloosa.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from The University of Alabama

10
13 Annual Graduates

UofSC is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from University of South Carolina - Columbia

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State

Explore the best mechanical engineering colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 138 82
Virginia 127 31
Georgia 126 61
North Carolina 115 55
Mississippi 113 0
Louisiana 103 6
Tennessee 102 22
Alabama 98 24
South Carolina 91 27
Kentucky 87 12

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

ME Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Mechanical Engineering 295

Majors Similar to ME

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 528
Civil Engineering 286
Biomedical Engineering 283
General Engineering 209
Chemical Engineering 161
Materials Engineering 131
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 102
Computer Engineering 101
Industrial Engineering 92
Other Engineering 71

Notes and References

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