2025 Best Mechanical Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools in South Carolina

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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in South Carolina to determine which ones were the best for mechanical engineering students pursuing a doctor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 23 doctor's degrees in mechanical engineering to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

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.

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on mechanical engineering students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other mechanical engineering students want to attend this school to pursue a doctor's degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How much debt mechanical engineering students go into to obtain their doctor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized mechanical engineering related body.

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.

More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools

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 South Carolina list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Mechanical Engineering in South Carolina

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

Top South Carolina Schools for a Doctorate in ME

1

Clemson University
Clemson, SC

10 Annual Graduates

Clemson University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the midsize suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Clemson University

2

University of South Carolina - Columbia
Columbia, SC

13 Annual Graduates

University of South Carolina - Columbia is a great decision for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in mechanical engineering from University of South Carolina - Columbia

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that 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
Kentucky	87	12

View All Rankings >

Mechanical Engineering Related Rankings by Major

One of 41 majors within the Engineering area of study, Mechanical Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

ME Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
General Mechanical Engineering	23

Majors Similar to ME

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering	28
Chemical Engineering	20
Civil Engineering	20
Biomedical Engineering	19
Other Engineering	9
Computer Engineering	8
Environmental Engineering	8
Materials Engineering	8
Industrial Engineering	5
Nuclear Engineering	1

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Michel Villeneuve. More about our data sources and methodologies.