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2024 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

22 Colleges in the Plains States Region
2,609 Bachelor's Degrees
$64,978 Avg Early-Career Salary
Mechanical Engineering is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #17 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 22 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,609 bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of mechanical engineering for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. 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.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various 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 bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

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 mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Mechanical Engineering in the Plains States Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for mechanical engineering students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Bachelor's in ME

1
94 Annual Graduates
$66,886 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

Washington University in St Louis is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the me program report average early career wages of $66,886.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St Louis

2
200 Annual Graduates
$67,213 Median Starting Salary
$22,077 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering has to look into University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities make $2,235 more than the average me grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

3
233 Annual Graduates
$67,693 Median Starting Salary
$22,786 Median Student Debt

Missouri University of Science and Technology is a wonderful option for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the town of Rolla, Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public university with a medium-sized student population.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Missouri University of Science and Technology earn $2,715 more than the average me student.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology

4
145 Annual Graduates
$66,571 Median Starting Salary
$22,250 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat University of Missouri - Columbia if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduating, me bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $66,571 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Missouri - Columbia

5
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
104 Annual Graduates
$63,367 Median Starting Salary
$23,109 Median Student Debt

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

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the me program state that they receive average early career wages of $63,367.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Iowa

6
451 Annual Graduates
$64,842 Median Starting Salary
$23,500 Median Student Debt

Iowa State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ames.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the me program earn about $64,842 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University

7
132 Annual Graduates
$63,572 Median Starting Salary
$24,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduating, me bachelor's recipients generally make about $63,572 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

8
163 Annual Graduates
$64,224 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, me bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $64,224 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

9
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
132 Annual Graduates
$64,974 Median Starting Salary
$22,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduation, me bachelor's recipients generally make around $64,974 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Kansas

10
64 Annual Graduates
$63,634 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Rapid City, SD Mines is a public school with a small student population.

Soon after graduating, me bachelor's recipients generally make an average of $63,634 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 228 583
Minnesota 215 477
Iowa 197 595
Kansas 184 414
Nebraska 180 132
North Dakota 149 275
South Dakota 148 133

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

ME Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Mechanical Engineering 2,609

Majors Similar to ME

Related Major Annual Graduates
Civil Engineering 969
Electrical Engineering 894
Computer Engineering 848
Chemical Engineering 740
Industrial Engineering 480
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 466
Biomedical Engineering 401
Agricultural Engineering 152
Architectural Engineering 145
General Engineering 102

Notes and References

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