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2025 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region

39 Colleges in the Southwest Region
5,130 ME Degrees Awarded
$76,023 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in mechanical engineering, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #21 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 39 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,130 degrees in mechanical engineering annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School

Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region The me program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Mechanical Engineering rankings. We derive our Best Overall Mechanical Engineering School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Mechanical Engineering Degree Level

Associate Degrees in ME
Bachelor's Degrees in ME
Master's Degrees in ME
Doctor's Degrees in ME

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 Schools in the Southwest Region. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Mechanical Engineering in the Southwest Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the me degree levels they offer.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in ME

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
390 ME Degrees Awarded
7.9% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering needs to look into The University of Texas at Austin. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were roughly 390 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering major at The University of Texas at Austin get $8,035 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
574 ME Degrees Awarded
6.3% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in mechanical engineering has to check out Texas A&M University - College Station. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were about 574 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering program at Texas A&M University - College Station earn $4,593 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University - College Station

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
280 ME Degrees Awarded
$73,268 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Texas Tech University if you want to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Texas Tech is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Lubbock. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Texas Tech is a great university overall.

There were about 280 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Texas Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program report average early career earnings of $73,268.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University

4
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
88 ME Degrees Awarded
12.5% Growth in Graduates

Rice University is a great option for students interested in a degree in mechanical engineering. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #48 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were about 88 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at Rice University get $6,876 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Rice University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
380 ME Degrees Awarded
$77,775 Median Starting Salary

ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 380 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the me program make about $77,775 for their early career.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Arizona State University - Tempe

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
121 ME Degrees Awarded
$75,211 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #110 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were approximately 121 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program report average early career wages of $75,211.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Arizona

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
303 ME Degrees Awarded
5.3% Growth in Graduates

OSU is a very large public university located in the town of Stillwater. This university ranks 2nd out of 31 schools for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were about 303 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at OSU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program report average early career earnings of $69,905.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
257 ME Degrees Awarded
$77,443 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Houston, UH is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 14th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 257 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program state that they receive average early career earnings of $77,443.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Houston

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
122 ME Degrees Awarded
4.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.

There were about 122 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent data year. After graduation, me degree recipients typically make an average of $71,424 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 ME Degrees Awarded
$79,280 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #142 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 63 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent year we have data available. Those mechanical engineering students who get their degree from Southern Methodist University receive $3,257 more than the standard me graduate.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Southern Methodist University

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 3,777
Arizona 287 804
Oklahoma 257 521
New Mexico 219 280

View All Rankings >

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

ME Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Mechanical Engineering 5,130

View All ME Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 3,347
Civil Engineering 2,145
General Engineering 1,847
Computer Engineering 1,686
Chemical Engineering 1,422
Biomedical Engineering 1,302
Industrial Engineering 1,139
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 1,076
Petroleum Engineering 577
Materials Engineering 373

View All ME Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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