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2024 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region

22 Colleges in the Plains States Region
2,950 ME Degrees Awarded
$67,644 Avg Early-Career Salary
Mechanical Engineering is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #21 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 22 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,950 degrees in mechanical engineering to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School

Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States 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. For our Best Overall Mechanical Engineering School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

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

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 Plains States Region. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Mechanical Engineering in the Plains States Region

The schools below may not offer all types of me degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in ME

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
156 ME Degrees Awarded
$77,064 Median Starting Salary

Washington University in St Louis is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were about 156 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at Washington University in St Louis earn $9,420 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St Louis

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
285 ME Degrees Awarded
$69,495 Median Starting Salary

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were about 285 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program report average early career wages of $69,495.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
272 ME Degrees Awarded
$67,693 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering needs to check out Missouri University of Science and Technology. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a medium-sized public university located in the remote town of Rolla. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Missouri University of Science and Technology is a great university overall.

There were roughly 272 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Missouri University of Science and Technology in the most recent data year. After graduation, me degree recipients usually make around $67,693 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
168 ME Degrees Awarded
$66,571 Median Starting Salary

University of Missouri - Columbia is a good option for students pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. Mizzou is a very large public university located in the city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were approximately 168 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program report average early career earnings of $66,571.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Missouri - Columbia

5
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
121 ME Degrees Awarded
$63,367 Median Starting Salary

Iowa is a very large public university located in the city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were approximately 121 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the me program make around $63,367 in the first couple years of working.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
451 ME Degrees Awarded
4.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 451 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering program at Iowa State University earn $5,255 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
151 ME Degrees Awarded
$63,572 Median Starting Salary

UNL is a very large public university located in the large city of Lincoln. A Best Colleges rank of #138 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.

There were roughly 151 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the me program earn around $63,572 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
170 ME Degrees Awarded
10.0% Growth in Graduates

North Dakota State University is a large public university located in the midsize city of Fargo. This university ranks 2nd out of 12 schools for overall quality in the state of North Dakota.

There were approximately 170 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at North Dakota State University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the me program earn around $64,224 in the first couple years of working.

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

9
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
140 ME Degrees Awarded
7.9% Growth in Graduates

KU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 140 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program report average early career wages of $64,974.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
182 ME Degrees Awarded
$65,670 Median Starting Salary

K -State is a large public university located in the city of Manhattan. This university ranks 2nd out of 47 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were about 182 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at K -State 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 income of $65,670.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University

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
Minnesota 284 582
Missouri 283 722
Kansas 266 445
Iowa 264 611
Nebraska 238 151
North Dakota 210 291
South Dakota 204 144

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 2,950

View All ME Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 1,305
Civil Engineering 1,301
Computer Engineering 1,025
Chemical Engineering 884
Industrial Engineering 707
Biomedical Engineering 651
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 591
General Engineering 519
Agricultural Engineering 205
Other Engineering 188

View All ME Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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