by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for engineering students pursuing a doctor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 675 doctor's degrees in engineering to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of engineering for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality engineering program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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.
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 colleges for engineering students working on their doctor's degree.
The engineering 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 Engineering Doctor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in engineering.
Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in engineering needs to take a look at Washington University in St Louis. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a doctorate in engineering from Washington University in St Louis
Iowa State University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in engineering. Iowa State is a very large public university located in the small city of Ames.More information about a doctorate in engineering from Iowa State University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a great choice for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in engineering. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.More information about a doctorate in engineering from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in engineering has to take a look at University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in engineering from University of Nebraska - Lincoln
UND is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Grand Forks.More information about a doctorate in engineering from University of North Dakota
Located in the town of Rolla, Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology
Explore the best engineering colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 27 | 151 |
| Missouri | 27 | 198 |
| Kansas | 26 | 80 |
| Iowa | 26 | 145 |
| Nebraska | 24 | 51 |
| North Dakota | 21 | 37 |
| South Dakota | 15 | 30 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Biomedical Engineering | 92 |
| Civil Engineering | 83 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 81 |
| Electrical Engineering | 78 |
| Chemical Engineering | 61 |
| Industrial Engineering | 44 |
| Engineering Mechanics | 36 |
| Other Engineering | 33 |
| Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering | 28 |
| Materials Engineering | 20 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Agriculture & Agriculture Operations | 660 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 659 |
| Physical Sciences | 355 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 157 |
| Natural Resources & Conservation | 46 |
| Engineering Technologies | 5 |
| Architecture & Related Services | 2 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 1 |
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