Becoming an engineer is an increasingly popular career choice for students all over the world. However, if you’re in California and want to complete a degree in engineering, you need to ensure that you opt for one of the best engineering schools in California, as the choice of school will have a huge impact on how well you’re received in the industry after completing your degree.
Something you should always bear in mind that there are several schools offering a variety of engineering programs in California, but you have to pick a school while considering the discipline/program you want to enroll yourself in. What it means is that a school offering top class education in computer engineering may not be the best one for biomedical or mechanical engineering. Therefore, it’s important to first decide on the engineering program you want to study and then select one of the best engineering colleges in California.
Here are a few good suggestions for you to consider.
Stanford University
In case you’re interested in completing your degree in mechanical engineering, you may want to go for Stanford University. With an application fee of $125 for both U.S. residents and international students, it charges a tuition fee of $43,950 a year. The School of Engineering at Stanford University has 219 faculty members, with a student-faculty ration of 8.1:1.
The school offers ample research facilities for all students, including those who are going for a degree in mechanical engineering – it’s due to these research facilities that it’s one of the best California engineering schools. It’s possible to find about 65 labs and centers across campus. They offer graduate degrees in ten areas. They have a number of programs offered in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, all of which maintain a mix of biomechanical engineering, applied mechanics, energy science, computer simulations and design.
It is also one of the best mechanical engineering schools in California because it doesn’t matter if you are interested in an undergraduate program or opt for a graduate program, you will always get to learn everything to work in environmental pollution control, biomechanical engineering, transportation, ocean engineering, and several other multidisciplinary programs. Grants and scholarships are also available for deserving students.
University of California – Los Angeles
In California, an average of 2,441 students per year completes their graduation with credentials in civil engineering from one of many civil engineering schools in California. If you’re also interested in the same, you may want to enroll yourself in a civil engineering program offered at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), as it’s considered one of the best engineering schools in southern California.
With 12 Rhodes Scholarships, 12 Nobel Prizes, and a number of Olympic medals, the university is often the first choice of students interested in obtaining a degree in engineering; in fact, it’s the most applied-to university with 72,000 freshman applications submitted for the fall of 2012. They have their GPA requirement set at 4.25, whereas you should have an SAT score in 1760-2140 range.
In addition to Civil Engineering, they offer graduate degrees in 150 departments. They offer one of the most impressive Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering where they prepare students for careers in research, design, education, and industry – they also teach you the basics to help you go for the doctor degree in this engineering discipline. Their graduate program is equally good for those who work full time and are interested in studying during evening hours.
University of California – San Diego
Every year, an average of 1,212 students completes their graduation from different biomedical engineering schools in California. If you’re also interested in biomedical engineering, you can select one of 46 good engineering schools in California. For those who want the best of research facilities and curriculum may consider going for University of California – San Diego.
Located in La Jolla, the university is now considered the largest biomedical engineering schools in California. In 2009, about 240 students received their biomedical engineer degree from this particular university. They charge you with a tuition fee of $8,792 a year, which is slightly higher than the average tuition fee charged by other top engineering schools in California, but it’s worth the money you pay, as you will get to take advantage of extensive research facilities to complete your degree. Nevertheless, financial aid is available for deserving students; in fact, you will see 70% of undergraduate students receive need-based support.
In terms of undergraduate degree, they offer 100 majors in six disciplinary areas, including biology, engineering, social sciences, science, arts, humanities and special/undeclared. The bioengineering major offered by the School of Engineering teaches you how to apply the tools and principles of traditional engineering fields, including electrical, materials, mechanicals, and chemical engineering, to biological and biomedical problems. It is also considered one of the best California engineering colleges for students who are interested in completing a BS degree in Biotechnology to work in the biotechnology industry.
San Jose State University
If you have already conducted some research and still find it difficult to shortlist good engineering schools in California, you should learn more about San Jose State University, especially if you’re interested in computer engineering. Every year, an average of 1,301 students receive their graduate degrees from computer and software engineering schools in California, and most of them pick San Jose State University for computer studies.
Conveniently located in San Jose, on 154 acres, the university is one of the very best computer engineering schools in California. Based on the number of students, it’s the largest. In 2009, nearly 188 students completed their graduation in computer engineering from the University. The interesting thing is that you can combine a BS computer engineering degree with another graduate degree – they have their computer engineering department offer a combined MS and BS degree, which is something that attracts many students.
You can also find a number of courses in software engineering, including B.S software engineering that you can combine with computer science and M.S software engineering where you can pick out of four specializations. Due to their comprehensive curriculum and high quality standards, they are one of the leading suppliers of computer and software engineers to Silicon Valley.
The University also offers ample facilities to students – there are plenty of laboratories and research centers along with several cafes around campus. Moreover, the student union is efficient, the food at cafeteria is good, and the book store is large enough with two levels. All these facilities make it a perfect environment to receive your education in computer engineering.