Mechanical Rankings
Mechanical engineering includes the study of thermal and mechanical systems. These are the top undergraduate schools where the highest degree offered is a doctorate.
- Tuition and fees:
- $40,732 (2011-12)
- Enrollment:
- 4,299
- Setting:
- urban
Cambridge, MA
Though the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may be best known for its math, science, and engineering education, this private research university also offers architecture, humanities, management, and social science programs. The school is located in Cambridge, Mass., just across the Charles River from downtown Boston.
- In-state tuition and fees:
- $9,652 (2011-12)
- Out-of-state tuition and fees:
- $27,862 (2011-12)
- Enrollment:
- 13,750
- Setting:
- urban
Atlanta, GA
Georgia Institute of Technology is a public institution that was founded in 1885. The school has 40.5 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students, and the student-faculty ratio at Georgia Institute of Technology is 19:1.
- Tuition and fees:
- $40,569 (2011-12)
- Enrollment:
- 6,940
- Setting:
- suburban
Stanford, CA
The sunny campus of Stanford University is located in California’s Bay Area, about 30 miles from San Francisco. The private institution stresses a multidisciplinary combination of teaching, learning, and research, and students have many opportunities to get involved in research projects.
- In-state tuition and fees:
- $12,590 (2011-12)
- Out-of-state tuition and fees:
- $37,265 (2011-12)
- Enrollment:
- 27,027
- Setting:
- urban
Ann Arbor, MI
A public institution, University of Michigan--Ann Arbor was founded in 1817. University of Michigan--Ann Arbor offers a Greek system, where 20.0 percent of the student body is involved in a sorority and 16.0 percent is involved in a fraternity.
- In-state tuition and fees:
- $11,767 (2011-12)
- Out-of-state tuition and fees:
- $34,645 (2011-12)
- Enrollment:
- 25,540
- Setting:
- urban
Berkeley, CA
The University of California—Berkeley overlooks the San Francisco Bay in Berkeley, Calif. Students at this public school have more than 700 organizations to get involved in, including more than 55 fraternity and sorority chapters.
- In-state tuition and fees:
- $13,558 (2011-12)
- Out-of-state tuition and fees:
- $27,700 (2011-12)
- Enrollment:
- 31,540
- Setting:
- urban
Champaign, IL
Founded in 1867, University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign follows a semester-based academic calendar and its admissions are considered more selective.
- In-state tuition and fees:
- $9,478 (2011-12)
- Out-of-state tuition and fees:
- $27,646 (2011-12)
- Enrollment:
- 30,836
- Setting:
- urban
West Lafayette, IN
Purdue University--West Lafayette is a public institution that was founded in 1869. The school has 36.8 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students, and the student-faculty ratio at Purdue University--West Lafayette is 14:1.
- Tuition and fees:
- $41,541 (2011-12)
- Enrollment:
- 13,935
- Setting:
- rural
Ithaca, NY
Cornell University, a private school in Ithaca, N.Y., started the country’s first colleges for hotel administration, industrial and labor relations, and veterinary medicine. Cornell now offers a wide variety of undergraduate programs and runs interdisciplinary research centers for nanotechnology, supercomputing, and more.
- Tuition and fees:
- $37,704 (2011-12)
- Enrollment:
- 967
- Setting:
- suburban
Pasadena, CA
The California Institute of Technology focuses on science and engineering education and has a low student-to-faculty ratio of 3:1. This private institution in Pasadena, Calif. is actively involved in research projects with grants from NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Tuition and fees:
- $43,396 (2011-12)
- Enrollment:
- 6,108
- Setting:
- urban
Pittsburgh, PA
Carnegie Mellon University, a private institution in Pittsburgh, Pa., is the country’s only school founded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The school specializes in academic areas including engineering, business, computer science, and fine arts.
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