Some of the best engineering schools in the world serve as feeder programs for the best technology companies out there, like Facebook, Google, and Apple.
So, which school is most likely to land you the job you want?
Over the past few weeks, we've conducted a survey to find out the true ranking of the top 50 schools. The top school in the world, from our survey, is the California Institute of Technology.
Jump right to the list >
All these schools have comparable high-quality academics, smart professors, and great campuses. But when it comes to figuring out the value of an engineering school, there's only one thing that really matters: The amount the school will help your future career.
Of our 723 respondents to the survey, nearly all (91%) said they had a computer science, engineering or equivalent degree.
The two most important things that went into choosing an engineering school were the skills and knowledge they acquired in school (73.9%) and the brand value of the school (18.8%).
The majority of the respondents (66.8%) studied and applied the C, C++ or C# programming languages, with Java following as a close second (40.8%).
Most engineers who responded were either research scientists (10.8%), mobile developers (8.9%) or mechanical engineers (13.3%).
Here's the methodology:
- Our initial list was compiled by canvassing engineers, industry professionals and entrepreneurs who work at some of the most popular technology companies.
- We asked respondents to grade schools on a 1 (not valuable) to 5 (most valuable) scale. The score is the average of all responses across those scales.
- Each survey included grades for at least 10 schools. Respondents could also write in responses to the survey for schools that were not included. Some write-ins with overwhelming response were included in the rankings.
- We parsed LinkedIn to find the top employers for each school, and they are in order of greatest number of graduates employed per school.
50. San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University scored a 2.03 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Oracle, Cisco Systems, Apple
49. Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University scored a 2.08 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Intel, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Adobe
48. San Jose State University
San Jose State University scored a 2.14 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Oracle, Intel
47. University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut scored a 2.15 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: IBM
46. University of Florida
University of Florida scored a 2.15 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: IBM, Intel, Microsoft
45. Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University scored a 2.19 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, Apple, Google, Intel, IBM
44. University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa scored a 2.22 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Sprint Nextel, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Microsoft
43. Washington State University
Washington State University scored a 2.23 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Microsoft, Amazon, Hewlett-Packard, Intel
42. Colorado State University
CSU scored a 2.24 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Oracle, Microsoft
41. University of Mumbai
University of Mumbai scored a 2.29 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Intel, Oracle, IBM
40. University of Manchester
University of Manchester scored a 2.35 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 31
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 18
Top Employers: Microsoft, Intel, Google, IBM, Oracle
39. University of Maryland
University of Maryland scored a 2.97 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: IBM, Microsoft
38. North Carolina State University
NCSU scored a 2.43 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: IBM, Cisco Systems, Intel
37. Imperial College
Imperial College scored a 2.54 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 15
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 7
Top Employers: Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco Systems, Google, Apple
36. University of California — Santa Barbara
UC — Santa Barbara scored a 2.57 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 40
Top Employers: Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, Intel
35. University of Toronto
University of Toronto scored a 2.64 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 10
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Microsoft, Google, IBM, Cisco Systems, Intel, Amazon, Oracle
34. New York University
NYU scored a 2.65 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 39
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: IBM
33. University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin scored a 2.69 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: IBM, Microsoft, Intel
33. University of Southern California
USC scored a 2.69 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Cisco Systems, Intel, Microsoft, Qualcomm, IBM
31. University of Washington
University of Washington scored a 2.71 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 25
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Microsoft, Amazon, Intel, Google
30. University of California — Davis
UC — Davis scored a 2.72 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Intel, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, Google, Apple
29. University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo scored a 2.79 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 36
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Research in Motion, Microsoft, IBM, Google
28. University of Chicago
University of Chicago scored a 2.86 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 19
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: IBM, Microsoft, Google
27. Rochester Institute of Technology
RIT scored a 2.90 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Xerox, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco Systems
26. Texas A&M University
Texas A&M scored a 2.90 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. New & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. New & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Texas instruments, IBM
25. Israel Institute of Technology
Israel Institute of Technology scored a 2.91 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle
24. University of California — Los Angeles
UCLA scored a 2.99 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 8
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 8
Top Employers: Google
23. Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech scored a 3.00 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Microsoft
22. Harvey Mudd College
Harvey Mudd scored a 3.01 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. New & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. New & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Microsoft, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Amazon
21. Rice University
Rice scored a 3.01 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 37
Top Employers: IBM, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Google, Intel
20. California Polytechnic State University
Cal Poly scored a 3.03 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Intel, Google, Oracle, Microsoft
19. Yale University
Yale scored a 3.06 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 16
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 13
Top Employers: Google, Microsoft, IBM
18. University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania scored a 3.07 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 24
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 20
Top Employers: Google, IBM
17. Columbia University
Columbia scored a 3.08 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 17
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 23
Top Employers: IBM, Google
16. University of Texas — Austin
UT — Austin scored a 3.12 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 18
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 24
Top Employers: Dell, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Apple
15. Oxford University
Oxford scored a 3.13 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 6
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 6
Top Employers: Microsoft, Google, IBM
14. Purdue University
Purdue scored a 3.25 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 29
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 30
Top Employers: IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Cisco Systems
13. University of Michigan — Ann Arbor
University of Michigan scored a 3.29 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 19
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 14
Top Employers: Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Google
12. University of Cambridge
Cambridge scored a 3.30 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 3
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 2
Top Employers: Google, Microsoft, IBM
11. University of Illinois — Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois scored a 3.32 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 28
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 21
Top Employers: IBM, Microsoft, Google
10. Princeton
Princeton scored a 3.35 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 13
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 15
Top Employers: Google, Microsoft, IBM
9. Harvard
Harvard scored a 3.36 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 5
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 3
Top Employers: Google, Microsoft, IBM
8. Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech scored a 3.38 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 32
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 16
Top Employers: IBM, Intel, Cisco Systems, Microsoft
7. Cornell University
Cornell scored a 3.43 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 14
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 12
Top Employers: IBM, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon scored a 3.77 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 9
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 28
Top Employers: Google, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Intel, Apple, Cisco Systems, Amazon
5. University of California — Berkeley
Berkeley scored a 4.00 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 4
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 5
Top Employers: Google, Cisco Systems, Oracle, Intel, Microsoft
4. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
RPI scored a 4.16 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): NR
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): NR
Top Employers: IBM, Cisco Systems, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle
3. Stanford
Stanford scored a 4.20 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 2
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 4
Top Employers: Google, Cisco Systems, Oracle, Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Facebook
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT scored a 4.38 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 1
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 1
Top Employers: Google, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Intel, Apple
1. California Institute of Technology
CalTech scored a 4.65 out of 5 on Business Insider's rating.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (computer science): 7
U.S. News & World Report Ranking (engineering): 9
Top Employers: Google, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle
That's it for the engineering schools...
Now check out the top 50 business schools in the world >
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