Top Engineering Schools in the US

The recent QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 covers the best universities for 51 different subjects, including 520 top engineering and technology schools around the world – 92 of which are in the US. 

The ranking covers five different branches of engineering – chemical, civil and structural, electrical, mechanical, and mineral and mining. 

The rankings are compiled using four indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations per paper and the H-index (a way of measuring the productivity and impact of published work).  You can find out more about the methodology used here. 

MIT maintains its top position in the world for engineering and technology, with a perfect score for academic reputation. 

Of the 91 engineering and technology schools in the US, 16 appear in the world top 50. One particularly notable entrant is Yale University, rising 27 places in this year’s ranking to reach joint 43rd position.  

See the full engineering and technology subject rankings.` 

Chemical engineering 

US universities make up 84 of the 400 universities featured in the latest chemical engineering rankings. Of these, 18 US universities are ranked within the top 50 worldwide for chemical engineering.  

Within the global top 50, the University of Minnesota made the biggest improvement from the previous year, climbing from 26th to 20th position. 

View the full chemical engineering rankings. 

Civil & structural engineering 

In the civil and structural engineering rankings this year, there are 202 universities featured, with 34 of these in the US. Again, MIT comes out on top worldwide and there are nine universities featured in the world top 50. 

The University of Texas at Austin is worth a mention this year, climbing seven places to 20th. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor also performs well, rising an impressive six places to joint 35. UCLA enters the top 50 this year in 49th place, up from 51-100. 

View the full civil and structural engineering rankings.. 

Electrical engineering 

The electrical engineering subject rankings feature the most universities of any other engineering subject ranking, with 503 universities, including 81 in the US. MIT claims the top position for electrical engineering in the world. 

Of the other 15 US entries in the world top 50, Carnegie Mellon University rises three positions to 21st and Columbia University enters the global top 50, in 49th. 

See the full electrical engineering rankings. 

Mechanical, aeronautical & manufacturing engineering 

Of the 500 ranked mechanical, aeronautical and mechanical engineering universities in the world, 91 are in the US. MIT is in the top position in the world, closely followed by Stanford University in second place.  

The US has 15 top 50 entries this year. Pennsylvania State University performs well this year, rising eight places to joint 37th. Cornell University moves down nine places this year to joint 45th. The University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign also takes a fall in the index this year, dropping 10 positions to 48th. 

See this full mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering rankings. 

Mineral & mining engineering 

The smallest of the engineering rankings, with only 60 universities featured (including 11 in the US), the mineral and mining index was first published in 2016. Colorado School of Mines comes out on top in the mineral and mining subject rankings this year, in first place both in the US and worldwide. 

Outside of the top five, the University of Utah and new entry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, both perform well, with the former ranking in 35th this year, and the latter joining in 46th. 

See the full mineral and mining engineering rankings. 

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