Best Materials Engineering Programs in the West (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the West
Regional list from Materials Engineering Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 6 Materials Engineering programs in the West by median earnings of Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing. University of California-Irvine leads the list with median earnings of $106,547 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $106,547 to $86,145, with a median of $92,648.
All 6 institutions are 100% public. University of California-Irvine ranks 12th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. University of Washington-Seattle Campus posts the lowest average net price on the list, at $14,091.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $106,547 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
| University of California-Irvine reports $106,547 in median earnings for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing, the highest figure on this list. | |||||
| 2 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $100,599 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo admits 31% of applicants and its Materials Engineering graduates earn a median of $100,599 four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA | $95,314 | $14,091 | $6,384 | 39.2% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at University of Washington-Seattle Campus left with a median of $14,615 in federal loans, and the school's Materials Engineering completers report median earnings of $95,314 four years after graduating. | |||||
| 4 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $89,983 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis ranks 18th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and posts a 42% admission rate. | |||||
| 5 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ | $89,913 | $14,967 | $9,070 | 89.9% |
| With an admission rate of 90%, Arizona State University Campus Immersion reports $89,913 in median earnings for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Washington State University · Pullman, WA | $86,145 | $14,971 | $7,074 | 86.6% |
| Washington State University shows an average net price of $14,971 and its Materials Engineering graduates earn a median of $86,145 four years after completing. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the West appear. The figure is the median for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled four years after completing. It does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The spread from University of California-Irvine to the sixth-ranked program is $20,402, and the gap between University of California-Irvine and California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is $5,948.
Job market context in the West
Graduates of Materials Engineering programs in the West enter a labor market linked to occupations such as Cost Estimators and Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. The median annual wage across those occupations is $87,843, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $68,592. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 2,455 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 4.4% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the median earnings of Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing; the market figures describe the broader set of linked occupations and are not the same measure.