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Best universities for engineering degrees 2024

Find the best colleges for engineering and technology using Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2024 data

    October 26 2023
    Electrical engineering

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    Top 10 universities in the world for engineering 2024

    Scroll down for the full list of best universities in the world for engineering

    Engineering rank 2024 Engineering rank 2023 UniversityCountry/region
    1 1 Harvard UniversityUnited States
    2 2 Stanford UniversityUnited States
    3 4 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    4 5 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom
    5 7 University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom
    6 3 University of California, BerkeleyUnited States
    7 6 California Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    8 9 Princeton UniversityUnited States
    9 8 National University of SingaporeSingapore
    10 14 Imperial College LondonUnited Kingdom

    Studying engineering is a smart choice for career-minded students, and there are universities all over the globe offering world-class degrees.

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    Most students enrol on a degree for a specific discipline within engineering. Common specialisations include civil engineering, electrical engineering and chemical engineering.

    Times Higher Education’s 2024 subject ranking for engineering and technology features 1,374 universities across more than 70 countries.

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    Although the schools at the very top are in the United States and United Kingdom, universities in Singapore, China and Switzerland perform very well and appear high in the rankings.

    China is the second most-represented country in the list of the best universities for engineering, ahead of the UK, Germany, Australia and Canada. Only the United States has a higher number of universities in the ranking.

    The ranking uses the same methodology as the THE World University Rankings, but with a higher weighting for innovation and a lower weighting for citations. The full methodology can be found here.

    Scroll down for a full list of degrees covered by the ranking and information on what you can do with these degrees.

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    Top 5 universities for engineering degrees

    5. University of Cambridge

    The University of Cambridge’s undergraduate engineering course is four years long.

    The first two years provide a broad engineering education, and the third and fourth years allow students to select modules to specialise further. These include aerospace and aerothermal engineering; bioengineering; civil, structural and environmental engineering; electrical and electronic engineering; and energy, sustainability and the environment.

    There are six postgraduate programmes in engineering that can be taken as a taught course or as research study.

    4. University of Oxford

    The University of Oxford offers undergraduates a four-year degree in engineering science, where they can specialise from their third year in one of six branches of engineering: biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical, information or mechanical.

    Just under half of all applicants to this course get through to the interview round, and 15 per cent secure a place on a course.

    Many Oxford engineering graduates go on to careers as professional engineers, although some enter business, consultancy or further study.

    3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    The MIT School of Engineering is the largest of the five schools at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    The school offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and encourages students at all levels to conduct research.

    The school has eight academic departments and two interdisciplinary institutes. Departments include aeronautics and astronautics, biological engineering, mechanical engineering, nuclear science and engineering.

    What can you do with an aerospace engineering degree?
    What can you do with a chemical engineering degree?
    What can you do with a civil engineering degree?
    What can you do with an electrical engineering degree?
    What can you do with a general engineering degree?
    What can you do with a mechanical engineering degree?

    2. Stanford University

    Stanford University’s School of Engineering has been at the cutting edge of new technology and innovation for the past century.

    It has nine departments, as well as a number of institutes, laboratories and research centres.

    Research focuses on the “most daunting human challenges of the coming decades”. These include: bioengineering, network security, climate change, robotics, information technology, materials and matter, urban design, accessible healthcare, and computation and data analysis.

    1. Harvard University

    The John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is the newest school at Harvard University, having been established in 2007.

    Its roots are in the Lawrence Scientific School, which was founded in 1847.

    The school covers a number of teaching areas, such as applied mathematics, applied physics, bioengineering, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental science and engineering, and materials science and mechanical engineering.

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    Best universities for engineering 2024

    Click each institution to view its World University Ranking 2024 profile.

    Engineering rank 2024 Engineering rank 2023 UniversityCountry/region
    1 1 Harvard UniversityUnited States
    2 2 Stanford UniversityUnited States
    3 4 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    4 5 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom
    5 7 University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom
    6 3 University of California, BerkeleyUnited States
    7 6 California Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    8 9 Princeton UniversityUnited States
    9 8 National University of SingaporeSingapore
    10 14 Imperial College LondonUnited Kingdom
    11 10 ETH ZurichSwitzerland
    12 11 Georgia Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    13 13 Nanyang Technological University, SingaporeSingapore
    14 12 Peking UniversityChina
    15 15 Tsinghua UniversityChina
    16 21 Delft University of TechnologyNetherlands
    17 16 University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
    18 17 Yale UniversityUnited States
    19 18 University of Michigan-Ann ArborUnited States
    20 19 École Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneSwitzerland
    21 22 Carnegie Mellon UniversityUnited States
    22 20 Technical University of MunichGermany
    23 29 Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina
    24 28 University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUnited States
    25 25 Columbia UniversityUnited States
    26 27 University of TorontoCanada
    27 24 Cornell UniversityUnited States
    28 23 University of Texas at AustinUnited States
    29 34 The University of TokyoJapan
    30 =30 Zhejiang UniversityChina
    31 =30 Northwestern UniversityUnited States
    32 38 Purdue University West LafayetteUnited States
    33 26 The Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyHong Kong
    34 32 RWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
    35 35 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)South Korea
    36 36 University of PennsylvaniaUnited States
    37 33 Johns Hopkins UniversityUnited States
    38 40 Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong
    39 53 KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySweden
    40 41 Seoul National UniversitySouth Korea
    41 37 University of California, San DiegoUnited States
    42 =48 University of ManchesterUnited Kingdom
    43 42 University of Hong KongHong Kong
    44 39 University of Science and Technology of ChinaChina
    45 45 UCLUnited Kingdom
    46 43 University of California, Santa BarbaraUnited States
    47 68 Kyoto UniversityJapan
    48 59 Technical University of DenmarkDenmark
    49 =48 University of British ColumbiaCanada
    50 47 University of WashingtonUnited States
    51 79 Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina
    52 46 City University of Hong KongHong Kong
    53 50 KU LeuvenBelgium
    =54 44 Monash UniversityAustralia
    =54 =60 Texas A&M UniversityUnited States
    =56 51 Fudan UniversityChina
    =56 65 Tongji UniversityChina
    58 54 The University of QueenslandAustralia
    59 80 Tohoku UniversityJapan
    60 58 Yonsei University (Seoul campus)South Korea
    61 52 Duke UniversityUnited States
    62 =74 Politecnico di MilanoItaly
    63 =55 Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)South Korea
    =64 64 Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyGermany
    =64 92 Tokyo Institute of TechnologyJapan
    =64 =55 UNSW SydneyAustralia
    67 71 Nanjing UniversityChina
    68 =60 University of SydneyAustralia
    =69 67 University of MelbourneAustralia
    =69 =69 University of WaterlooCanada
    71 =76 McGill UniversityCanada
    72 =85 Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University ParisFrance
    =73 63 Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
    =73 =83 University of Wisconsin-MadisonUnited States
    75 62 Technical University of BerlinGermany
    =76 66 Sichuan UniversityChina
    =76 =72 Southeast UniversityChina
    78 =88 Xi’an Jiaotong UniversityChina
    79 =76 Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyChina
    80 =88 Chalmers University of TechnologySweden
    81 99 Tianjin UniversityChina
    82 =72 Rice UniversityUnited States
    83 =93 University of EdinburghUnited Kingdom
    =84 81 Eindhoven University of TechnologyNetherlands
    =84 91 Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU)South Korea
    86 82 Penn State (Main campus)United States
    87 =74 Brown UniversityUnited States
    =88 =85 University of California, DavisUnited States
    =88 126–150 University of MassachusettsUnited States
    =90 =83 Aalborg UniversityDenmark
    =90 101–125 University of AlbertaCanada
    =92 98 National Taiwan University (NTU)Taiwan
    =92 78 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityUnited States
    94 100 University of SheffieldUnited Kingdom
    95 =69 University of Southern CaliforniaUnited States
    96 101–125 University of BristolUnited Kingdom
    97 101–125 University of SouthamptonUnited Kingdom
    98 101–125 University of NottinghamUnited Kingdom
    99 101–125 Institut Polytechnique de ParisFrance
    100 126–150 University of BirminghamUnited Kingdom
    101–125 101–125 Aalto UniversityFinland
    101–125 87 University of AdelaideAustralia
    101–125 126–150 Australian National UniversityAustralia
    101–125 151–175 Beijing Institute of TechnologyChina
    101–125 =93 University of California, IrvineUnited States
    101–125 126–150 University of Colorado BoulderUnited States
    101–125 101–125 Indian Institute of ScienceIndia
    101–125 57 King Abdulaziz UniversitySaudi Arabia
    101–125 101–125 King Fahd University of Petroleum and MineralsSaudi Arabia
    101–125 101–125 Korea UniversitySouth Korea
    101–125 101–125 University of LeedsUnited Kingdom
    101–125 101–125 University of Maryland, College ParkUnited States
    101–125 95 University of MinnesotaUnited States
    101–125 101–125 New York UniversityUnited States
    101–125 101–125 North Carolina State UniversityUnited States
    101–125 101–125 Norwegian University of Science and TechnologyNorway
    101–125 =88 Ohio State University (Main campus)United States
    101–125 101–125 Université Paris-SaclayFrance
    101–125 101–125 University of StuttgartGermany
    101–125 101–125 University of Technology SydneyAustralia
    101–125 101–125 TU DresdenGermany
    101–125 97 Wageningen University & ResearchNetherlands
    101–125 96 University of WollongongAustralia
    101–125 101–125 Wuhan UniversityChina
    126–150 126–150 Arizona State University (Tempe)United States
    126–150 126–150 University of AucklandNew Zealand
    126–150 176–200 Beihang UniversityChina
    126–150 126–150 Curtin UniversityAustralia
    126–150 151–175 Deakin UniversityAustralia
    126–150 101–125 University of Erlangen-NurembergGermany
    126–150 126–150 Ghent UniversityBelgium
    126–150 151–175 University of GroningenNetherlands
    126–150 126–150 Hanyang UniversitySouth Korea
    126–150 176–200 Kyushu UniversityJapan
    126–150 151–175 Lund UniversitySweden
    126–150 126–150 University of MacauMacao
    126–150 101–125 University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUnited States
    126–150 201–250 Northwestern Polytechnical UniversityChina
    126–150 201–250 Osaka UniversityJapan
    126–150 101–125 Qatar UniversityQatar
    126–150 126–150 Queen Mary University of LondonUnited Kingdom
    126–150 126–150 RMIT UniversityAustralia
    126–150 151–175 Sharif University of TechnologyIran
    126–150 126–150 University of SurreyUnited Kingdom
    126–150 151–175 Technical University of DarmstadtGermany
    126–150 101–125 The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleUnited States
    126–150 176–200 TU WienAustria
    126–150 201–250 University of TwenteNetherlands
    126–150 101–125 Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)South Korea
    126–150 126–150 The University of Western AustraliaAustralia
    151–175 251–300 University of ArizonaUnited States
    151–175 126–150 Boston UniversityUnited States
    151–175 126–150 University of California, RiversideUnited States
    151–175 151–175 Cardiff UniversityUnited Kingdom
    151–175 176–200 Chongqing UniversityChina
    151–175 151–175 University of DelawareUnited States
    151–175 NR East China Normal UniversityChina
    151–175 201–250 University of FloridaUnited States
    151–175 201–250 University of GlasgowUnited Kingdom
    151–175 151–175 Hunan UniversityChina
    151–175 126–150 Linköping UniversitySweden
    151–175 151–175 University of LiverpoolUnited Kingdom
    151–175 126–150 University of LuxembourgLuxembourg
    151–175 176–200 Macquarie UniversityAustralia
    151–175 176–200 Nankai UniversityChina
    151–175 126–150 National Tsing Hua UniversityTaiwan
    151–175 151–175 Northeastern University, USUnited States
    151–175 151–175 University of Notre DameUnited States
    151–175 201–250 Polytechnic University of TurinItaly
    151–175 126–150 Queen’s University BelfastUnited Kingdom
    151–175 151–175 Queensland University of TechnologyAustralia
    151–175 201–250 Sapienza University of RomeItaly
    151–175 201–250 Sorbonne UniversityFrance
    151–175 151–175 South China University of TechnologyChina
    151–175 176–200 University College DublinIreland
    151–175 201–250 University of WarwickUnited Kingdom
    176–200 176–200 Aarhus UniversityDenmark
    176–200 201–250 University of CalgaryCanada
    176–200 151–175 Case Western Reserve UniversityUnited States
    176–200 151–175 Drexel UniversityUnited States
    176–200 176–200 University of Electronic Science and Technology of ChinaChina
    176–200 151–175 University of FreiburgGermany
    176–200 251–300 Heriot-Watt UniversityUnited Kingdom
    176–200 151–175 Khalifa UniversityUnited Arab Emirates
    176–200 176–200 Kyung Hee UniversitySouth Korea
    176–200 176–200 Lancaster UniversityUnited Kingdom
    176–200 176–200 University of MalayaMalaysia
    176–200 201–250 McMaster UniversityCanada
    176–200 176–200 Michigan State UniversityUnited States
    176–200 251–300 University of MontrealCanada
    176–200 251–300 Nagoya UniversityJapan
    176–200 176–200 Newcastle UniversityUnited Kingdom
    176–200 201–250 University of PaduaItaly
    176–200 151–175 Sejong UniversitySouth Korea
    176–200 126–150 Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)China
    176–200 151–175 Swinburne University of TechnologyAustralia
    176–200 201–250 Trinity College DublinIreland
    176–200 176–200 Vanderbilt UniversityUnited States
    176–200 176–200 Western UniversityCanada

    Editor’s note: As part of our THE statement on Ukraine published on 2 March 2022, Russian universities have been given less prominence in our rankings. Russian universities that met the criteria for this ranking are not displayed in the table above.

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