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Mechanical Engineering & Robotics

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

You'll study the intersection of classical physics and modern automation. Expect foundational courses like statics, dynamics, and thermodynamics, heavily blended with electrical circuits, sensor integration, and computer programming. You'll spend plenty of time in machine shops, but also working with microcontrollers, actuators, and CAD software. Senior design projects often involve building autonomous vehicles, robotic arms, or a Formula SAE car as a team. The work bridges the gap between hardware and software, making it exhausting but incredibly rewarding when your creation moves on its own.

What you'll do after college

Grads work at robotics companies, automakers, consumer-product manufacturers, tech giants, and industrial automation firms. A typical day mixes CAD work, writing control code, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and debugging mechatronic systems. The work is tangible: your designs become physical machines that manufacture goods, assist in surgeries, or drive themselves.

Pay is strong, and the demand for engineers who understand both mechanical systems and the code that runs them is skyrocketing.

Famous graduates

  • Gwynne Shotwell — President and COO of SpaceX; B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University
  • Bill Nye — "The Science Guy" and science communicator; B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$90,588
1,728
100–92%
$90,340
3,300
92–85%
$89,904
5,038
85–75%
$91,010
6,721
75–67%
$94,737
6,695
67–44%
$95,263
5,032
43–28%
$99,330
3,402
28–11%
$106,645
1,610
10–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$88,609
1,364
400–1060
$87,648
2,696
1060–1130
$90,351
4,012
1130–1210
$92,629
5,373
1210–1270
$91,860
5,464
1270–1360
$95,347
4,006
1360–1420
$98,791
2,651
1420–1500
$109,004
1,310
1510–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$81,245p10 $101,330p90 Arts Military STEM Non-Research Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University Public University 1–25 Private University 21–40 Private University 1–20 Savannah College of Art and Design · $84,198 Johnson & Wales University - Providence · $77,688 United States Naval Academy · $91,967 United States Military Academy · $92,180 United States Air Force Academy · $92,421 United States Coast Guard Academy · $89,947 United States Merchant Marine Academy · $95,855 Maine Maritime Academy · $90,393 Citadel Military College of South Carolina · $82,234 Virginia Military Institute · $83,811 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach · $93,818 SUNY Maritime College · $114,377 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott · $93,818 Cal State Maritime Academy · $114,735 Florida Polytechnic University · $68,908 South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · $89,548 Olin College of Engineering · $106,657 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology · $93,120 Cooper Union · $97,645 Milwaukee School of Engineering · $87,507 Kettering University · $102,774 Wentworth Institute of Technology · $97,248 Lawrence Technological University · $93,488 Bucknell University · $99,777 Lafayette College · $94,144 Union College · $97,575 Friends University · $76,897 Dordt University · $82,623 Grove City College · $87,250 North Central College · $90,483 Loras College · $81,106 York College of Pennsylvania · $88,195 Schreiner University · $78,668 Cal State Long Beach · $97,895 University of California, Irvine · $95,534 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo · $110,417 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University · $82,088 University of South Florida · $91,161 Binghamton University · $86,404 San Diego State University · $99,279 Alabama A&M University · $82,929 Cal State Los Angeles · $94,122 College of New Jersey · $84,253 University of California, Santa Barbara · $100,669 University of Washington · $94,653 CUNY City College · $93,362 Cal Poly - Pomona · $100,741 Clemson University · $88,351 Florida International University · $94,520 North Carolina A&T State University · $87,420 Southern University and A&M College · $88,564 University of California, Davis · $99,885 University of Maryland, Baltimore County · $93,344 State University of New York at New Paltz · $87,714 Stony Brook University · $97,629 San Jose State University · $112,360 Cal State Fullerton · $93,073 Florida Atlantic University · $89,022 Northern Illinois University · $86,692 University of West Florida · $84,895 University of Connecticut · $93,562 Pennsylvania State University · $90,200 University of South Carolina · $88,180 New Mexico State University · $98,083 Tarleton State University · $70,448 University of Missouri - Saint Louis · $90,966 Central Connecticut State University · $91,231 University of Arkansas at Little Rock · $85,304 Central State University · $73,448 University of Pittsburgh · $93,999 Mississippi State University · $96,021 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $94,995 University of New Mexico · $102,379 Minnesota State University, Mankato · $91,980 Arkansas State University · $73,570 Southern Arkansas University · $75,520 Wayne State University · $98,434 Fresno State · $97,316 University of Alaska - Fairbanks · $94,625 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $95,566 University of Texas Permian Basin · $96,881 Louisiana Tech University · $86,794 University of Houston · $96,269 West Virginia University Institute of Technology · $90,443 Central Michigan University · $91,993 Eastern Michigan University · $86,178 Oklahoma State University · $91,640 McNeese State University · $84,355 New Jersey Institute of Technology · $87,372 Texas Tech University · $93,452 University of Alaska - Anchorage · $94,609 University of Michigan - Dearborn · $98,697 Tennessee State University · $85,301 Texas State University · $86,375 University at Buffalo · $81,124 Louisiana State University · $104,396 Northern Michigan University · $81,991 University of Colorado Boulder · $91,715 University of South Alabama · $89,384 Cal State Sacramento · $91,357 Cleveland State University · $83,818 George Mason University · $94,538 Georgia Southern University · $88,900 Marshall University · $88,479 Missouri University of Science and Technology · $91,528 Oakland University · $101,107 Ohio University · $87,293 Oregon Institute of Technology · $102,683 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale · $88,465 Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville · $87,116 Temple University · $87,733 Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi · $90,045 Texas A&M University - Kingsville · $89,788 University of Alabama at Birmingham · $87,901 University of Colorado Colorado Springs · $90,079 University of Colorado Denver · $94,084 University of Delaware · $91,595 University of Houston - Clear Lake · $89,405 University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth · $90,396 University of Memphis · $86,402 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $91,580 University of Southern Indiana · $85,670 University of Southern Maine · $90,682 University of Tennessee, Chattanooga · $84,859 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley · $77,334 University of Texas at Arlington · $87,372 University of Texas at Dallas · $86,469 University of Texas at Tyler · $87,041 Virginia Commonwealth University · $87,500 Western Illinois University · $85,164 Wright State University · $83,880 College of Charleston · $89,116 University of Vermont · $87,582 Miami University - Ohio · $87,124 University of Alabama in Huntsville · $90,362 University of Michigan - Flint · $83,494 Michigan Technological University · $90,527 Old Dominion University · $91,945 Oregon State University · $94,418 University of Alabama · $91,807 University of Arkansas · $84,481 University of Idaho · $86,119 University of Louisville · $90,074 University of Mississippi · $85,311 University of Tennessee, Martin · $78,490 Washington State University · $92,146 Boise State University · $85,566 Purdue University Northwest · $89,239 University of Missouri - Kansas City · $94,596 University of Rhode Island · $93,316 University of South Carolina Upstate · $78,819 Prairie View A&M University · $96,773 SUNY Polytechnic Institute · $86,032 University of Missouri · $92,736 University of North Florida · $87,512 Angelo State University · $81,245 Chico State · $102,703 Middle Tennessee State University · $90,682 Northern Arizona University · $89,027 Saginaw Valley State University · $89,093 University of Louisiana at Lafayette · $90,611 University of New Hampshire · $93,816 University of North Carolina at Charlotte · $85,296 Youngstown State University · $83,601 Columbus State University · $79,840 Tennessee Technological University · $88,130 University of Illinois Chicago · $88,275 Grand Valley State University · $86,766 Portland State University · $88,755 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania · $84,323 University of Minnesota - Duluth · $91,075 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $84,216 University of Toledo · $89,223 Western Washington University · $83,608 University of Central Oklahoma · $86,068 University of New Orleans · $88,371 University of North Texas · $81,391 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $89,087 Eastern Washington University · $79,732 Kennesaw State University · $90,343 Kent State University at Kent · $83,277 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania · $87,523 University of Nevada, Las Vegas · $85,200 University of North Dakota · $88,823 University of Utah · $87,070 University of Washington - Tacoma · $94,653 Michigan State University · $99,381 Purdue University Fort Wayne · $83,374 Stephen F. Austin State University · $80,737 University of Iowa · $86,315 Western Michigan University · $91,489 Indiana University - Indianapolis · $87,604 Rowan University · $89,308 University of South Carolina - Aiken · $79,060 Arkansas Tech University · $84,124 Ferris State University · $77,154 Iowa State University · $88,697 Lamar University · $104,395 Montana Technological University · $80,794 Saint Cloud State University · $86,526 South Dakota State University · $85,669 Southern Utah University · $84,283 University of Akron · $87,380 University of Arizona · $95,672 University of Cincinnati · $90,998 University of Maine · $87,105 University of Massachusetts - Lowell · $95,465 University of Nevada, Reno · $87,851 West Virginia University · $90,443 Western Kentucky University · $77,336 Wichita State University · $87,395 Francis Marion University · $76,224 University of California, Riverside · $93,294 University of Washington - Bothell · $94,653 Arizona State University · $93,365 Cal State Northridge · $100,210 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $98,092 University of Kansas · $94,190 University of Wisconsin - Platteville · $86,418 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $87,002 University of Kentucky · $87,796 University of Texas at San Antonio · $86,214 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay · $83,017 University of Wisconsin - Stout · $84,701 North Dakota State University · $86,535 Pennsylvania State University - Berks · $90,200 Pennsylvania State University - Erie-Behrend College · $90,200 Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg · $90,200 Pennsylvania State University - Scranton · $90,200 University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown · $93,999 San Francisco State University · $99,619 Utah State University · $87,442 Idaho State University · $88,026 Kansas State University · $89,754 Midwestern State University · $76,173 University of Texas at El Paso · $91,486 University of Wyoming · $78,879 Texas A&M University - Texarkana · $74,056 Virginia State University · $77,940 New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology · $100,852 University of California, Merced · $85,156 West Texas A&M University · $89,635 Montana State University · $92,132 Lake Superior State University · $86,516 University of the District of Columbia · $89,277 Utah Valley University · $105,669 Weber State University · $92,052 University of Notre Dame · $95,893 Brigham Young University · $96,230 Union University · $86,372 Santa Clara University · $118,350 Villanova University · $113,966 Fairfield University · $88,933 Loyola Marymount University · $92,031 Saint Louis University · $97,344 Southern Methodist University · $95,148 Liberty University · $87,346 Baylor University · $88,325 John Brown University · $84,636 LeTourneau University · $82,632 University of San Diego · $97,127 Walla Walla University · $93,124 William Penn University · $81,639 Howard Payne University · $74,822 Milligan University · $82,007 Spring Arbor University · $84,289 University of Dayton · $93,487 Cedarville University · $81,962 Harding University · $79,712 Manhattan College · $93,907 Messiah University · $81,149 University of Evansville · $84,134 University of Scranton · $90,700 North Park University · $80,026 Rockhurst University · $87,806 California Baptist University · $92,844 Ohio Northern University · $88,267 King's College · $88,766 Saint Martin's University · $79,969 St. Ambrose University · $106,752 University of Detroit Mercy · $98,689 Saint Vincent College · $84,479 University of Tulsa · $90,509 University of Jamestown · $81,235 Marquette University · $87,345 University of Indianapolis · $84,345 University of Mary · $86,402 Gonzaga University · $86,247 University of Mount Union · $88,418 University of Portland · $91,884 Seattle University · $101,374 George Fox University · $94,582 Grace College and Theological Seminary · $77,430 Otterbein University · $85,359 Gannon University · $78,829 Catholic University of America · $92,376 Mount Vernon Nazarene University · $78,005 Seattle Pacific University · $103,007 Valparaiso University · $83,142 Brigham Young University - Idaho · $86,245 Christian Brothers University · $83,579 Oklahoma Christian University · $78,480 University of Saint Thomas (TX) · $85,333 Benedictine College · $103,732 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · $94,402 Florida Institute of Technology · $93,714 Rochester Institute of Technology · $91,471 Howard University · $87,104 Tuskegee University · $93,145 Syracuse University · $98,391 Jacksonville University · $88,872 Hofstra University · $96,233 Quinnipiac University · $87,937 Indiana Institute of Technology · $81,225 Merrimack College · $83,834 Illinois Institute of Technology · $88,837 Alfred University · $82,912 Bradley University · $89,960 Robert Morris University · $72,957 University of New Haven · $90,370 Wilkes University · $84,211 University of Bridgeport · $89,735 Lipscomb University · $92,110 Clarkson University · $92,873 Thomas Jefferson University · $79,083 Trine University · $87,580 University of Hartford · $86,556 University of the Pacific · $105,548 New York Institute of Technology · $88,167 Point Park University · $77,648 Drexel University · $98,617 Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus · $84,893 University of Denver · $92,358 Widener University · $95,296 Norwich University · $81,750 National University · $95,575 Georgia Tech · $98,607 University of California, Berkeley · $112,325 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor · $101,330 University of Virginia · $91,262 University of Florida · $94,291 University of Georgia · $86,599 Purdue University · $97,551 Colorado School of Mines · $93,871 University of Maryland, College Park · $102,581 UCLA · $108,947 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · $96,151 University of Texas at Austin · $104,021 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $94,837 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $96,277 Texas A&M University - College Station · $97,743 Florida State University · $92,658 Auburn University · $91,940 University of Tennessee, Knoxville · $90,860 University of Central Florida · $92,483 Virginia Tech · $97,664 University of California, San Diego · $99,554 Ohio State University · $95,293 North Carolina State University · $91,136 Washington University in St Louis · $101,263 Case Western Reserve University · $92,158 New York University · $83,656 University of Southern California · $107,591 Boston University · $94,926 University of Miami · $96,535 Lehigh University · $101,225 Northeastern University · $104,723 Stevens Institute of Technology · $101,241 Worcester Polytechnic Institute · $102,495 University of Rochester · $92,674 George Washington University · $94,843 MIT · $106,765 Harvard University · $100,467 Caltech · $127,334 Johns Hopkins University · $118,208 Stanford University · $140,707 Duke University · $125,085 Princeton University · $113,608 University of Pennsylvania · $116,366 Carnegie Mellon University · $115,666 Rice University · $105,734 Yale University · $104,897 Northwestern University · $102,743 Cornell University · $113,983 Vanderbilt University · $101,152 Columbia University · $103,801 Tufts University · $95,235 Arts: mean $80,943 Military: mean $94,630 STEM Non-Research: mean $92,988 Liberal Arts: mean $87,672 Public University: mean $89,351 Religious University: mean $89,135 Private University: mean $89,168 Public University 1–25: mean $96,869 Private University 21–40: mean $97,778 Private University 1–20: mean $111,984 All colleges: p10 $81,245 All colleges: p90 $101,330
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Mechanical Engineering & Robotics 388 33,526 83% / 17% 5% $91,419 96%
Mechanical Engineering 367 32,354 83% / 17% 5% $91,335 96%
Manufacturing Engineering 25 384 81% / 19% 10% $88,064 98%
Robotics Engineering 19 369 81% / 19% 7% $90,467 99%
Mechanical Engineering (Course 2) 1 104 47% / 53% 5% $106,765 94%
Engineering Mechanics 5 65 91% / 9% 9% $92,454 100%
Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics 1 63 67% / 33% 10% $116,366 97%
Systems Engineering (MechE) 3 47 81% / 19% 2% $91,788 95%
Electromechanical Engineering 2 37 92% / 8% 5% $96,331 98%
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 1 37 62% / 38% 14% $113,608 100%
Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering 1 21 81% / 19% 48% $89,028
Manufacturing and Design Engineering 1 16 38% / 62% 12% $95,863 96%
Robotics 2 14 71% / 29% 7% $107,965
Mechatronics Engineering 3 6 50% / 50% 0% $86,883
Engineering (Robotics) 1 4 0% / 100% 0% $61,002 96%
Geomechanics 1 3 33% / 67% 0% $97,136
Smart Manufacturing Engineering 1 2 100% / 0% 50% $89,011