Top Engineering Schools in the Nation

1. California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA

The California Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Caltech, is a private research institution that offers instruction in science and engineering. Caltech was created as a preparatory college in 1891; however, assumed its current name in 1921.

This university offers some of the top undergraduate and graduate programs in bioengineering, environmental science and engineering, mechanical engineering and aerospace mechanics. Its campus houses the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, as well as the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Center for Information Science and Technology. The California Institute of Technology was ranked as the seventh best national university in the United States, as well as first in the undergraduate engineering sciences and physics category by U.S. News and World Report in 2011.

2. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is a public research facility and one of the oldest college campuses in the University of Illinois family of colleges. This public institution was first founded in 1867 as the Illinois Industrial University. However in 1885, the school's name was officially changed to the title it goes by now.

The UIUC houses 16 colleges including the College of Engineering. Bachelor's and master's degrees are available to students in aerospace engineering, agricultural engineering, biological engineering and nuclear engineering. In 2011, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was ranked sixth by U.S. News and World Report for their undergraduate engineering programs.

3. Cornell University in Ithaca, NY

An Ivy League university that was founded in 1865, Cornell University is known as one of the top colleges for the engineering sciences. U.S. News and World Report ranked it eighth in their list for universities with the top undergraduate engineering degree programs in 2011. Cornell was also ranked 15th overall by U.S. News and World Report in the 2011 edition of the Best Colleges and National Universities. The Cornell College of Engineering offers its students undergraduate and graduate studies in engineering physics, environmental engineering and chemical engineering. In addition to programs, Cornell offers engineering students research opportunities.

List of Ten Good Engineering Schools