Best universities for engineering degrees 2017

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

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

The 2016-2017 subject ranking for engineering and technology, from Times Higher Education, features just over 100 universities across 18 different countries.

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

China is the third most-represented country in the list of best universities for engineering, ahead of Germany, Australia and Canada.

The ranking uses the same methodology as the World University Rankings, but with a higher weighting for innovation and a lower weighting for citations.

Scroll down for a full list of degrees covered by the ranking.

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Top five universities for engineering degrees

1. California Institute of Technology

Three of the six academic divisions at Caltech teach and research engineering and technology subjects: the biology and biological engineering division, the chemistry and chemical engineering division, and the engineering and applied science division.

Both teaching and research is fairly cross-disciplinary. Undergraduates declare a major at the end of their first year.

There are five distinct engineering majors and an interdisciplinary studies programme that allows students to customise a course of study.

Caltech is one of the smallest universities in the world but prides itself on ambition and innovation.

2. Stanford University

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

There are nine departments in the school, and additional institutes, laboratories and research centres.

Research focuses on 10 of the “most daunting human challenges of the coming decades”. These are: systems design, bioengineering, network security, climate change, robotics, information technology, materials and matter, urban design, affordable accessible healthcare and computation and data analysis.

Across the nine departments there are eight interdepartmental undergraduate programmes that students can major in.

3. University of Oxford

Unlike in the United States, Oxford students are admitted for a specific engineering degree.

For undergraduates, this will be a four-year course in engineering science or more specifically, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, information engineering or mechanical engineering.

Just under half of all applicants for these courses got through to the interview round and 15 per cent secured a place on a course.

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

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Since 1861, the School of Engineering at MIT has produced a stream of products and new technologies to solve engineering problems.

In the past few years, the school has increased its focus on innovation, launching the MIT Innovation Initiative. Research associated with the initiative has led to 60 US parents licensed by multinational companies.

Another parallel initiative provides students with educational experiences, mentoring and funding to encourage their creativity and support their projects.

Laboratories and departments in the school produce a range of research, from insights on food security to soldier nanotechnology.

5. University of Cambridge

At Cambridge, students can specialise in a full range of engineering topics, including instrumentation, sustainability and aerothermal engineering.

Unlike some UK courses, the programme allows flexible study options to combine various topics.

All colleges in Cambridge accept engineering applicants, but some colleges prefer students to take a year out before applying.

There are seven applications per place but the course overall is fairly large, with more than 300 students enrolled in any one year.

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Best universities for engineering 2016-2017

Click each institution to view its profile

Engineering and technology degrees:

• Acoustics
• Aerospace engineering
• Automation and control systems
• Biomedical engineering
• Chemical engineering
• Civil engineering
• Construction and building technology
• Earth and environmental engineering
• Electrical and electronic engineering
• Energy and fuels
• Imaging science and photographic technology
• Industrial engineering
• Instruments and instrumentation
• Marine engineering
• Materials science
• Mechanical engineering
• Mechanics
• Metallurgy and metallurgical engineering
• Mining and mineral processing
• Nuclear science and technology
• Operations research and management science
• Robotics
• Telecommunications
• Transportation
• Engineering and technology – other topics

Resources: universities by region

- Best universities in Asia
- Best universities in South America
- Best universities in Africa