If you’re an aspiring chemical engineering student, California may be the perfect state for you! There are 13 schools with this educational program, and all 13 schools have Bachelor’s-level and Master’s-level programs. In addition, 11 of these schools have PhD programs. The average cost of tuition in California is $15,600 per year.

A lucrative and rewarding career in chemical engineering begins with a comprehensive education in the theory and practical skills of the industry. You can get the education you need with a Bachelor’s degree, which takes most students four to five years. Chemical engineering courses required at this level include Chemical Process Control, Cell & Tissue Engineering, and Process Simulation & Design. In each class, prepare for a lab component that tests your ability to work with engineering materials and apply the theories you’ve learned in class.

To qualify for jobs in the research sector of this field, you may need to earn a Master’s degree or PhD. Commonly required courses at the post-graduate level include Biointerfacial Engineering, Chemical Engineering Transport Processes, and Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers. You may spend two to seven additional years in school to earn one of these degrees.

One of the benefits of attending school in California is the fact that there are so many schools to choose from! This also gives you the opportunity to choose schools based on tuition and financial aid. One of the most inexpensive schools in this state is California State University, where tuition is $6,420 per year for residents and $9,672 per year for non-residents. The University of Southern California is one of the most expensive schools in the state; residents and non-residents pay $45,602 per year in tuition.

California companies and organizations award a variety of engineering scholarships. For example, the American Council of Engineering Companies—California awards scholarships of $1,000 to $7,500 each year.

Before you can take advantage of great chemical engineering job opportunities in California, you may need to apply for licensure as a Professional Engineer through the California Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. This allows you to apply for most chemical engineering jobs; O*Net reports that the average salary for a chemical engineer in California is $95,000.

Best Schools for Chemical Engineering in California

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the chem eng degree levels they offer.

10 Top California Schools in Chem Eng
Stanford crest

1

Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor’s Degree
HIGHEST DEGREE TYPE
11th
MOST POPULAR IN CA
58
CHEM ENG DEGREES AWARDED
Every student pursuing a degree in chemical engineering needs to check out Stanford University. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. A Best Schools rank of #3 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 58 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Stanford University
Caltech crest

2

California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
Doctor’s Degree
HIGHEST DEGREE TYPE
13th
MOST POPULAR IN CA
It’s hard to beat California Institute of Technology if you wish to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pasadena. A Best Schools rank of #17 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 16 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from California Institute of Technology
USC crest

3

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Doctor’s Degree
HIGHEST DEGREE TYPE
86
CHEM ENG DEGREES AWARDED
$64,600
MEDIAN STARTING SALARY
It’s hard to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Schools rank of #33 out of 2,576 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 86 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering degree program at University of Southern California make $9,655 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Southern California
UC Berkeley crest

4

University of California – Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
Doctor’s Degree
HIGHEST DEGREE TYPE
174
CHEM ENG DEGREES AWARDED
$72,700
MEDIAN STARTING SALARY
Every student pursuing a degree in chemical engineering needs to check out University of California – Berkeley. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Schools rank of #26 out of 2,576 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 174 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Those chemical engineering students who get their degree from University of California – Berkeley make $17,755 more than the standard chem eng graduate.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California – Berkeley
UCLA crest

5

University of California – Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Doctor’s Degree
HIGHEST DEGREE TYPE
97
CHEM ENG DEGREES AWARDED
$53,100
MEDIAN STARTING SALARY
Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Schools rank of #46 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 97 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the chem eng program earn an average of $53,100 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California – Los Angeles

UC Davis crest

6

University of California – Davis
Davis, CA
Doctor’s Degree
HIGHEST DEGREE TYPE
146
CHEM ENG DEGREES AWARDED
2.7%
GROWTH IN GRADUATES
Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Schools rank of #112 out of 2,576 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were roughly 146 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from University of California – Davis earn a boost of approximately $2,355 above the typical income of chemical engineering majors.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California – Davis
UCSB crest

7

University of California – Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
Doctor’s Degree
HIGHEST DEGREE TYPE
63
CHEM ENG DEGREES AWARDED
$46,400
MEDIAN STARTING SALARY
Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Schools rank of #93 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were about 63 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. After graduation, chem eng degree recipients usually earn an average of $46,400 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California – Santa Barbara
UCSD crest

8

University of California – San Diego
La Jolla, CA
Doctor’s Degree
HIGHEST DEGREE TYPE
135
CHEM ENG DEGREES AWARDED
5.9%
GROWTH IN GRADUATES
UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. This university ranks 24th out of 203 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 135 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the chem eng program make around $48,200 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California – San Diego
UC Irvine crest

9

University of California – Irvine
Irvine, CA
Doctor’s Degree
HIGHEST DEGREE TYPE
86
CHEM ENG DEGREES AWARDED
$53,000
MEDIAN STARTING SALARY
UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine. This university ranks 27th out of 203 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 86 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. After graduating, chem eng degree recipients typically earn an average of $53,000 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of California – Irvine
Cal Poly Pomona crest

10

California State Polytechnic University – Pomona
Pomona, CA
Bachelor’s Degree
HIGHEST DEGREE TYPE
79
CHEM ENG DEGREES AWARDED
$60,600
MEDIAN STARTING SALARY
Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Pomona. This university ranks 62nd out of 203 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 79 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly Pomona in the most recent data year. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from California State Polytechnic University – Pomona receive an earnings boost of approximately $5,655 above the average earnings of chemical engineering graduates.

List of all General Chemical Engineering colleges in California

School	Average Tuition	Student Teacher Ratio	Enrolled Students
	Stanford University Stanford, CA		11 : 1	17,249
	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA		22 : 1	48,321
	University of California-Davis Davis, CA		22 : 1	38,634
	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA		24 : 1	43,185
	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA		28 : 1	38,736
	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA		26 : 1	36,908
	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA		21 : 1	44,371
	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA		26 : 1	25,547
	University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA		24 : 1	26,314
	California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA		6 : 1	2,237
	San Jose State University San Jose, CA		42 : 1	36,085
	Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA		74 : 1	24,127
	Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA		80 : 1	19,709
	Rio Hondo College Whittier, CA		94 : 1	19,358
	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA		44 : 1	28,058
	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA		36 : 1	38,674
	College of the Desert Palm Desert, CA		75 : 1	11,919
	Los Angeles Trade Technical College Los Angeles, CA		72 : 1	13,094
	City College of San Francisco San Francisco, CA		43 : 1	24,441
	California Baptist University Riverside, CA		31 : 1	11,045