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Houston, TX · Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering at Rice

Rice graduates about 65 mechanical engineering majors a year, 6% of its graduating class. That puts it 4th of 332 schools we score for mechanical engineering, a standout program at 92 out of 100. Its current catalog lists 64 undergraduate courses in the field, more than 84% of the schools we've counted. Graduates in the major earn a median $109,000 four years out, 1.18× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $6 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

92/100Standout#4 of 332 for mechanical engineering →
Graduates a year656% of the class
Courses in the catalog64more than 84% of schools
Median pay 4 years out$109,0001.18× the same major nationally
Research in the field$6Ma year, NSF
Admit rate8%whole school
SAT middle 50%1490–1570whole school

Around Rice

A view of the Rice University Campus
Rice University CampusPhoto: AnnaLellis · CC BY 4.0 · source
Keck Hall, Rice University, Houston, Texas
Keck Hall, Rice University, Houston, TexasPhoto: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY 4.0 · source
Trabutia quercina
Trabutia quercina 205285147Photo: Adam Kranz · CC0 · source
George R. Brown Hall, Rice University, Houston, Texas
George R. Brown Hall, Rice University, Houston, TexasPhoto: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY 4.0 · source

Where mechanical engineering happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, Facilities, Engineering and Planning Building, Abercrombie Engineering Laboratory, Ryon Engineering Laboratory, Space Science and Technology Building.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 48 · Dorm 21 · Dining 9 · Athletics 4 · Offices 1 · Library 1.

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Nearby in the mechanical engineering ranking

  1. Carnegie Mellon University 96
  2. Princeton University 93
  3. Georgia Institute of Technology 92
  4. Cornell University 92
  5. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor 90
  6. Tufts University 89
  7. Lehigh University 88
  8. Johns Hopkins University 88

Other strong majors at Rice

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Rice with every school we score in mechanical engineering. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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