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Most Popular Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California

2023 Most Popular Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California

84 Colleges

Finding the Best Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate School for You

Engineering Technologies is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 4,871 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022, it ranked 4th out of all the majors we track in the state.

Today's trade school students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Most Popular Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 84 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular basic certificate programs for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Engineering Technologies program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for engineering tech majors pursuing a basic certificate.

Our 2023 rankings named Santiago Canyon College the most popular school in California for engineering technologies students working on their basic certificate. SCC is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Orange.

Of the 119 students majoring in engineering tech at SCC, 82% are male and 18% are female.

Full Engineering Technologies at Santiago Canyon College Report

#2

Cypress College

Cypress, CA

The in-demand basic certificate programs at Cypress College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular engineering technologies schools in California. Located in the suburb of Cypress, Cypress College is a public school with a large student population.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Cypress College

#3

The Fab School

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

The in-demand basic certificate programs at The Fab School helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular engineering technologies schools in California. Located in the suburb of Rancho Cucamonga, The Fab School is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Of the 66 students majoring in engineering tech at The Fab School, 97% are male and 3% are female.

Full Engineering Technologies at The Fab School Report

#4

Butte College

Oroville, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Butte College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 78 students majoring in engineering tech at Butte College, 94% are male and 6% are female.

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#5

Chaffey College

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

The in-demand basic certificate programs at Chaffey College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular engineering technologies schools in California. Located in the large suburb of Rancho Cucamonga, Chaffey College is a public school with a large student population.

Women make up 5% of the engineering tech majors at the school.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Chaffey College

#6

San Jose City College

San Jose, CA

With a ranking of #6, San Jose City College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for engineering technologies students working on their basic certificate. San Jose City College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of San Jose.

Women make up 8% of the engineering tech majors at the school.

Full Engineering Technologies at San Jose City College Report

#7

Reedley College

Reedley, CA

With a ranking of #7, Reedley College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for engineering technologies students working on their basic certificate. Located in the town of Reedley, Reedley College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 52 students majoring in engineering tech at Reedley College, 92% are male and 8% are female.

Full Engineering Technologies at Reedley College Report

#8

City College of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

With a ranking of #8, City College of San Francisco did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for engineering technologies students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of San Francisco, City College of San Francisco is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 67% of the engineering tech majors at the school.

Full Engineering Technologies at City College of San Francisco Report

#9

Antelope Valley College

Lancaster, CA

Antelope Valley College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Antelope Valley College is a large public school located in the suburb of Lancaster.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Antelope Valley College

#10

Ventura College

Ventura, CA

Ventura College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Ventura College is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Ventura.

About 26% of the students majoring in engineering tech at the school are women while 74% are male.

Read More…

#11

Citrus College

Glendora, CA

Citrus College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Located in the large suburb of Glendora, Citrus College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

About 25% of the students majoring in engineering tech at the school are women while 75% are male.

Full Engineering Technologies at Citrus College Report

#11

Irvine Valley College

Irvine, CA

Irvine Valley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for engineering technologies students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of Irvine, Irvine Valley College is a public college with a large student population.

About 51% of the students majoring in engineering tech at the school are women while 49% are male.

Full Engineering Technologies at Irvine Valley College Report

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
13 Coastline Community College Fountain Valley, CA
14 College of the Desert Palm Desert, CA
15 Riverside City College Riverside, CA
16 Santa Ana College Santa Ana, CA

Best Engineering Technologies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Engineering Technologies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Alaska 112
Hawaii 91
Washington 2,537
Oregon 592
Nevada 286

Engineering Tech Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Industrial Production Technology 11,288
Electromechanical Engineering Technology 10,780
Environmental Control Technology 9,376
Drafting & Design Engineering Technology 8,822
Electronics Engineering Technology 8,347
Engineering-Related Fields 6,553
Mechanical Engineering Technology 6,205
Construction Engineering Technology 4,299
General Engineering Technology 3,841
Quality Control Technology 3,720
Computer Engineering Technology 3,509
Engineering Technology (Other) 1,907
Energy Systems Technologies 1,277
Architectural Engineering Technology 1,239
Civil Engineering Technology 1,155
Engineering-Related Technologies 969
Mining & Petroleum Technology 410
Nuclear Engineering Technology 235
Nanotechnology 104

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 26 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KUKA Systems GmbH.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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