Best Online Engineering Programs in Petaluma, CA (2026)

Petaluma, California has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $14,850 to $45,627 per year for indexed programs. Petaluma has a population of about 59,321. Median household income is $109,823 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 42.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $207,140 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Engineering Schools to Petaluma

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer engineering programs near Petaluma. Distances are calculated from Petaluma city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Petaluma. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA 15.5 miles from Petaluma BOC Score60.0
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

Napa Valley College

Napa, CA 19.1 miles from Petaluma BOC Score56.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

California State University Maritime Academy

Vallejo, CA 24.4 miles from Petaluma BOC Score73.8
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

Solano Community College

Fairfield, CA 27.5 miles from Petaluma BOC Score61.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 32.4 miles from Petaluma BOC Score93.9
Published tuition$14,850 - $45,627
Online programsYes

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California engineering page.


Engineering Wages Near Petaluma

Petaluma is part of the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro area (BLS area code 42220). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Civil Engineer$111,740Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$103,655
Electrical Engineer$164,880Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$152,950
Mechanical Engineer$120,650Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$111,920
Chemical EngineerN/ACA statewide
Aerospace Engineer$157,620CA statewide$146,215
Biomedical Engineer$128,310CA statewide$119,026
Environmental Engineer$141,560Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$131,317
Architectural and Engineering Manager$207,140Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$192,152

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Petaluma at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population59,321Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$109,823Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+42.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)107.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in Sonoma County2,203 workers, 366 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Petaluma-Area Cities With Engineering Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Petaluma, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Petaluma. The closest is Santa Rosa Junior College in Santa Rosa, CA (15.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Berkeley (32.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Petaluma?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Petaluma are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($207,140), Electrical Engineer ($164,880), Aerospace Engineer ($157,620). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Rohnert Park instead of Petaluma?

Rohnert Park, CA is 8.2 miles from Petaluma and has its own set of local engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Petaluma an affordable place to study engineering?

Petaluma’s median household income of $109,823 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Petaluma while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Petaluma

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Petaluma:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.