Best Online Engineering Programs in Poway, CA (2026)

Poway, California has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $1,354 to $46,042 per year for indexed programs. Poway has a population of about 48,515. Median household income is $143,825 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 53.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $202,810 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Engineering Schools to Poway

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer engineering programs near Poway. Distances are calculated from Poway 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 Poway. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

National University

San Diego, CA 12.6 miles from Poway BOC Score44.2
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#2

University of California-San Diego

La Jolla, CA 14.3 miles from Poway BOC Score92.6
Published tuition$15,265 - $46,042
Online programsYes

Visit website

#3

Palomar College

San Marcos, CA 14.7 miles from Poway BOC Score55.8
Published tuition$1,354 - $13,997
Online programsYes

Visit website

#4

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA 15.1 miles from Poway BOC Score83.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#5

Cuyamaca College

El Cajon, CA 17.4 miles from Poway BOC Score35.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

Visit website

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


Engineering Wages Near Poway

Poway is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). 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$108,900San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$97,319
Electrical Engineer$127,270San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$113,735
Mechanical Engineer$121,750San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$108,803
Chemical EngineerN/ACA statewide
Aerospace Engineer$135,010San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$120,652
Biomedical Engineer$128,270San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$114,629
Environmental Engineer$119,390San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$106,693
Architectural and Engineering Manager$202,810San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$181,242

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.


Poway at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population48,515Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$143,825Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+53.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)111.9 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in San Diego County28,854 workers, 2,663 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Poway-Area Cities With Engineering Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Poway, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Poway. The closest is National University in San Diego, CA (12.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Cuyamaca College (17.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Poway?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Poway are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($202,810), Aerospace Engineer ($135,010), Biomedical Engineer ($128,270). 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 Santee instead of Poway?

Santee, CA is 9.3 miles from Poway 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 Poway an affordable place to study engineering?

Poway’s median household income of $143,825 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Poway 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 Poway

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

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.