Best Online Engineering Programs in Santa Maria, CA (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Santa Maria, California has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs. Santa Maria has a population of about 109,880. Median household income is $84,617 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 15.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $207,900 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Engineering Schools to Santa Maria

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

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

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

Engineering Wages Near Santa Maria

Santa Maria is part of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area (BLS area code 42200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Civil Engineer	$119,980	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$110,276
Electrical Engineer	$134,640	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$123,750
Mechanical Engineer	$121,130	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$111,333
Chemical Engineer	N/A	CA statewide	–
Aerospace Engineer	$130,870	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$120,285
Biomedical Engineer	$128,310	CA statewide	$117,932
Environmental Engineer	$122,380	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$112,482
Architectural and Engineering Manager	$207,900	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$191,085

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.

Santa Maria at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	109,880	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$84,617	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	15.1%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	108.8 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in Santa Barbara County	3,781 workers, 360 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Santa Maria-Area Cities With Engineering Programs

Arroyo Grande, CA – 15.4 mi away (54,542 pop)
Lompoc, CA – 18.8 mi away (53,062 pop)
San Luis Obispo, CA – 26.3 mi away (62,391 pop)
Atascadero, CA – 40.3 mi away (30,330 pop)
Goleta, CA – 47.8 mi away (30,850 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Santa Maria, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Santa Maria. The closest is Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, CA (1.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Taft College (57.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Santa Maria?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Santa Maria are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($207,900), Electrical Engineer ($134,640), Aerospace Engineer ($130,870). 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 Arroyo Grande instead of Santa Maria?

Arroyo Grande, CA is 15.4 miles from Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria an affordable place to study engineering?

Santa Maria’s median household income of $84,617 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria

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

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.

Back to Best Online Engineering Programs in California (2026)

Return to Best Online Engineering Programs in California (2026)