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

Santa Monica, California has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $13,747 to $44,524 per year for indexed programs. Santa Monica has a population of about 91,535. Median household income is $109,739 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 68.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $190,900 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Engineering Schools to Santa Monica

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

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

Engineering Wages Near Santa Monica

Santa Monica is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

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 Monica at a Glance

Other Santa Monica-Area Cities With Engineering Programs

• Culver City, CA – 5.0 mi away (39,364 pop)
• Beverly Hills, CA – 5.9 mi away (34,687 pop)
• Los Angeles, CA – 7.6 mi away (12,740,381 pop)
• West Hollywood, CA – 7.7 mi away (36,698 pop)
• Inglewood, CA – 9.1 mi away (110,654 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Santa Monica. The closest is Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, CA (0.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Southern California (11.3 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Santa Monica are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($190,900), Aerospace Engineer ($163,280), Electrical Engineer ($139,780). 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 Culver City instead of Santa Monica?

Culver City, CA is 5.0 miles from Santa Monica 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 Monica an affordable place to study engineering?

Santa Monica’s median household income of $109,739 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Monica 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

• Engineering accreditation: what to look for
• Engineering concentrations and specializations
• Is a Engineering degree worth it?
• Main Engineering degree guide
• Online Engineering programs in California
• Engineering programs by state

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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.