Best Engineering Schools Near Sterling Heights, MI (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Sterling Heights, Michigan has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs. Sterling Heights has a population of about 133,473. Median household income is $78,429 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $168,550 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Engineering Schools to Sterling Heights

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer engineering programs near Sterling Heights, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Sterling Heights city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

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 Sterling Heights. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, MI 11.5 miles from Sterling Heights
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
69.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,612
Avg net price $9,120/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 133

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Detroit Mercy

Detroit, MI 12.8 miles from Sterling Heights
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,030
Avg net price $15,232/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#3

Lawrence Technological University

Southfield, MI 13.4 miles from Sterling Heights
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
57.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,151
Avg net price $32,918/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Wayne State University

Detroit, MI 15.5 miles from Sterling Heights
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,493
Avg net price $12,766/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 160

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#5

Henry Ford College

Dearborn, MI 20.6 miles from Sterling Heights
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,795
Avg net price $660/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 90

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Michigan-Dearborn

Dearborn, MI 20.9 miles from Sterling Heights
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,649
Avg net price $9,492/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 93

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#7

Schoolcraft Community College District

Livonia, MI 23.3 miles from Sterling Heights
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
57.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,722
Avg net price $2,260/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Madonna University

Livonia, MI 23.4 miles from Sterling Heights
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,058
Avg net price $17,755/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

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

Engineering Wages Near Sterling Heights

Sterling Heights is part of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area (BLS area code 19820). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Michigan statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Civil Engineer $92,550 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $92,273
Electrical Engineer $114,390 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $114,048
Mechanical Engineer $109,470 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $109,143
Chemical Engineer $104,230 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $103,918
Aerospace Engineer $128,960 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $128,574
Biomedical Engineer $103,960 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $103,649
Environmental Engineer $110,520 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $110,189
Architectural and Engineering Manager $168,550 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $168,046

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.

Sterling Heights at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 133,473 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $78,429 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 31.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 100.3 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in Macomb County 14,344 workers, 273 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Sterling Heights-Area Cities With Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Sterling Heights, MI?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Sterling Heights. The closest is Macomb Community College in Warren, MI (6.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Northwestern Technological Institute (13.0 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Sterling Heights?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Sterling Heights are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($168,550), Aerospace Engineer ($128,960), Electrical Engineer ($114,390). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Michigan statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Troy instead of Sterling Heights?

Troy, MI is 5.9 miles from Sterling Heights 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 Sterling Heights an affordable place to study engineering?

Sterling Heights’s median household income of $78,429 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Sterling Heights while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Michigan 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 Sterling Heights

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

Data verified: September 6, 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 Engineering Schools in Michigan: Online Programs (2026)