Best Online Engineering Programs in Prior Lake, MN (2026)

Prior Lake, Minnesota has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs. Prior Lake has a population of about 27,832. Median household income is $130,278 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 51.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $174,510 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Engineering Schools to Prior Lake

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

#1

Normandale Community College

Bloomington, MN 9.0 miles from Prior Lake BOC Score48.8
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#2

Dunwoody College of Technology

Minneapolis, MN 18.7 miles from Prior Lake BOC Score73.3
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#3

University of St Thomas

Saint Paul, MN 19.5 miles from Prior Lake BOC Score73.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#4

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN 20.1 miles from Prior Lake BOC Score83.9
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#5

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN 22.4 miles from Prior Lake BOC Score48.2
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

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


Engineering Wages Near Prior Lake

Prior Lake is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (BLS area code 33460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Minnesota statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Civil Engineer$104,740Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$99,943
Electrical Engineer$117,230Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$111,861
Mechanical Engineer$101,180Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$96,546
Chemical Engineer$122,730Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$117,109
Aerospace Engineer$159,950Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$152,624
Biomedical Engineer$127,890Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$122,032
Environmental Engineer$115,750Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$110,448
Architectural and Engineering Manager$174,510Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$166,517

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.


Prior Lake at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population27,832Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$130,278Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+51.5%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)104.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in Scott County109 workers, 38 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Prior Lake-Area Cities With Engineering Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Prior Lake, MN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Prior Lake. The closest is Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN (9.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Saint Paul College (22.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Prior Lake?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Prior Lake are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($174,510), Aerospace Engineer ($159,950), Biomedical Engineer ($127,890). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Minnesota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Shakopee instead of Prior Lake?

Shakopee, MN is 3.8 miles from Prior Lake 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 Prior Lake an affordable place to study engineering?

Prior Lake’s median household income of $130,278 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Prior Lake while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Minnesota 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 Prior Lake

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

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.