Best Online Engineering Programs in Cornelius, NC (2026)

Cornelius, North Carolina has a population of about 32,009. The city’s median household income is $114,688 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 59.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Our directory has 47 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Cornelius, with tuition ranging from $2,367 to $18,703 per year for indexed programs. In the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $167,590 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2024).


Closest Engineering Schools to Cornelius

The 10 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 47 schools in our directory that offer engineering programs near Cornelius. Distances are calculated from Cornelius city center.

SchoolCityDistanceTuitionOnline
NASCAR Technical InstituteMooresville, NC9.3 miContact school for pricing
University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlotte, NC14.4 miContact school for pricing
Johnson C Smith UniversityCharlotte, NC16.0 miContact school for pricing
Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlotte, NC17.9 mi$2,792 - $10,951
Queens University of CharlotteCharlotte, NC19.8 miContact school for pricing
Gaston CollegeDallas, NC20.5 miContact school for pricing
Mitchell Community CollegeStatesville, NC21.4 miContact school for pricing
Rowan-Cabarrus Community CollegeSalisbury, NC25.3 miContact school for pricing
Catawba Valley Community CollegeHickory, NC27.6 mi$2,367 - $18,703
Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityHickory, NC31.0 miContact school for pricing

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


Engineering Wages Near Cornelius

Cornelius is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (BLS area code 16740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Civil Engineer$100,040Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$102,816
Electrical Engineer$114,450Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$117,626
Mechanical Engineer$100,990Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$103,792
Chemical Engineer$109,940Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$112,991
Aerospace Engineer$125,780Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$129,270
Biomedical Engineer$120,850Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$124,203
Environmental Engineer$95,850Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$98,510
Architectural and Engineering Manager$167,590Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$172,240

Source: BLS, May 2024 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.


Cornelius at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population32,009Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$114,688Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+59.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.3 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in Mecklenburg County11,942 workers, 1,339 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Cornelius-Area Cities With Engineering Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Cornelius, NC?

Our directory has 47 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Cornelius. The closest is NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, NC (9.3 miles), and the farthest in our top picks is Lenoir-Rhyne University (31.0 miles). 0 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Cornelius?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2024 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Cornelius are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($167,590), Aerospace Engineer ($125,780), Biomedical Engineer ($120,850). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Huntersville instead of Cornelius?

Huntersville, NC is 4.7 miles from Cornelius 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 Cornelius an affordable place to study engineering?

Cornelius’s median household income of $114,688 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cornelius while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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.


Data verified: May 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2024; 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.