Asian man, Hispanic woman in lab coats study white board notes, featured logo

Great Colleges and Universities for Science and Engineering in the West

Looking for the right place to study Science and Engineering? One of these colleges and universities in the Western US could be the school you're looking for!

Diving deep into the practical knowledge and applications of STEM opens the door to endless possibilities, and Science and Engineering majors offer just that. With a huge variety of options to choose from, this comprehensive list is a great place for science-minded students to start their college search! All the colleges and universities below are located in the Western United States (with one international option!) and have strong academic programs geared toward STEM-related disciplines. If you want to connect with a school you find here, just click the “Connect me” button underneath each listing—then they’ll reach out to you with more information. Start discovering great places to study science and engineering now!

California Baptist University

California Baptist UniversityCalifornia Baptist University is a private church-affiliated liberal arts university in Riverside, California—60 miles east of Los Angeles. CBU’s College of Engineering offers 10 bachelor’s degree programs ranging from Biomedical Engineering to Software Engineering. Each CBU Engineering student will experience a wide variety of hands-on learning activities, including local business internships and cross-cultural projects. 

Connect me with CBU! 

Colorado School of Mines

Colorado School of Mines logoColorado School of Mines is a public research university for engineering and applied sciences in Golden, Colorado—20 miles west of Denver. The Mines curriculum is broad and rigorous with an emphasis on hands-on experiences and collaborative approaches, offered to more than 7,000 students through 21 majors in five broad fields. Science and engineering students can major in  Applied Mathematics & Statistics, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Engineering Physics, Environmental Engineering, Mining Engineering, Quantum Engineering, and more. 

Connect me with The Mines!

Concordia University Irvine

Concordia University IrvineConcordia University Irvine is a church-affiliated university located 50 miles south of Los Angeles in Irvine, California. CUI trains students in experimental design, proposal writing and submission, real-world constraints on data collection, statistical data analysis, and a variety of other research protocols. On-campus facilities like the Marine Lab and Heritage Garden are dedicated to advanced instruction and undergraduate research.

Connect me with CUI! 

Linfield University

Linfield University logoLinfield University is a private comprehensive undergraduate institution in McMinnville, Oregon—38 miles southwest of Portland. The University provides a personalized academic experience through 50 undergraduate programs, including Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Studies, Mathematics & Computer Science, and Physics in the College of Arts & Science. Rising to meet the state's demand for a skilled STEM workforce, Linfield’s new 84,400-sq. ft. science complex is designed for inclusive, collaborative, immersive learning and discovery.

Connect me with Linfield!

University of Alaska Fairbanks

University of Alaska Fairbanks logoThe University of Alaska Fairbanks is a public institution located four miles from downtown Fairbanks in central Alaska. UAF is a land-, sea-, and space-grant institution with about 6,000 students, specializing in practical engineering for extreme environments, arctic landscapes and wildlife, Earth sciences, climate change, and much more. Students utilize the skills and knowledge they gain in practical ways through student research, fieldwork, and national and international competitions. 

Connect me with UAF!

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Colorado BoulderUniversity of Colorado Boulder is a public university 27 miles northwest of Denver, Colorado. CU Boulder is a Tier 1 research university with over 50 years of partnership with local federal research labs, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Students can create their own path by mixing majors, minors, certificates, and electives in business, art and technology, entrepreneurship, teaching, and global engineering.

Connect me with CU Boulder! 

University of Idaho

University of IdahoThe University of Idaho is a comprehensive public land-grant institution in Moscow, Idaho—90 miles southeast of Spokane, Washington. With over 11,800 students and a 15:1 student-faculty ratio, the University offers 93 undergraduate majors, including Biotechnology & Plan Genomics and Water Science & Management; 79 master’s programs; and 33 doctoral degrees. Students at U of I can take advantage of research opportunities amassing over $109.5 million annually, nine research and extension centers, student groups like the Environmental Club, and more. 

Connect me with U of I!

Western Washington University

Western Washington University logoWestern Washington University is a public comprehensive university located in Bellingham, Washington. The University offers more than 175 academic programs, the most popular including Biology, Business, Computer Science, Education, Engineering, Environmental Science, Marine Biology, and Psychology. Western students have created one of the nation’s first campus recycling programs, developed tiny homes to address affordable housing and environmental sustainability needs, developed the first completely transparent solar window, and much more.

Connect me with Western Washington!

Whitworth University

Whitworth University logoWhitworth University is a private Presbyterian liberal arts university in Spokane, Washington. Whitworth offers more than 100 majors and programs—including popular majors in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, and Environmental Science/Environmental Studies—to a student body of more than 2,700 who learn in classes with an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. All STEM majors take general education classes that equip them with critical thinking, communication, intercultural, and problem-solving skills.

Connect me with Whitworth!

Interested in exploring even more colleges that offer great STEM programs? Check out our full list of featured Science and Engineering School Profiles!

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

About CollegeXpress

CollegeXpress

Welcome to CollegeXpress, your one-stop college shop! We’re a free college planning website used by millions of college-bound students, parents, and counselors—anyone who needs help navigating the college search and application process, financial aid opportunities, and more. 

You’ll find comprehensive College Search and Scholarship Search tools, tons of articles and expert advice, unique college Lists & Rankings, and lots of other resources to help make your life easier. Teen Vogue even named us one of the 7 Best College Search Websites!

Current college students and recent grads also love CollegeXpress for our Graduate Program Search tool and endless information on student life, internships, and beyond. We really have something for everyone, no matter where you are in your college journey.

Create a free CollegeXpress account to start connecting with colleges, winning scholarships, and simplifying your life as a student!

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

University of Akron

Akron, OH


Aaliyah

Aaliyah

High School Class of 2022

My mother signed me up for a couple of scholarship contests through CollegeXpress. I was also able to do some research and compare the different schools on my list. I was able to see the graduation rates and different programs that helped me decide on Adelphi University. I will continue looking for some scholarships for my start in September.

Dani York

Dani York

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress helped in my journey by comparing multiple colleges for my final decision. While looking at different colleges, I was able to compare the tuition expenses and that landed me with the college that I’m currently enrolled in, Western Kentucky University. Thank you!

Sonny Harris

Sonny Harris

College Student

For the entire year before college, I spent a lot of time deeply considering what major I wanted to go into and how to fund my higher education. After a lot of research, I came across CollegeXpress, which helped me ultimately find a ton of scholarships for which I could apply—and some of which I received! If it weren’t for CollegeXpress, I may not have found those scholarships as they didn't appear on any other scholarship search forum. Additionally, I learned more about the options I had been considering for my major through CollegeXpress’s resources. In the end, I chose to major in Computer Science, as it seemed best suited to me and the careers in the field seemed enjoyable, and I've never been more excited to move into my future! Ultimately, I want to thank CollegeXpress for offering their services. I received enough financial aid in scholarships to fund my entire freshman year of college and even got some money refunded which I used to purchase a new laptop, and I bought all of the books I needed for the semester!

Katie

Katie

High School Class of 2019

My favorite feature of CollegeXpress is the scholarship search. As someone going out of state for college, I needed all the financial help I could get, and CollegeXpress helped me easily find scholarships I could apply for to help fund my education.

Daniel Ogunlokun

Daniel Ogunlokun

High School Class of 2022

When I started looking at colleges in the beginning of my senior year, I was conflicted about which ones I wanted to attend based on safety, tuition costs, location, academic rigor, and prestige. Searching the internet and getting more questions than answers, I came across CollegeXpress, which made all the steps I had taken look like a minor issue. Everything was summarized and detailed, and I couldn't be more thankful and appreciative.