2025 Most Affordable Online Master's Degrees in Mechanical Engineering
The cheapest online master鈥檚 in mechanical engineering offers an affordable and flexible way to deepen your expertise in mechanical systems, robotics, and thermodynamics without pausing your career. These fully online master's programs are ideal for engineers looking to upskill or pivot within the field.
Key Takeaways:
- Kennesaw State University ranks #1 for affordability, offering its online mechanical engineering master鈥檚 for just $5,895.
- The University of Cincinnati leads in salary, with a median salary of $111,605 among mechanical engineering graduates.
- The University of Missouri stands out with a 99% recommendation rate based on student surveys we collect.
All programs are fully online from institutionally accredited schools. Rankings are based on manually verified tuition 鈥� see our methodology for details.
2025 Most Affordable Online Master's Degrees in Mechanical Engineering
| Rank | School | Location | Annual Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw (GA) | $5,895 | |
| University of Missouri | Columbia (MO) | $6,825 | |
| University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa (AL) | $7,200 | |
| University of New Mexico | Albuquerque (NM) | $9,067 | |
| Texas A&M University - Kingsville | Kingsville (TX) | $9,140 | |
| Missouri University of Science and Technology | Rolla (MO) | $9,500 | |
| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | Socorro (NM) | $9,806 | |
| University of Florida | Gainesville (FL) | $10,350 | |
| University of Houston | Houston (TX) | $11,175 | |
| Northern Arizona University | Flagstaff (AZ) | $11,430 | |
| University of North Dakota | Grand Forks (ND) | $11,971 | |
| Kansas State University | Manhattan (KS) | $12,600 | |
| University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati (OH) (and 1 other) | $13,540 | |
| Texas Tech University | Lubbock (TX) | $13,644 | |
| University of Idaho | Moscow (ID) | $38,258 |
Student Reviews of Online Mechanical Engineering Programs
I am on the West coast so Johns Hopkins online program works out great for me. I would not have been able to attend otherwise. The program is flexible and challenging. I am learning a lot from the courses so far. The online program uses the blackboard website for structure.
Review Date: 9/26/2016
Would Recommend: Yes
The school offers challenging and rewarding classes to help prepare for engineering jobs. The campus is not in the best area of town, but I did all of my classes online, so that did not bother me. I love the accessibility of having all classes offered for distance learning!
Review Date: 1/14/2015
Would Recommend: Yes
Pros: Everyone now has a Bachelor's degree so pursuing a master's degree would increase my chances of getting a job. Graduate programs allow you to focus on what you are interested in and you gain a lot of knowledge from it. Most classes are offered online so I can work full time while pursuing a master's degree. Cons: It adds to your expenses. Career is now limited to your focus in the graduate program. Some jobs consider graduate students over qualified.
Review Date: 3/8/2016
Would Recommend: Yes
NCSU is a large engineering school, and has the resources to go along with it. Professors are usually helpful, and the facilities are almost brand new. Definitely worth a look.
Review Date: 11/6/2014
Would Recommend: Yes
Penn State University - World Campus was relatively easy to apply for and competitive to get in. The registrar followed up with my application and helped me get all required material in. Even though my application was late, they still allowed me to submit. The staff was very helpful in instructing me how to enroll in classes and what classes to enroll in. So far, my experience has been a positive one that I would recommend to anyone.
Review Date: 7/9/2014
Would Recommend: Yes
I'm taking graduate engineering courses online while working full time. So far the technology used to make the distance education experience work has been great and all of my professors have been more than flexible with working around my schedule. The main con at this point is that some of the courses ranked as graduate classes aren't as in-depth as I had expected.
Review Date: 8/20/2013
Would Recommend: Yes
One of the biggest pros for the Rowan University Masters in Engineering Management program is that it was designed by senior full-time faculty taking into consideration the short and long-term needs of the engineering industry. Additionally, the faculty members chosen to be instructors are all subject-matter experts, so there is tremendous practical value in addition to the academics. Despite being an online course of study (which is extremely convenient for a married father of three who travels... Read More
Review Date: 1/5/2015
Would Recommend: Yes
I chose to go back to Kettering for my MSME because the learning delivery allowed me to be flexible on when and where I learned. I am pleased that my current professor is concerned that I learn the material and how I will apply it in the work environment. Even though the class is distance learning, the professors are easily contacted via email or by phone. They will give you the help that you need as much as you need to make sure that you do well. After being out of school for 6 years, the work is... Read More
Review Date: 3/5/2013
Would Recommend: Yes
Great graduate professors that are more than willing to work with the students to help achieve their academic and career goals. Sometimes the online classes can be difficult to understand.
Review Date: 5/9/2013
Would Recommend: Yes
I am a distance education student, and I believe NCSU's DE program is phenomenal! There are teachers who really care about the success of the students; however, they make it fairly difficult as well. The only con I can think of is the limited number of classes offered every semester. Hopefully this will change as the DE program continues to expand.
Review Date: 3/7/2014
Would Recommend: Yes
The Purdue Engineering Professional Education Program (Engineering Management and Leadership Concentration) is great for people who do not have time to go back to school full time. It has allowed me to continue to work and meet my higher education goals. I would recommend this program for professionals only.
Review Date: 8/12/2013
Would Recommend: Yes
The pros of the MS in Industrial Management program are its affordability, its quality regarding professors and assistance, its difficulty level and its real world application in the working world. Additionally this program helps students get internships if they are interested. The cons are few. They should use more materials on the internet and databases other than just books. Moreso video lectures are needed as this program does not have such capabilities.
Review Date: 8/11/2013
Would Recommend: Yes
The quality of Mechanical Engineering program is excellent at GaTech.
Review Date: 3/27/2014
Would Recommend: Yes
This school GENUINELY cares and understands the needs of international students, best decision I ever made was coming to this school. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, their degree programs are also well tiered especially the higher level degree programs to various concentrations in industry and academia.
Review Date: 6/25/2019
Would Recommend: Yes
I have been in the UMass Amherst program for 1 year now pursuing a masters degree in mechanical engineering. So far the program has been sufficiently challenging and flexible. It has knowledgeable professors and seminars on a wide variety of subjects and encourage their students to excel in their fields. The professors are friendly and helpful with only a few instances of less than stellar assistance.
Review Date: 7/20/2017
Would Recommend: Yes
The engineering program at Drexel University is both rigorous yet satisfying. It builds character, discipline, and self-motivation for job(s) you may obtain in the future. It demands the students to go above and beyond what is required of them. It's not always set in stone which is why satisfied.
Review Date: 9/21/2016
Would Recommend: Yes
It has an afordable price thanks to the finacial help of the university. It has a really diverse an multicultural staff whith many different points of view. It is not a well known university so the graduate program has not a big add value
Review Date: 1/12/2015
Would Recommend: Yes
It's have been for me a good choice to study this master in FIU since it allows me to study at the same time work and the cost of it is not high
Review Date: 8/3/2013
Would Recommend: Yes
NMT is a small school which comes with a number of pros and cons. Teachers are all highly invested in students and are more than willing to help with research and classes, but there are very limited class options available each semester.
Review Date: 5/11/2013
Would Recommend: Yes
As an undergrad Binghamton University offered many clubs and organizations to be a part of. One called SHPE(Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) had annual job conferences with the likes of Ford, Boeing, GMC, Lockheed Martin and many more recruiting. Another club I was a part of SAE(Society of Automotive Engineers ) sponsored a team of 11 plus myself to design, build and race an off road baja style car. This in addition to a very diverse student body and amazing research opportunities has... Read More
Review Date: 6/20/2017
Would Recommend: Yes