The California Institute of Technology (locally referred to as "Caltech") is a relatively small and specialized private reserach university and technology institute in Pasadena, California. As of 2016, Caltech had a annual enrollment of 2,255 students, with roughly half of those graduate students and the other half undergraduate students. Curriculum at Caltech emphasizes the technical arts and applied sciences.
Caltech comprises six academic colleges that focus instruction on the applied sciences and engineering. First year students at Caltech are required to live in on-campus housing but most undergraduates remain on campus throughout the duration of their undergraduate degree program. Although Caltech has a strong honor code that most students abide by, the institution is known for its tradition of good natured pranks and practical jokes.
Caltech is consistently ranked among the top colleges and technical institutes in the nation. It was ranked 10th by Money Magazine on its list of "Best Colleges" for 2014 and 12th on the 2014 Best Colleges rankings published by The Daily Beast. In 2016, U.S. News & World Report ranked Caltech the 10th best university in the country.
Caltech offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in various fields of study. At the undergraduate level, the university offers 24 major concentrations. Most students at Caltech complete a double major. It also offers interdisciplinary degrees in bioengineering, environmental science and engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, geobiology and astrobiology, applied physics, geochemistry, and computation and neural systems.
Graduate programs at Caltech focus on engineering, science, mathematics and science. Degrees awarded at the graduate level include Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Science, BS/MS and MD/PhD. Most graduate students at Caltech participate in the institution's PhD program.
Students who graduate from Caltech are among the highest paid graduates of any college in the United States. The median starting salary for Caltech graduates is $68,000 and the mid-career median pay for Caltech alumni is just over $120,000. Over a 30-year career, Caltech graduates can look forward to earning over $1.99 million.