What are the best Engineering Schools in the US?

[csyberblue]

I just became a senior in high school. I've thought about becoming an electrical (or computer) engineer. I love working with hardware, seeing how it works, how to make it more effecient, etc. I'm kind of stuck on what are some of the better schools to go to that have a good ciriculum in the engineering field. In one of the popular CS threads, someone stated that Berkelely has a good engineering program, and that got me thinking on what are the best engineering schools in the country?

Thanks for any help.

 

[cmdavid]

what kind of engineering?? it really depends..
edit: georgia tech isnt the best but its up there... top 5 i think...

 

[iamwiz82]

linky

I suggest Kettering University. linky

 

[csyberblue]

Originally posted by: sandigga
what kind of engineering?? it really depends..
edit: georgia tech isnt the best but its up there... top 5 i think...

Here are the 3 specific engineering fields I'm thinking about:

1. Electrical Engineering

2. Computer Engineering

3. Biotechnology/Bioengineering

 

[Gibson486]

If you want the best, it's MIT. At almost $50,000 a year, it better be the best. I also think there is a school in california that only admits around 500 students a year, and they are supposed to have a really good engineering school also, but I forgot the name.

 

[minendo]

Purdue University

 

[minendo]

[*]Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering
[*]Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engineering
[*]Computer Engineering

 

[MrBond]

You're in Texas, there should be some good schools for Chemical Engineering down there with all the oil companies. As far as CS, I have no idea.

When choosing a school, look for one with a Co-Op program. The way it's handled at my school depends on the plan you're on. Plan A goes in the spring semester of their sophmore year and Plan B goes the summer after their sophmore year. You alternate school/work then until you graduate. It's an excellent way to get real world experience and earn some money for yourself at the same time (average pay when I was a freshman for co-op students was ~$13/hr, I make $13/hr + $300/mo after taxes for housing, so about $15.50/hr). I can't reccomend Co-op enough, it's an excellent part of the program.

The Princeton Review just published their "top party schools" report, so I imagine their other college reports came out sometime this week as well. See if you can find those somewhere and check them out.

If you're a senior now, and you haven't taken the ACT/SAT, take them ASAP!! You should also start applying to colleges soon, because application deadlines come sooner then you might think.

 

[shiner]

Gotta be DeVry

 

[Superdoopercooper]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
If you want the best, it's MIT. At almost $50,000 a year, it better be the best. I also think there is a school in california that only admits around 500 students a year, and they are supposed to have a really good engineering school also, but I forgot the name.

I bet after room, board, tax, title, and license, that MIT is about $36k-$38k this year. My last year (1998) projected costs for undergrads were about $32. Since Tuition is about $30k now, I be thinking $38k is the magical #.

If you say $50k, you're probably talking about the MBA school (Sloan).

Boston is a great city to go to college in. There are about 250,000 college kids in the area... lots of stuff to see and do (which I didn't and regret somewhat now)... winters sux0r, but what can you do. Most of the best schools are in crappy climates (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. Exceptions: Stanford, Cal Tech).

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Superdoopercooper

Originally posted by: Gibson486
If you want the best, it's MIT. At almost $50,000 a year, it better be the best. I also think there is a school in california that only admits around 500 students a year, and they are supposed to have a really good engineering school also, but I forgot the name.

I bet after room, board, tax, title, and license, that MIT is about $36k-$38k this year. My last year (1998) projected costs for undergrads were about $32. Since Tuition is about $30k now, I be thinking $38k is the magical #.

If you say $50k, you're probably talking about the MBA school (Sloan).

Boston is a great city to go to college in. There are about 250,000 college kids in the area... lots of stuff to see and do (which I didn't and regret somewhat now)... winters sux0r, but what can you do. Most of the best schools are in crappy climates (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. Exceptions: Stanford, Cal Tech).

as of 2000, the tuition was $40,000. I know this because a friend of mine was offered a scholarship for half tuition. He declined it and got a full ride to Kettering.

 

[Gibson486]

Tuition at MIT cost $40,000, that might of included though, i don't know. i know it cost alot. However, if it does cost around $38,000 in the end, i would be mighty pissed because my school cost $35,000 and the only reason i didn't apply was because i thought it cost alot . And yes, boston is the ultimate college city!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[aphex]

University of Florida has a very good engineering program, you might wanna check it out. My brother (who incidentally also got into MIT & GT) is currently going for his doctorate at UF in micro-electrical mechanical enginnering.

Rankings of top Undergrad Engineering programs (with highest degree of PhD) - The link given in a post up above is only schools that DONT have a full graduate/PhD program as well, these schools DO have Graduate/PhD programs.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
If you want the best, it's MIT. At almost $50,000 a year, it better be the best. I also think there is a school in california that only admits around 500 students a year, and they are supposed to have a really good engineering school also, but I forgot the name.

Cal Tech?

The reason I remember this is their spoofing one of the college bowl games a while ago by changing those cards that spell out stuff in the stands, to say GO TECH at like a USC or UCLA bowl game.

 

[EvilYoda]

I'll put a note in for the University of Michigan, which I attend...it's not THE best, but it's consistently up there, and I believe it's the second highest public university (UC Berkeley being the first I think) in engineering majors. Plus, the grad school just makes things better. And it has a campus life that most of the other top 25 schools can't even get close too.

Granted, it's cheaper for me, being a MI resident.

 

[Funyuns101]

hey check out usnews' 2002 edition of the best colleges
here you can see their ratings for engr programs for colleges offering up to phd or just bachelors
have fun in your senior year and don't slack off too much

forgot link: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankengineering.htm

 

[MiniThug]

Since you are from Texas, unless you were considering going out of state, we have two of the best engineering schools in the nation right here. Both The University of Texas and Texas A&M rank in the top 20 for almost every type of engineering you could name. I personally am studying Civil Engineering at Texas A&M and its very challenging. Be prepared to study your ass regardless of which school you pick. Being as close as you are, I would recommend visiting both schools. They are two very different environments but both are great places to go to school.

 

[SendTrash]

UCLA

 

[Mister T]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
Tuition at MIT cost $40,000, that might of included though, i don't know. i know it cost alot. However, if it does cost around $38,000 in the end, i would be mighty pissed because my school cost $35,000 and the only reason i didn't apply was because i thought it cost alot . And yes, boston is the ultimate college city!!!!!!!!!!!

Wrong. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2002/tuition.html

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will raise tuition and fees by 4.7 percent to $28,230 for 2002-2003, a hike of $1,270, President Charles M. Vest has announced.

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
If you want the best, it's MIT. At almost $50,000 a year, it better be the best. I also think there is a school in california that only admits around 500 students a year, and they are supposed to have a really good engineering school also, but I forgot the name.

i believe you are refering to harvey mudd, i believe it is the hardest school to get into, harder then mit or caltech

 

[cchen]

You can go to any school and do well, and you'll be at the same level as anyone from those other schools. Undergrad engineering is all the same. But some schools have some other benefits, such as co-op programs and on campus research.

 

[Spike]

I am a fan of the University of Washington (yes, I do go there ) Like Michigan, it is not the best but is one of the best Public Engineering schools out there (and I pay only 9k a year for classes and housing) I think it is the 3rd highes public school in engineering. The student body comes in at about 38,000 students and you can't beat the pacific northwest in terms of beauty (and sometimes rain )

 

[PowerEngineer]

Well, first off...we all have kind thoughts about our own alma maters. Mine is Renesselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, N.Y. A reasonably good private engineering/science school; perhaps better respected for its solid undergraduate courses than its advanced degrees. Luckily for me, it turned out to have one of the best power engineering schools in the country (being close to GE helps!).

Okay, enough on that. The best engineering schools certainly include MIT and Cal Tech; there are several reasonable state schools too.

My advice would be to look for a good undergraduate engineering school. Don't worry very much about finding the best school for your current idea of a major -- you'll almost certainly change it more than once (I did 4 times!). Plan on changing schools for graduate work once you really know what your field will be.

You should also consider the fact that schools generally draw recruiters from the immediate region, and (unless it's a top school) are best respected locally. If you have some idea of what part of the country you'd like to live in, then attending a school there will make that much more likely to happen.

You better have your SAT scores available soon, and you need to start sending applications out ASAP. Especially if you want to compete for a slot in the big schools (and if you'll need financial aid).

Good luck!

 

[phrawd]

i believe you are refering to harvey mudd, i believe it is the hardest school to get into, harder then mit or caltech

Umm, no. Caltech is by far the hardest to get into in California. Go to MIT if you want cut throat (although freshman year is all pass/fail). Go to Caltech if you want nice weather, ugly girls and cooperative learning. Come to Cornell if you want to have a good program, crummy weather, cute girls and lots of great non-engineeirng courses. Go to RIT (rochester) if you want co-op (they have mandated co-ops required, something like 1.5 years of pure co-op at several companies, but it's a five year program).

 

[diskop]

As much as it pains me to say it, Berkeley.