What are the best schools to get a Ph. D in Electrical Engineering?

[engineereeyore]

I know USNews does a listing, but you seem to have to pay for anything other than the top 3. I'm trying to look for one in the top 50. I think my current university is around 70.

My company is going to pay for it, so cost is relatively not too much of an issue. I'm finishing my Master's with emphesis in hardware/software co-design and hardware design optimization techniques. I'd like to continue in that area, so I'm curious if anyone has a recommendation.

Anyway, if anyone has suggestions or idea, please let me know.

 

[fLum0x]

area being utah i take it?

if you can go anywhere, obviously look at a school like MIT....etc.

 

[engineereeyore]

Yes, I currently go to Utah State. I've been considering U. of Texas, Texas A&M, U. of New Mexico, Stanford, Purdue, and Vanderbilt. I'd love to go to MIT, but the cost of living is awful. They're only paying for my schooling, not my living expenses.

 

[fLum0x]

I wouldn't do New Mexico...i know a couple people that went there

I went to Purdue, so i am biased for that one

Both texas schools are very good...Vandy is also a really good school. MIT is not horrible if you live in their "dorms". I have a friend that got his EE and CS at MIT and is now getting his masters there. He will stop after he gets 2 masters and a PH.d He wants to be a lawyer related to that stuff.

Nevertheless, i would say Purdue, Vandy, and both Texas schools would be good. Stanford rep will get you somewhere, but i don't really know how good the school is. Also, consider Michigan. It has as good of engineering degrees as purdue IMO. Depends on the kind. They have a better Mechanical department for sure, but purdue is better with aero and civil hands down.

Oh, just remembered another school just west of indianapolis that you might want to consider

rose hulman

 

[CycloWizard]

You can buy a hard copy of the US News report - it's only like $10. Just make sure you get the one you want, as they publish separate reports for undergrad and grad schools. Just go to any major book store (Borders, Barnes & Noble, whatever) and they will have it.

 

[slpaulson]

I like Wisconsin - Madison, but I'm biased.

 

[engineereeyore]

Originally posted by: fLum0x
I wouldn't do New Mexico...i know a couple people that went there

I went to Purdue, so i am biased for that one

Both texas schools are very good...Vandy is also a really good school. MIT is not horrible if you live in their "dorms". I have a friend that got his EE and CS at MIT and is now getting his masters there. He will stop after he gets 2 masters and a PH.d He wants to be a lawyer related to that stuff.

Nevertheless, i would say Purdue, Vandy, and both Texas schools would be good. Stanford rep will get you somewhere, but i don't really know how good the school is. Also, consider Michigan. It has as good of engineering degrees as purdue IMO. Depends on the kind. They have a better Mechanical department for sure, but purdue is better with aero and civil hands down.

Oh, just remembered another school just west of indianapolis that you might want to consider

rose hulman

Yeah, I have a wife and three kids. Not sure we're cut out for the dorms.

My wife would really like Purdue, and I think I would too. One of my uncles graduated from Texas A&M, and it would be close to my family, so I like that. I think those would be my top three choices, but I'm still curious what other people think.

 

[Acanthus]

MIT is the best education you can get.

Their engineering dept has double the funding of the #2 school, UC Berkeley. (sp?)

But like you said, the cost of living is horrendous. It does however garuntee you a lot more pay, and youll get a once in a lifetime opportunity to work on projects that effect the world.

 

[piasabird]

What is your University?

Probably depends on the kind of engineering you are doing.

Try looking at results versus propaganda!

Find some Engineering contests and see where the people come from that win. That should tell you about what they are being taught. For instance what University won the Engineering challenge to build the car out in nevada or whereever they have that contest every year? That might be something to look at. They combine many different technologies into a single package and build something that works.

My son started a program at University of Illinois in Computer Science. In his first year he built a little car that has to follow a track on the floor. That is awful advanced for a freshmen class. It is hard to say what college is best.

 

[engineereeyore]

Current University = Utah State University
Degree seeking = Ph. D in Electrical (or Computer) Engineering

I'm not too worried about working on cool stuff. I'm accepting a job at Sandia National Labs, and that work is all about cool. They have a program there that allows you to leave for 3 years and work on your degree, while still receiving all your benefits and 60-75% of your pay. Just have to work for them for 3 years afterwards. So I'm planning on enrolling in that after my 1st year of work, but until then I'd like to take some courses through distance education and just get things started. That should make finishing a Ph.D in three years a little easier.

Many of you have referenced some nice schools. I plan to do the research myself, but if you know, do any of them have good distance ed setups?

 

[randumb]

MIT, Stanford, and Berkeley.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: Acanthus
MIT is the best education you can get.

Their engineering dept has double the funding of the #2 school, UC Berkeley. (sp?)

But like you said, the cost of living is horrendous. It does however garuntee you a lot more pay, and youll get a once in a lifetime opportunity to work on projects that effect the world.

You are not going to be paid a lot more simply because you went to a higher ranked EE school. I go to a top-10 EE grad school right now. I was admitted into the #3 and #4 programs, but was not given any financial aid. I chose a lower-ranked program because they would pay me to do it.

I spoke to some recruiters and while some of them only recruit at the top 10 EE schools, they do not pay you more simply because you came from say the #2 school instead of the #5 school.

Plus a PhD is not a degree you get to make a ton of money anyway.

 

[Born2bwire]

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the top schools. Though really for graduate, it's mostly about what you want to study specifically. I know here the computational electromagnetics groups is one of the best and you probably couldn't do much better if you got into Nick Holonyak's or Milton Feng's groups in terms of solid state.

 

[Atheus]

Do foreigners pay more than usual to go somewhere like MIT? I'd love to go for my masters there, but when I can feasibly go somewhere like Cambridge or Imperial for free... doesn't seem so attractive.

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: fLum0x
I wouldn't do New Mexico...i know a couple people that went there

I went to Purdue, so i am biased for that one

Both texas schools are very good...Vandy is also a really good school. MIT is not horrible if you live in their "dorms". I have a friend that got his EE and CS at MIT and is now getting his masters there. He will stop after he gets 2 masters and a PH.d He wants to be a lawyer related to that stuff.

Nevertheless, i would say Purdue, Vandy, and both Texas schools would be good. Stanford rep will get you somewhere, but i don't really know how good the school is. Also, consider Michigan. It has as good of engineering degrees as purdue IMO. Depends on the kind. They have a better Mechanical department for sure, but purdue is better with aero and civil hands down.

Oh, just remembered another school just west of indianapolis that you might want to consider

rose hulman

I don't think Rose Hulman offers PhD's. It does offer some masters degrees, but its real strength is its undergrad program.

As a non-traditional PhD student, your best bet will not be to worry about how highly a school is ranked. Instead, focus on what type of research they do and whether it coincides with the kind you want to do. Also, like you said, you have to like the area, especially if you're dragging the family along for the ride. As a Hoosier (spent the first 18 years of my life in Indiana), I can say that Purdue is a good school that is pretty large and is stuck in a pretty small town. They also have the best looking women of any of the state schools in Indiana, IIRC.

Anyway, I'm currently looking to apply for faculty positions and I've found this site to be very helpful in giving you the basic run-down of the schools that are available:
http://www.allengineeringschools.com/
Make a list based on your findings there, then you can weed out the ones you don't like/want. They even have a link to 'All-Online Doctorate Programs':
http://www.allengineeringschools.com/fi...e-engineering&st=&submit=Find+a+School

 

[timosyy]

Take a look at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 

[Tiamat]

No one really "gets" a ph.D in "Electrical Engineering" anymore. You have to select a specialty which would be related to the area of research that interests you the most.

"Best schools" will be different depending on:
Bio-electrical engineering
MEMS
Bio-MEMS
Nanotech
Sensors
Mathematical Modeling
FET design
.
.
.


For ph.D, perhaps the most important thing is not the school, but your advisor-to-be. The school "name" won't do you much. Your advisor's name will get you places depending on who your advisor is and who s/he knows.

Unfortunatly, the big picture for you isnt as easy as "which school is best". You will have to do much more intensive digging to find "what program is best" and "Who is the best in that field".

 

[engineereeyore]

Yeah, I realize you don't get a Ph.D in EE. I just thought it'd be easier than saying Science, Engineering, or whatever.

Many of the papers I've read as a result of my research have come from UC-Berkeley, UI-Urbana, UC-Irvine, Vanderbilt, U. of Washington, and Texas A&M. I've read a few from Purdue as well, just not as many. So I know those school do work in the area of interest for me. But I also wanted to get people opinion on the schools. Rankings can tell you a lot about a school, but the experiences of people who have been there is just very valuable.

My main area of interest is in Hardware Design Optimization and Process Scheduling Methods. I know the schools I've listed do work in those areas, and as I would be essentially a free grad student to any professor, I can't imagine it would be difficult to get on where ever I decide to go. So I'm really just looking for some opinions.

 

[oboeguy]

Originally posted by: engineereeyore
Current University = Utah State University
Degree seeking = Ph. D in Electrical (or Computer) Engineering

I'm not too worried about working on cool stuff. I'm accepting a job at Sandia National Labs, and that work is all about cool. They have a program there that allows you to leave for 3 years and work on your degree, while still receiving all your benefits and 60-75% of your pay. Just have to work for them for 3 years afterwards. So I'm planning on enrolling in that after my 1st year of work, but until then I'd like to take some courses through distance education and just get things started. That should make finishing a Ph.D in three years a little easier.

Many of you have referenced some nice schools. I plan to do the research myself, but if you know, do any of them have good distance ed setups?

Nice plan but

1) you won't finish in three years
2) if you're asking about which Ph.D. program here or looking at US N&WR you're not ready for a Ph.D.


Seriously, no program lasts only three years. You'll have min two years of classes and there's no way you'll get a dissertation done in one year. No program would let you out that fast even if you somehow pulled it off. You'd probably be finishing the dissertation for a couple of years while working at Sandia on your three year commitment. OTOH if you managed to somehow get an entire year of first-year doctoral program classes done remotely then you'd have a shot at "three" years (really 4+).

Also, you should be asking your current professors about doctoral programs. Asking around here gives me the impression that you really don't know what's involved in a doctoral program. But hey it sounds like you'd be getting a great job so you're probably pretty smart.

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: oboeguy

Originally posted by: engineereeyore
Current University = Utah State University
Degree seeking = Ph. D in Electrical (or Computer) Engineering

I'm not too worried about working on cool stuff. I'm accepting a job at Sandia National Labs, and that work is all about cool. They have a program there that allows you to leave for 3 years and work on your degree, while still receiving all your benefits and 60-75% of your pay. Just have to work for them for 3 years afterwards. So I'm planning on enrolling in that after my 1st year of work, but until then I'd like to take some courses through distance education and just get things started. That should make finishing a Ph.D in three years a little easier.

Many of you have referenced some nice schools. I plan to do the research myself, but if you know, do any of them have good distance ed setups?

Nice plan but

1) you won't finish in three years
2) if you're asking about which Ph.D. program here or looking at US N&WR you're not ready for a Ph.D.


Seriously, no program lasts only three years. You'll have min two years of classes and there's no way you'll get a dissertation done in one year. No program would let you out that fast even if you somehow pulled it off. You'd probably be finishing the dissertation for a couple of years while working at Sandia on your three year commitment. OTOH if you managed to somehow get an entire year of first-year doctoral program classes done remotely then you'd have a shot at "three" years (really 4+).

Also, you should be asking your current professors about doctoral programs. Asking around here gives me the impression that you really don't know what's involved in a doctoral program. But hey it sounds like you'd be getting a great job so you're probably pretty smart.

If he already has his master's then three years is feasible. The Air Force has the same restrictions and we have had two Air Force officers come through our group and get PhD's in three years. Though it is a little rushed but they were able to get it done.

 

[darthsidious]

Originally posted by: engineereeyore
Yes, I currently go to Utah State. I've been considering U. of Texas, Texas A&M, U. of New Mexico, Stanford, Purdue, and Vanderbilt. I'd love to go to MIT, but the cost of living is awful. They're only paying for my schooling, not my living expenses.

Wait, I though most MIT grants (TAship/RAship) included Tuition and a stipend (about $1500 a month). Most grad students I know can live off that, and almost no grad student at MIT pays out of pocket, atleast in engineering

<--- Currently a senior at MIT.

 

[Acanthus]

MIT graduates *DO* make more than other grads, not sure where the person said otherwise is getting their info.

Its not substantial, but its there, 10-15%.

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the top schools. Though really for graduate, it's mostly about what you want to study specifically. I know here the computational electromagnetics groups is one of the best and you probably couldn't do much better if you got into Nick Holonyak's or Milton Feng's groups in terms of solid state.

One of the postdocs in the group I'm in went there for his grad school.

 

[oboeguy]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire

Originally posted by: oboeguy

Originally posted by: engineereeyore
Current University = Utah State University
Degree seeking = Ph. D in Electrical (or Computer) Engineering

I'm not too worried about working on cool stuff. I'm accepting a job at Sandia National Labs, and that work is all about cool. They have a program there that allows you to leave for 3 years and work on your degree, while still receiving all your benefits and 60-75% of your pay. Just have to work for them for 3 years afterwards. So I'm planning on enrolling in that after my 1st year of work, but until then I'd like to take some courses through distance education and just get things started. That should make finishing a Ph.D in three years a little easier.

Many of you have referenced some nice schools. I plan to do the research myself, but if you know, do any of them have good distance ed setups?

Nice plan but

1) you won't finish in three years
2) if you're asking about which Ph.D. program here or looking at US N&WR you're not ready for a Ph.D.


Seriously, no program lasts only three years. You'll have min two years of classes and there's no way you'll get a dissertation done in one year. No program would let you out that fast even if you somehow pulled it off. You'd probably be finishing the dissertation for a couple of years while working at Sandia on your three year commitment. OTOH if you managed to somehow get an entire year of first-year doctoral program classes done remotely then you'd have a shot at "three" years (really 4+).

Also, you should be asking your current professors about doctoral programs. Asking around here gives me the impression that you really don't know what's involved in a doctoral program. But hey it sounds like you'd be getting a great job so you're probably pretty smart.

If he already has his master's then three years is feasible. The Air Force has the same restrictions and we have had two Air Force officers come through our group and get PhD's in three years. Though it is a little rushed but they were able to get it done.

Ah, good point. I completely mis-read the first post! My bad. My other point still holds.

 

[Legend]

Entirely depends on your specialization.