The 20 Best Schools for Engineering Majors in 2009

The 20 Best Schools for Engineering Majors in 2009

Below, we’ve ranked the top engineering programs in the country for 2009. When choosing which were the best engineering schools, we placed heavy emphasis on schools that specialize in engineering over schools that may have decent academic programs but don’t necessarily produce graduates who are ready to work as engineers right out of college. The colleges and universities we selected have an excellent reputation, ensure strong job prospects and also have their programs specially crafted to give you hands-on experience and make you the best engineer you can be.

1. Cooper Union

Cooper Union’s Albert Nerkin School of Engineering is ranked as the top undergraduate engineering program in the country. The school offers specialized engineering programs in civil, mechanical, chemical, electrical, and an interdisciplinary program. The curriculum is intended to prepare graduates to enter their chosen field immediately after graduation. Graduates of Cooper Union are aggressively recruited for top positions in the engineering fields. The undergraduate program also prepares the students for continued graduate studies in engineering. The program only admits around 550 students so that the school can provide a student focused program ensuring every student receives the personalized attention in both the classroom and the laboratory.

2. Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

The Cal Poly School of Engineering combines classroom learning and practical application to ensure students receive the most comprehensive engineering education possible. The school’s curriculum is project based; students use projects to practice what is learned in the classroom. The intention of this type of curriculum is to ensure graduates are well versed in both the theory and practical application of their program. The school offers engineering degrees in various specialties including aerospace, biomedical and general, computer, computer science and software, electrical, industrial and manufacturing, materials, mechanical, among others. Graduates of Cal Poly are actively recruited because they are known to be well prepared to begin a career in the engineering field immediately after graduation.

3. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

The Rose Hulman Institute of Technology offers an experienced expert faculty of which the majority are PhDs in their fields. The school offers a range of engineering degrees which include chemical, civil, and electrical, computer and software, environmental, mechanical, physics and optical, and engineering management. The Rose Hulman Institute’s degree programs are intended to provide the skills and knowledge to prepare their graduates to successfully enter the engineering fields of today. Additionally, the school teaches their students techniques which will be able to be used to solve the engineering problems in the future. The programs at this school prepare their graduates for careers in any industry.

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The MIT engineering department has long made MIT one of the preeminent engineering schools in the nation. MIT doesn’t just teach their students the basic ideas and principals needed to succeed in the various engineering fields. MIT instills the idea that engineering is a field which constantly requires new perspectives and applications of previously pioneered and established ideas. MIT is constantly on the cutting edge of technology and ideology. MIT offers engineering programs in aeronautics and astronautics, biological, chemical, civil, environmental, electrical, computer science, material science, mechanical, and nuclear science. MIT works collaboratively with the government and private industries and is credited with developing much of what is commonly used in both industries. Graduates of MIT are considered the leading engineers in their fields.

 5. United States Military Academy

 

The United States Military Academy (USMA) department of engineering offers a comprehensive and intensive engineering education to military cadets. The program first began in 1989 and has grown into one of the premier engineering programs in the nation. USMA’s engineering program offers a unique curriculum which focuses on military, environmental, organizational, and operational engineering. The program seeks answers to the most common and pressing economical and general issues facing the nation. Students are afforded the opportunity to participate is some of the most cutting edge research projects on the planet and become a part of the solution to many of the world’s most prevalent problems.

6. Stanford University

Stanford University’s engineering program is a broad based program which succeeds in delivering a quality education while striving to improve the world through research focused on finding solutions. Stanford believes by training the future leaders of engineering and those who will one day teach potential future leaders of the engineering fields, the school can effectively contribute to the betterment of society. As a school which focuses much of their resources on entrepreneurship, Stanford is often credited with being the catalyst for many of the businesses that surround the school. Students can earn engineering degrees in aeronautics and astronautics, bioengineering, chemical engineering, civil and environmental, computer science, electrical, management and material science, and mechanical.

7. United States Naval Academy

The engineering program at the United States Naval Academy is the premier mechatronics and feedback control programs in the nation. The school leads in all aspects of robotics, unmanned vehicles, guidance systems, computer vision and sensor technology. Students in this engineering program may not be learning to create from the beginning, instead they learn to develop and improve on existing technologies to create even more advanced technology in the fields of mechanical and electrical engineering as they are applicable to the fields focused on by the academy.

8. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley Engineering is at the forefront of engineering research. Like most of the leading programs in engineering, UCB strives to educate the future leaders of the engineering fields and to positively impact the world through research and innovation. But not all University’s can boast success like the University of California, Berkeley. The University is seizing the opportunity to effect change through their teaching. The University has more than 4000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in their various engineering programs. The school offers degrees in computational engineering science, engineering mathematics and statistics, physics, environmental and ocean. The teaching faculty have received hundreds of honors and awards for their endeavors and efforts in the fields of engineering.

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia Institute of Technology’s engineering program provides a comprehensive program which strives to educate their students in the various fields of engineering while also preparing their students to meet the needs of a constantly changing world. Students are offered a curriculum which includes the relevant liberal arts courses to help lead to an understanding of the world they endeavor to change and improve through their work in the engineering field. The students can earn degrees in aerospace engineering, biomedical, chemical and bimolecular, civil and environmental, electrical and computer, industrial and systems, mechanical, and polymer, textile and fiber engineering. The faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology have earned more than 1000 awards.

10. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering has a curriculum focused towards entrepreneurship, innovative teaching methods, and project based learning. The program is an interdisciplinary curriculum which includes relevant liberal arts teaching in a rigorous science and engineering program. Students can study electrical, computer, and mechanical engineering. The low 9 to 1 student to teacher ratio allows for a strong student based program with an interpersonal environment. The school is an independent nonprofit college which offers each student they admit a generous scholarship opportunity.

11. Cornell University

The Cornell University engineering department provides a thorough engineering education which has a clear defined path to lead the University for the next ten years. The University intends to continue on their current path of excellence; recognizing the essential part engineering plays in the world today and in the future. Cornell takes a collaborative approach between the various engineering disciplines. By using the teachings from the different engineering fronts to facilitate discovery and innovation, Cornell will continue to provide the education necessary to develop successful leaders in all fronts. Besides offering the usual degrees in the various engineering fields, Cornell also includes a unique program known as the engineering communications program. The program teaches the engineering students to effectively communicate both verbally and in written form.

12. Bucknell University

 

Bucknell University’s engineering school is a unique program which fosters a personal relationship between the faculty and students. Students work closely with the faculty on competitive engineering based projects and research opportunities. Bucknell offers degree programs in biomedical, chemical, civil and environmental, computer science, electrical and mechanical. The school also offers a program which links students with professional alumni from the school to help mentor and encourage them during their time at the University while helping connect them and lead them to employment opportunities in the industry after graduation.

13. California Institute of Technology

The Caltech engineering program encourages students to reach towards creative approaches to solve and improve the most challenging and pressing of engineering issues. Caltech students engage in cutting edge research projects while engaging in an interdisciplinary curriculum. The students of the Caltech engineering program have access to world renowned resources. Caltech alumni and faculty have received 31 Nobel prizes as well as hundreds of other prestigious awards and honors. Students have the opportunity to pursue degrees in the fields of aeronautics, applied and computational mathematics, applied mechanics and physics, bioengineering and civil engineering, control and dynamical systems, computation and neural systems, and several other fields.

14. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois offers twelve specialized engineering degree programs. The school is involved in more than 1900 ongoing research projects with more than 650 researchers assisting with the project. The University of Illinois is considered a pioneer in certain engineering fields such as nanotechnology and bioengineering. The faculty at the University have been awarded many prestigious awards including the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes. The school is also involved in many conferences and workshops across the state.

15. Villanova University

Villanova University engineering department seeks to instill in their engineering students professionalism and a desire to continually strive to higher levels of achievement. The school aims to encourage a sense of social responsibility in their aspiring engineering leaders. Students can elect to enroll in the school’s five year program which allows them to earn both their bachelor and master degrees within their field of interest. Students can pursue a degree in chemical, civil and environmental, computer, electrical or mechanical engineering. Students at Villanova who wish to continue with post graduate studies are afforded the opportunity to pursue additional specialized degree programs in the engineering field.