Students interested in majoring in engineering don’t have the luxury of waiting several semesters before starting work in their major. The demanding sequence of courses requires students to begin major requirements as freshman. Even starting as freshman, engineering majors often take more than four years to graduate.
Furthermore, many engineering programs have large, well-developed cooperative programs where students alternate semesters between working in engineering and attending class. These programs generally require a minimum of five years to complete a four-year degree although there are a few exceptions.
Because of the demanding courses and timeline, in the past engineering students had to forgo opportunities for studying abroad. There were few program that provided students with the necessary coursework that would transfer and apply to their engineering degree.
That is no longer the case as an increasing number of colleges and universities offer engineering majors the chance to study abroad without losing any time in completing their degree. LSU‘s Encounter Engineering in Europe allows students to study abroad in Germany. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, engineering students can minor in international engineering and study abroad in France, Spain, and Japan. Both Kansas State University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville provide grants to engineering students to study abroad. Other universities with study abroad programs for engineering students include:
- University of New Hampshire
- Saint Louis University
- University of Portland
- Trinity University
- University of Pittsburgh
It’s not just the chance to study abroad that has changed. Engineering programs now have opportunities for entrepreneurship, research, applied humanities, and community development.
Of course, potential engineering majors have plenty to do in just deciding what type of engineering to study. There are over 50 different engineering programs. Students will need to pay close attention which engineering majors are offered by a university as well as their accreditation.
The following is a listing of the 50-50 schools with the most engineering graduates as well as the highest percentage of engineering graduates. All of the schools are ABET accredited (except for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy) but you will need to look-up the specific programs. The four-year graduation rate is used for private schools and the five-year rate for public schools.
| Name | Type | State | Full-time Under-grads | 4/5 yr Grad Rate | Engineering | % Engineering | % Freshman Receiving Pell Grants | Avg Net Price After Gift Aid (2014-2015) |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Private | IN | 2,240 | 68 | 399 | 80 | 14 | $40,198 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Private | MA | 4,158 | 76 | 689 | 66 | 12 | $39,011 |
| Missouri University of Science and Technology | Public | MO | 6,168 | 55 | 862 | 66 | 23 | $13,910 |
| Michigan Technological University | Public | MI | 5,330 | 58 | 662 | 57 | 24 | $16,631 |
| Clarkson University | Private | NY | 3,185 | 52 | 415 | 54 | 24 | $29,666 |
| Maine Maritime Academy | Public | ME | 968 | 57 | 101 | 47 | 29 | $21,070 |
| Massachusetts Maritime Academy | Public | MA | 1,506 | 69 | 125 | 44 | 18 | $13,673 |
| SUNY Maritime College | Public | NY | 1,630 | 52 | 126 | 38 | 19 | $16,813 |
| Manhattan College | Private | NY | 3,384 | 59 | 204 | 27 | 27 | $32,502 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | Public | PA | 3,439 | 61 | 189 | 26 | 27 | $20,593 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Public | NC | 21,023 | 71 | 1353 | 24 | 21 | $13,575 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Public | VA | 24,841 | 80 | 1463 | 24 | 15 | $18,398 |
| Marietta College | Private | OH | 1,177 | 56 | 72 | 24 | 35 | $23,539 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | Public | PA | 3,955 | 66 | 160 | 23 | 28 | $22,218 |
| Virginia Military Institute | Public | VA | 1,717 | 72 | 88 | 23 | 15 | $15,197 |
| Purdue University-Main Campus | Public | IN | 28,682 | 70 | 1629 | 22 | 17 | $11,643 |
| Clemson University | Public | SC | 17,238 | 78 | 740 | 19 | 15 | $16,622 |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Public | IL | 31,989 | 83 | 1638 | 19 | 21 | $16,841 |
| Iowa State University | Public | IA | 28,771 | 68 | 1155 | 19 | 20 | $13,647 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona | Public | PA | 3,684 | 66 | 62 | 18 | 29 | $22,318 |
| Auburn University | Public | AL | 19,738 | 68 | 788 | 17 | 14 | $21,457 |
| Citadel Military College of South Carolina | Public | SC | 2,461 | 65 | 100 | 16 | 27 | $17,162 |
| The California Maritime Academy | Public | CA | 1,038 | 55 | 30 | 16 | 27 | $14,788 |
| Arizona State University-Polytechnic | Public | AZ | 3,210 | 51 | 109 | 15 | 32 | $12,983 |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | Private | MA | 3,902 | 49 | 108 | 15 | 28 | $34,057 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | Public | PA | 39,520 | 83 | 1637 | 15 | 13 | $24,992 |
| Bradley University | Private | IL | 4,222 | 53 | 177 | 15 | 22 | $27,211 |
| Ohio Northern University | Private | OH | 2,143 | 50 | 65 | 15 | 26 | $23,355 |
| University of California-Merced | Public | CA | 6,164 | 66 | 161 | 15 | 62 | $13,350 |
| University of Massachusetts-Lowell | Public | MA | 9,830 | 50 | 357 | 15 | 26 | $17,035 |
| Oregon State University | Public | OR | 18,493 | 58 | 704 | 15 | 29 | $17,706 |
| University of Dayton | Private | OH | 8,205 | 62 | 277 | 14 | 14 | $31,252 |
| North Dakota State University-Main Campus | Public | ND | 10,676 | 49 | 349 | 14 | 21 | $14,654 |
| University of Portland | Private | OR | 3,698 | 71 | 132 | 14 | 20 | $31,880 |
| Mississippi State University | Public | MS | 16,023 | 54 | 441 | 14 | 32 | $15,426 |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus | Public | OH | 41,117 | 80 | 1490 | 14 | 17 | $18,502 |
| Texas A & M University-College Station | Public | TX | 43,531 | 76 | 1427 | 14 | 24 | $13,723 |
| University at Buffalo | Public | NY | 18,452 | 70 | 679 | 14 | 31 | $15,306 |
| West Virginia University | Public | WV | 20,532 | 52 | 595 | 13 | 27 | $10,405 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks | Public | PA | 2,602 | 58 | 42 | 13 | 37 | $20,967 |
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Public | LA | 23,602 | 60 | 605 | 13 | 22 | $13,552 |
| SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Public | NY | 1,726 | 73 | 49 | 12 | 24 | $17,813 |
| Santa Clara University | Private | CA | 5,303 | 77 | 189 | 12 | 11 | $37,198 |
| University of Maine | Public | ME | 8,120 | 52 | 196 | 12 | 36 | $15,958 |
| Gonzaga University | Private | WA | 4,974 | 73 | 156 | 12 | 14 | $32,111 |
| Texas Tech University | Public | TX | 26,121 | 55 | 633 | 11 | 23 | $15,005 |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | Public | IL | 16,176 | 55 | 427 | 11 | 55 | $11,494 |
| University of Minnesota-Duluth | Public | MN | 8,621 | 56 | 233 | 11 | 25 | $15,653 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Hazleton | Public | PA | 725 | 51 | 5 | 11 | 49 | $19,606 |
| Cedarville University | Private | OH | 3,014 | 50 | 80 | 11 | 26 | $22,721 |
| University of Colorado Boulder | Public | CO | 25,059 | 67 | 626 | 11 | 16 | $21,248 |
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | Public | PA | 17,887 | 80 | 557 | 11 | 15 | $24,311 |
| Washington State University | Public | WA | 21,384 | 60 | 582 | 11 | 33 | $17,929 |
| University of Hartford | Private | CT | 4,533 | 49 | 107 | 11 | 33 | $30,328 |
| University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | Public | OK | 18,133 | 61 | 447 | 10 | 21 | $16,909 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick | Public | NJ | 33,392 | 77 | 789 | 10 | 28 | $15,869 |
| Kansas State University | Public | KS | 17,935 | 56 | 395 | 10 | 22 | $17,022 |
| Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | Public | OK | 18,347 | 56 | 421 | 10 | 29 | $14,222 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | Public | TX | 12,754 | 62 | 315 | 10 | 28 | $8,978 |
This is great information, Michelle. I also know a student that early on determined to look at 3-2 engineering dual degree programs where the student spends 3 years at a liberal arts college to get the distribution requirements out of the way and play sports and then 2 years at a prestigious engineering school. The student graduates with two bachelor degrees, one in science or math from the liberal arts school and the second in engineering from the second school. She is also planning to do graduate work in engineering.
For example, Georgia Tech is on both lists. If a student decides he wishes to earn a Georgia Tech engineering degree, he should also go to http://www.coe.gatech.edu/content/dual-degree to research one or more of the 35 liberal arts and community colleges where he can also earn a science or math liberal arts degree. Many of the liberal arts colleges give high merit scholarship awards to pre-engineering students. In the meantime, they can continue to play sports on a NCAA Division 2 or 3 level or be a significant participant in other clubs and activities. Finally, many students will enjoy starting their college experience in the cooperative atmosphere of a small school.
I hadn’t considered the athletic perspective on 3-2 programs. Unfortunately, too many athlete don’t give the academics aspects of a program the consideration they deserve.