Studying Engineering in the US

The United States is renowned for its strong engineering programs and has a plethora of institutions that are recognized for their excellence in engineering education.

From Ivy League universities to prestigious public institutions and specialized engineering colleges, we will explore the top schools that consistently produce talented engineers and push the boundaries of innovation. Whether you're interested in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or computer science, this guide will provide insights into the curriculum, faculty, research opportunities, industry partnerships, and more. We will also highlight some notable alumni and cutting-edge research projects undertaken by these institutions. Prepare to journey to discover the top engineering schools in the United States and pave your way to a successful and fulfilling career.

Aerospace- Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Agricultural/Biological Engineering and Bioengineering Architectural Engineering Biomedical/Medical Engineering Ceramic Sciences and Engineering Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Computer Engineering- General Construction Engineering Electrical- Electronics and Communications Engineering Engineering Mechanics Engineering Physics Engineering Science Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering Forest Engineering Geological/Geophysical Engineering Industrial Engineering

Manufacturing Engineering Materials Engineering Materials Science Mechanical Engineering Metallurgical Engineering Mining and Mineral Engineering Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Nuclear Engineering Ocean Engineering Operations Research Petroleum Engineering Polymer/Plastics Engineering Surveying Engineering Systems Engineering Textile Sciences and Engineering

Engineering is a field chosen by students who love to understand how the world functions, break down different factors and remodel them into things that can provide a life of ease to humans. This field allows the students students creative in the areas they like, allowing them to use science to find solutions for the problems given to them. Engineering is a vast field from which students can choose to specialize in their area of interest, going as far as being a scientist or becoming a professional right after graduation.

Students who pursue an interest in engineering may choose from the primary branches of civil engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. Each of these primary branches has different subsections, each of which can be specialized by the student. The subsections for Engineering include Aeronautical Engineering, Astronautical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Ocean Engineering, Construction Engineering, Architectural Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Industrial Engineering.

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredits college and university programs in engineering and engineering technology ABET accreditation is based on a program's faculty, curriculum, and facilities; the achievement of a program's students; program improvements; and institutional commitment to specific principles of quality and ethics Graduation from an ABET-accredited program may be required for engineers who need to be licensed.

What are admission requirements for Engineering courses?

Due to the professional nature of the course, all Engineering courses generally require similar prerequisites for applying to colleges and universities. It is recommended that before applying to any institution for Engineering, students check if the college or university is ABET certified. The Top Ranked Universities for Engineering will require students to have a decent GPA along with their score reports for the GRE (for MS degree) or SAT/ACT (for BS degree).

Students will also require transcripts from their previously studied places and letters of recommendation. If they aspire to get into courses like MS/Ph.D., they will also require research experience to receive admission.

Benefits of Studying Engineering

Engineering aspirants who wish to study in the US will be able to find that this professional course offers them unlimited possibilities in the job market, From being able to specialize in the field of their choice at an early stage to receiving high-paying salaries after graduation, they will be able to mold their lives in the way they desire Universities in the US provide students with the option of taking up a major in their field of interest from the third semester letting them move on with their education rather than study the basics until they choose to continue their education with a Master’s degree and a Ph.D.

Apart from working as Engineers in their respective fields of study, students from this field will be able to easily traverse the fields of Business, Law, and Logistics or take up certification courses that can further specialize them in different fields, offering them career opportunities in various other fields.

Engineering Disciplines and their Subdisciplines

Over the years, the number of students taking up Engineering degrees has increased drastically, with the NCES reporting that 2017-2018, almost 122,000 students were awarded Engineering degrees.

The four main disciplines in Engineering are Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Each of these fields has various subdivisions that mostly combine other disciplines to let the student focus on individual aspects they can specialize in more than receiving a general idea of the course. The subdisciplines of each section are as follows-

Civil Engineering

The field of Civil Engineering broadly deals with environments that are physically and naturally built. It deals with the construction and sustenance of architectural setups with specializations. Their study focuses on all construction-related aspects of the public and private sectors, including roads, tunnels, dams, buildings, etc. They often must complete a graduate degree to stand out in the job market and get paid better with the option of getting promoted to senior positions.

In 2019, there were almost 21,938 degrees awarded in the US alone, with the in-state public tuition fee average accounting for up to $8,091 and the out-of-state private tuition fee accounting for up to an average of $46,950. Students in this field mostly complete their undergraduate degrees and move on with their careers because the average salary for Civil Engineers is estimated at around $102,000.

The specializations and subdivisions that come under Civil Engineering are as follows-

• Environmental Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
  • Foundation Engineering
• Structural Engineering
  • Earthquake Engineering
  • Wind Engineering
  • Architectural Engineering
  • Ocean Engineering
• Transport Engineering
  • Traffic Engineering
  • Highway Engineering
• Utility Engineering
  • Subsurface Utility Engineering
• Water Resources Engineering
  • Hydraulic Engineering
  • River Engineering
  • Coastal Engineering
  • Groundwater Engineering
• Ecological Engineering
• Sanitary Engineering
• Wastewater Engineering

Common Courses for BS/MS in Civil Engineering

The courses that are dealt with in Civil Engineering are mostly-

• Environmental Engineering Design
• Project Evaluation
• Engineering Mechanics
• Project Management
• Dynamics
• Fluid Mechanics
• Statics
• Strength of Materials
• Engineering Economics

Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering deals with producing and studying products using chemical processes. They will have to create the equipment necessary for their study and process chemicals to produce valuable goods. n include subjects like biology and physics along with mathematics to the principles of chemistry to create innovative and essential products They of. n only require a bachelor’s degree for receiving high payihigh-payingr>
In 2019, almost 14,406 chemical engineering degrees were awarded to students in the US, with the median in-state public tuition accounting for $8,824 and the median out-of-state private tuition at almost $50,800. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary that chemical engineers receive is around $123,000 per year. The specializations in this field broadly are-

• Biomolecular Engineering
  • Genetic Engineering
  • Biochemical Engineering
  • Engineering of DNA and RNA
• Materials Engineering
  • Metallurgical Engineering
  • Ceramic Engineering
  • Polymer Engineering
  • Crystals Engineer
  • Biomaterials Engineering
• Process Engineering
  • Petroleum Refinery Engineering
  • Plastics Engineering
  • Paper Engineering
  • Textile Engineering
• Corrosion Engineering

Common Courses for BS/MS in Chemical Engineering

The common courses offered by universities for Chemical Engineering are-

• Polymer Science
• Drug Development
• Biomechanics
• Electrochemistry
• Chemical Kinetics
• Organic Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• Sustainable Energy

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineers design and develop machines, tools, and engines that are required to solve existing problems. They will also be required to redesign existing devices by upgrading the existing features and eliminating performance inhibitors from the equation. Their job often includes office work and sometimes even in the worksite, depending upon the problem they are dealing with.

It is one of the most popular Engineering courses, with 47,405 students graduating in 2019. The median in-state public tuition fee for the course is $7,697, and the median out-of-state fee is estimated to be $40,407. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the average salary of a mechanical engineer is around $106,000 in 2023. The subdivisions and specializations in the field are-

• Acoustic Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Optometric Engineering
• Thermal Engineering
• Sports Engineering
• Vehicle Engineering
• Power Plant Engineering
• Energy Engineering

Common Courses Offered for BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering

The common courses offered for Mechanical Engineering are-

• Calculus Based Physics
• Dynamics
• Differential Equations
• Mathematics
• Statics

Electrical Engineering

Students from this field are expected to deal with electrical equipment from the basic design to the development, maintenance, and supervision of the equipment that has been created. They work both in the public and private sectors, and their work is often away from worksites and confined to offices.

Electrical Engineering is the second-most popular course in the engineering field, with around 31,384 students awarded their degree in the9. The average in-state public tuition fee is around $8,047, and the average out-of-state private tuition fee is estimated to be around $42,842 by Data USA. The average salary of an Electrical and Electronics Engineer is estimated to be around $120,000 by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The different specializations available under Electrical Engineering are-

• Electronic Engineering
  • Control Engineering
  • Telecommunications Engineering
• Computer Engineering
  • Software Engineering
  • Hardware Engineering
  • Network Engineering
• Power Engineering
• Optical Engineering

Common Courses in BS/MS Electrical Engineering

The common courses offered in Electrical Engineering in most universities are-

• Analytic Geometry
• Biochemistry
• Calculus
• Chemistry
• Computer Science

Other Popular Engineering Courses

Some of the popular courses in Engineering apart from the primary courses are as follows-

Petroleum Engineering

This field of Engineering is mainly associated with the extraction and processing of both crude oil and natural gas. It is a sector that has no shortage in demand for employees. Engineers from this field can receive high-paying jobs with only a Bachelor’s degree. They can work in both public and private sectors by either contributing to the existing extraction method of crude oil and natural gas or creating new methods.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary (2023) of a Petroleum Engineer is $149,000.

Computer Engineering

Computer Engineers have to deal with computer-related research to design and develop computer components and systems Their discipline integrates both electronic engineering and computer science for the development of technological things The hardware they develop includes memory chips, hard disks, optical drives, input and output devices, modems, switches, etc.

The average salary of a Computer Engineer is $148,000 according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical Engineering deals with a combination of engineering and sciences to design and develop software They often work in research facilities This field had around 12,001 students graduating in the year 2019 according to Data USA Biomedical Engineers or Bioengineers receive an average salary of $107,000 per year. Find more about Engineering as a career.

Top Universities for Graduate Programs in Engineering

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Stanford University
• University of California-Berkeley
• California Institute of Technology
• Carnegie Mellon University

Some Facts on Engineering

• Mechanical Engineering is the most popular degree in the US. Around 47,405 Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering degrees are awarded each year. Only 15,891 computer Engineering Degrees (BS) are awarded each year!
• Maximum degrees (BS) are awarded from the following Colleges: Engineering Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Georgia Institute of Technology, Virginia Technology, and Purdue University. They are the largest Engineering programs in the US.
• Around 60,000 Masters (Engineering) are awarded each year, 9,000 of them are Computer Science Degree (which takes the largest share in Master’s Program).
• Overall engineering employment is expected to grow by 4 percent over the 2018-28 decade, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
• Job outlook for Aerospace Engineers (2018-2028) is slower than average.