Engineering as Undergrad major versus Grad degree?

ucbalumnus
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 01:47:42 +0000

profdad2021:

I have heard of ABET accreditation for undergrad programs. Does this exist at the grad level?

Yes, but rarely. Graduate engineering programs typically have specialized focus rather than general coverage of all relevant areas in that area of engineering.

http://main.abet.org/aps/Accreditedprogramsearch.aspx lets you look for ABET accredited programs. Note that there are only 36 schools with ABET-accredited programs at the master’s degree level, many of which are in other areas that ABET accredits that are not engineering.

profdad2021:

Is it unusual for STEM majors (not in engineering) to attend grad school in engineering.

Depends on the undergraduate major and the graduate major and subarea. For example, math or statistics to industrial engineering, or computer science to computer engineering, may be more doable than biology to electrical engineering. Engineering physics may be more likely than most other majors to be able to enter a graduate engineering program with less “catch up” work.

profdad2021:

And at that level, is the ABET accreditation relevant?

Strictly speaking, it is mainly as a prerequisite to Professional Engineering licensing (most common in civil engineering) or the patent exam. However, employers commonly see ABET accreditation as a marker of meeting a minimum quality standard, at least if they do not know the school, even if PE licensing or the patent exam is not applicable.

profdad2021:

Current thinking is an undergraduate degree in engineering physics which does not come with the accreditation. Grad school maybe aerospace but possibly some other type of engineering.

What is the reason for this, as opposed to studying mechanical or aerospace engineering?