<p>I’m not a parent but I hope to get some info from alum or people with more info than me. I have visited Rutgers University, Maryland University, UMass Amherst and will be visiting Boston University in late September. I have also visited engineering universities such as RPI, WPI, RIT, NJIT and Stevens institute of tech. I have heard great things about all of these universities’ engineering departments, but do they compare to schools like RPI or WPI? Or even RIT, NJIT or Stevens?
Thanks in advance</p>
<p>Rutgers is a research institution that is thought of very highly. It might not seem that way because it is after all, a state school. However, the academics there are extremely good. And I would say that the academics there do compare to the schools you mentioned. Even though it is not a place like RPI, where people go there primarily for math and science majors, I think you will find that the education you get from Rutgers is definitely comparable (if not better) than the education you will receive from a tech institute.</p>
<p>Latin4life: thanks for the input and good to hear considering I am an nj resident. </p>
<p>I have also heard about the programs at umass, bu and Maryland but im not sure if this is all hype or if their programs live up to it. Could anyone help me out?</p>
<p>UMD is a large research institution with a very competitive engineering program. You will find many kids from overseas there and plenty of connections to private, as well as government, employers. If a student combines their education with internship or co-op employment, they will have a solid background when they graduate from UMD. UMD compares very well to RPI and WPI in preparing their graduates for future employment (I base this from my work experiences with those graduates).</p>
<p>I don’t think size has much to do with it, nor does public v. private. Many of the nation’s very best engineering programs are at large state universities, especially in the Midwest and in California. For undergraduate engineering, US News ranks UC Berkeley #3, Georgia Tech #5, Illinois #5, Michigan #7, Purdue #10, Texas #10, Wisconsin #13, etc. It’s no exaggeration to say that large public universities dominate the engineering rankings.</p>
<p>Large public universities in the Northeast are not quite so highly regarded, though some are certainly more than respectable. For example, Maryland undergrad engineering is ranked #23 by US News, same as RPI. Rutgers is #50 and UMass Amherst is #58. These compare favorably with #53 Boston U, #58 WPI, #64 RIT, #75 NJIT, and #75 Stevens. </p>
<p>But I’d take all these rankings with a big grain of salt. None of these schools are so special in engineering that they’ll open extraordinary opportunities, but all offer solid, well-respected programs. Just make sure the school is ABET-accredited in the field you want to study, then go for schools that give a good vibe and where you think you’ll most enjoy your undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>thank you all for your replies</p>
<p>bclintonk: could you post the link to these rankings? I have yet to see a full list from us news it is always the preview list showing only about 15 school</p>