Is cornell engineering practical or research based?

collegehelp
Thu, 14 Jul 2005 10:20:34 +0000

For Cornell Engineering faculty, the emphasis is almost completely on research, advising, and teaching, although most faculty also do some consulting and have applied engineering experience. Cornell explicitly strives to provide undergraduates with research experience and has a program that funds undergraduate research initiatives.

It changes from year to year, but roughly 40-50% of Cornell Engineering graduates go on to graduate school or professional school (PhD, MEng, MS, MBA, MD, JD, etc). Of these, about 35-40% (of the entire graduating class) go on for a PhD. I think this indicates a research emphasis. In Cornell undergraduate engineering, there is an emphasis on both mathematics and theory and on how to apply these to real-world problem-solving. Students are prepared for both research and the job market, whichever they choose.

Engineering at Cornell is selective for and emphasizes math ability. The average math SAT at Cornell Engineering is within 30 or 40 points of Cal Tech and MIT. I think this also indicates a research emphasis. The Engineering major is demanding and rigorous and the grading is tough. But, there is a lot of support and 95% of the freshmen who start in engineering graduate from engineering.

Some Cornell graduates seek an MEng which is an applied graduate degree. About 35-45 % of Cornell Engineering bachelors graduates are employed within one year after graduation. This shows that students are also grounded in practical applications. Thus, 75-85% are either employed or in grad school. About 3-5% go into things like the Peace Corps. About 10% are still seeking employment one year after graduation.

As in the other top 20 or so undergraduate engineering programs in the country, Cornell graduates are prepared for both research and applied engineering careers.