UIUC vs. UCSD vs. UK for Engineering

College Search & Lists
1

Intended major: aerospace/mechanical engineering. I want to focus more on aeronautical (not space) if I get into aerospace.

goals: at least a graduate degree in engineering. Enroll in minor or other programs related to CS or economics/business/finance. Planning to work in the US or Europe.

I’m an international student, and I personally do not really care about the weather and aesthetic campus.

UIUC (aerospace engineering)

pros:

  1. nice campus environment personally
  2. A major that I wanted
  3. Very diverse university

cons:

  1. might be hard to get a job as an international aerospace engineering major (need citizenship to work at most aero companies)
  2. Since school is too huge, might be harder to make connections and relationships with professors/advisors

costs:

  • $62000+/year

Special consideration:

  • Planning to apply to Hoeft T&M program, associated with the business school (similar to minor in business/economics). Heard the program really benefits when getting a job (special meeting with companies/lectures/etc)

UCSD (mechanical engineering with a specialization in mechanics of material)

Pros:

  1. Nice location for getting a job (California)
  2. Might be easier to transfer to other UC campuses (Berkeley/LA) than from other universities
  3. Major is easier to get a job than aerospace engineering in the US as an international student.

Cons:

  1. Not sure about my specialization (not really interested at this point / don’t really know what it is. Is it good?)

Costs:

  • $64000+/year

I am currently thinking about these two universities if I do not get into Georgia Tech for the waitlist or UCL(London). However, I am also thinking about these two UK universities:

  • University of Manchester (aerospace engineering)

  • Loughborough University (aeronautical engineering)

I both got into MEng(undergraduate + professional master’s degree) with industrial experience.

Pros:

  1. Since MEng is a bachelor + professional master’s degree (no thesis, more course-based), I heard it is good for getting a job.
  2. Guaranteed internship for 1 year
  3. Good connection with famous companies (CAT, Ford, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, etc)
  4. Takes only 5 years in total to earn a degree + industrial experience
  5. Focus only on my major (I prefer this)

Cons:

  1. Not sure about career prospectives (I could not see statistics of student success from these universities). Maybe I just don’t know.
  2. Might lack other academic perspectives (writing, humanities, social studies, etc). maybe the company might not prefer this?

Costs:

  • $34000+/year

Thank you so much for reading this long thread :slight_smile:

2

Wait, if you’re going to grad school, why do you care about getting a job?

Also, you really need to look at the number in each major. A school like UIUC offers a ton of majors (most not at all related to engineering). I imagine Manchester is the same. In the US, there are pretty much always more MechE’s than Aero majors anywhere. But MechE doesn’t pigeon-hole you in an industry.

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3

I agree with that, but it is much harder to get a job as an international student who pursues aerospace engineering because of the ITAR regulations… and I heard mechanical engineering is broader, while aerospace is very focused.

4

You are an international student. Going to a university is just that; you are being educated as a guest of a US university. That doesn’t mean the school guarantees a job for you.

You are expected to return to your country after graduation. It’s an immigration issue. The government mandates that US employers employ US citizens first, before considering non-citizens (even with a grad degree). Many companies post a note on their websites indicating that they cannot offer sponsorship to non-citizens. (You can do an OPT, but after it is up, it doesn’t guarantee that you will stay in the US.)

Look for a university that will provide you with an education in a setting that feels right for you.

5

I’d choose one of the euro options. It’s cheaper. You’ll get more experience. You’ll have an advanced degree. You’re ok working in Europe with id easier than it is in the US. I’d do that regardless of what GT says.

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6

Pay for engineers in the UK (nearly all jobs at the same level) as well as the rest of Europe outside of Switzerland seems to be lower than in the US.

Though I am puzzled by all the talk about jobs as the OP has said they will go to grad school.

7

That is interesting. There are a whole lot of international students getting US engineering degrees. Engineering codes vary country to country, and European codes are different than US codes so I just assumed these international students were getting US jobs. Clearly I don’t know anything about immigration or visas!