<p>drumstyx123, rogracer’s ego, as “a recruiter for a major aerospace company”, is clearly impeding his ability to give unbiased and sound advice. If you examine rogracer’s history of comments throughout this forum (I suggest you do), you’ll see a pattern of ERAU-bashing. He obviously has some deep-rooted issues with the institution. With regard to your “dilemma/decision” consider the following: as an undergraduate student, the name/reputation of your school does play a visible role in the opportunities available to you (in terms of academic research, extra-curricular professional/academic opportunities i.e co-ops & internships, networking, industry recruiting); yet, the very tangible and easily quantifiable parameters such as school name/reputation, average SAT/GPA of incoming freshman, etc., DO NOT define your ability to succeed as a student and/or as a professional. If you have the will, desire, and dedication to succeed, then you will make if happen. I personally know individuals that have graduated from The University of Florida, The University of Central Florida, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, that are all highly intelligent and capable Aerospace/Mechanical Engineers, holding key and influential positions at companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Gulfstream Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, Rocketdyne, Space Exploration Technologies, United Launch Alliance, Dynetics, XCOR, and Aerojet… and at government agencies including NASA, AFRL, U.S Army, U.S Airforce Space Command, ESA, EADS, MTU, SNECMA, and Reaction Engines Ltd. just to name a few. The bottom line is, that YOU are the deciding factor. UF, UCF, ERAU, and numerous other educational institutions nationwide serve as platforms and springboards, where you are given the opportunity to take advantage of technical information/curriculum, and what you do with that information (how you carve your path to success) to purely up to you. It is narrow-minded hiring managers like rogracer, at companies like Lockheed Martin Co., that prevent these institutions from truly acquiring world-class talent, where their recruiting schemes are based purely on statistics, and other highly automated and non-personal parameters. I beg to differ, regarding rogracer’s claims of ERAU’s aerospace engineering program as second-rate. I am very familiar the quality of ERAU’s engineering education, and have had the opportunity to work alongside many ERAU grad’s in the aerospace industry (specifically at NASA). Check out the link below to further investigate the aerospace engineering curriculum offered by ERAU. In addition to the core engineering classes required for ABET accreditation, the upper-level (junior/senior) coursework at ERAU is highly specialized; note that most other universities do not offer this level of specialization at the undergraduate level. In summary, choose whichever university suits your personal needs/situation. If you are persistent, you will most definitely succeed in completing your undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering, and will have to opportunity to affect change in the national/worldwide aerospace community.</p>
<p>[ERAU</a> Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics](<a href=“http://www.erau.edu/db/degrees/b-aeroengineering.html#req]ERAU”>http://www.erau.edu/db/degrees/b-aeroengineering.html#req)</p>
<p>Check out the specific course req’s in this PDF document:
<a href=“http://www.erau.edu/db/degrees/requirements/0910/db-aerospace-engineering-bachelor.pdf[/url]”>Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University;
<p>Again, UF, UCF, or ERAU - all have solid programs - you will be able to get a job if you maintain a solid GPA; make sure to get involved in extra-curriculars (honor societies, etc.), participate in internships/co-ops early on, and get involved in undergraduate research if you’re interested in pursuing a graduate/advanced degree</p>