5 years to graduate? Coop?

<p>I'm applying to RIT RD for the Fall 2013 and intended major is chemical engineering. I'm not sure if Chemical engineering will be ABET accredited anytime soon. Does anyone know? Does everyone here at RIT graduate in 5 years? or 4 years? Is Coop required? I hear people talking about STEM and that its popular. Can someone explain to me what is that and how's it useful?</p>

<p>I think almost every program at RIT is a 5 yr program because, yes, co-op is built into the programs. RIT is just switching from quarters to semesters and so 2 semester length (or longer if combined with a summer) co-ops are part of the program.</p>

<p>STEM just stands for “Science, Technology, Engineering and Math”</p>

<p>Oh okay thanks for clearing that up for me. So Coop is good since it helps when finding a job someday right?</p>

<p>Looking at the degree plan on the website, they show the 5-year plan for Chem. Eng. Not all programs are 5-year plans, though. The one my D is going for is a 4-year program.</p>

<p>Yes, co-op is good. A lot of kids end up getting jobs with the companies they co-op for.</p>

<p>And they don’t charge tuition on co-op semesters.</p>

<p>The thing about this school is that, will chemical engineering be definitely be ABET accredited by the time I graduate (class of 2017)??</p>

<p>Apparently 6 out of 10 students get jobs with one of the companies they did their coop with. Quoting from the info they gave out during one of the open houses.</p>

<p>A program can’t be ABET accredited until the first class graduates. At that point, they normally make all previous degrees earned in that program accredited retroactively (for example, those earned by kids who transferred in).</p>

<p>There is no guarantee that RIT’s Chem E program will be ABET accredited when you graduate. Considering that RIT is a well-respected engineering school with numerous other ABET accredited programs and knows what they’re doing, however, I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t gain accreditation. </p>

<p>Accreditation isn’t as critical as you think, anyway. Most employers are going to look at your school name and your record, and not look up whether your degree is ABET accredited. The difference is if you need licensure (in other words, you need to become a PE). In that case, it’s important that your program is ABET accredited. However, Chem E’s rarely design anything that requires a PE’s stamp.</p>

<p>One of the RIT admission rep. said that Chemical Eng. Will be ABET Accredited by this year. so it will be accredited by the time I graduate.? When was Chem eng, first started at RIT?</p>

<p>It looks like they first started this program in the Fall of 2009:</p>

<p>[RIT</a> Launches Chemical Engineering Degree Program - RIT News](<a href=“http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=46652]RIT”>http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=46652)</p>

<p>I really wouldn’t worry about it - I would be shocked if this didn’t gain its accreditation when the first class graduates. I have no affiliation with RIT, but know its reputation and the caliber of its graduates well enough to be very comfortable that they have put together a program that includes everything necessary to gain accreditation, and then some.</p>

<p>Thanks. Yeah i’m sure it will be accredited by the time i graduate (2017). :)</p>