I realize that these are very different schools, but these programs seem appealing to me in the way that they are all very interdisciplinary and let you go anywhere. The Clarkson U (NY) Engineering & Management program is one of 2 programs in the country accredited by both the EAC-ABET and AACSB (other than Industrial Eng. at WPI-Massachusetts). I have a family member in Ft. Collins, CO, so I will get in-state tuiton (he’s willing to pay) for CU Boulder, and Clarkson is offering me a fair price.
I think that Boulder is the best engineering school out of all of these, but I’m rather stuck. Stony Brook ES (housed in their Materials Science/Eng department, but does general eng. for the first 2 years and lets you specialize in fields like Eng. Mgmt or EE in the last 2) and CU Boulder (E+ program is VERY VERY interdisciplinary, and lets you do ANYTHING.) are both cool in one way, but Clarkson is more of a dual Engineering and Business program which I also really really like (I actually wanted to do a BBA in Mgmt at one point, but after looking into Clarkson & WPI, I changed my mind!) Pls help me. THX!
ONLY if the family member is your father. Colorado does allow students who have one parent instate to pay instate tuition, but not those who just have a ‘family member.’ OOS tuition is pretty high.
Also, between Stony Brook and Clarkson (if CU boulder is out), which one would be better for engineering, assuming they are both the same cost? I’m thinking Clarkson, but its in the middle of nowhere (I’m fine w/ that and the Potsdam snow, but will employers see this remoteness/rural-ness as a minus?)
I’m a 1980s Clarkson grad (Mech Eng, but many friends were ID - Industrial Distribution, now I think called Supply Chain Management). Historically it’s been a great school, with an effective job placement office. But you have to be OK with the small/remote cold location - I loved it, but some students would not.
Note - At Clarkson it can be COLD. But it does not get the huge dumps of lake-effect snow seen in Buffalo/Rochester area.
I’m totally partial to Clarkson. I know several grads and a current student. All loved it, all rave about it, all have been very successful. Their outcomes are pretty amazing.
I’m originally from NY, where most people involved with engineering have heard about Clarkson. In Colorado, it is not a familiar name. That’s probably the case in many other places too… so I’ll proudly post this FYI link from my alma mater - https://www.clarkson.edu/accolades
I had the feeling that Clarkson is better than Stony Brook! I absolutely LOVE the E&M program there. I have a few questions about it though. Is it as reputed as well as the EE/CE/ME/AE majors at Clarkson? Is it a good program? Is the major tougher than the rest, and are the jobs better or worse than the other majors?
I know that the average starting salary for Clarkson grads is $60.9k, and do E&M grads earn better or worse than this starting salary? Other EMers at other schools seem to be earning as much as their IE counterparts; not as much as CompE or CS. Thank you very much.
Between CU-B and Clarkson though, I’m leaning towards Boulder, but the fact that it won’t offer in-state tuition or good aid (as a public, I assumed so) is putting me off.
Also, Is Clarkson as generous in giving aid as Stevens IT (NJ) or Case Western (I heard Lehigh sucks. I liked their CSB program though), or do a lot of students pay sticker price? If I’m paying sticker price (both my parent’s make over $100k) for Clarkson, then I’m sticking w/ SUNY SB.
PS. I DO NOT really want to go into Manufacturing Eng, Industrial or Construction Eng industries. Will the Clarkson E&M program lead me that way, or can I go towards IT? I like InfoTech and computers as a career, but in college, I may want to do something slightly different (rather than pure CS or CompE/ECE) to be flexible later on.
Also, the info that HPuck35 posted is going against what I thought about the Clarkson program, or any Eng. Mgmt. program for that matter. Others said that EM is very good because it gives a perfect balance of both the Management side of Eng and proper Engineering (I posted on a previous forum, and they said that EM is a perfectly legitimate Engineering degree as long as it’s ABET accredited, and Clarkson is!). I will take his opinions into consideration though. I’ve seen both sides in Reddit, Quora and CC.
Also, isn’t EM most similar to industrial eng?
Even if EM sucks, if I get an MSc or MEng in one of the traditional Eng disciplines, will I be good to go for a career?
I read a couple of the HPuck35 links, and glanced at the Clarkson website. Clarkson’s site isn’t very user friendly. Specifically, I wanted to quickly determine what the degree would be in for E&M, and couldn’t.
This site suggests the E&M degree is in the business college, is that right? If so, I would not consider it an engineering degree.
I certainly don’t want to discourage the E&M if you’re passionate about it. But my earlier comment about Clarkson’s engineering reputation was directed at the engineering college.
It is in both departments equally, and it is fully EAC-ABET (for more than 10 years now) and AACSB accredited. This the reason why this program is appealing. If Clarkson E&M wasn’t accredited by ABET (It is accredited under the Engineering Mgmt criteria, FYI), I’d never even consider it. For EM, it’s either Clarkson (NY) or Stevens IT in Hoboken, NJ for me. Clarkson has accreditation from the AACSB too, while Stevens doesn’t, but both are good programs (w/ connections in NYC).
Also, I would ONLY go to Clarkson either for Software Eng (not offered everywhere) or E&M (only at Clarkson). Other than that, I could go somewhere better (like Ohio State or NYU).
The only other program accredited by both EAC (NOT!!! CAC)-ABET and AACSB/ACBSP is the Industrial Eng program at WPI (Mass), housed in their Foisie Business School but considered an Engineering program.
@OhiBro , what did you mean by “what the degree would be in?” Did u mean curriculum? The curriculum seems to be pretty evenly split between business and engineering, and you have to complete a co-op and study abroad (as per the Business school graduation reqs) like any other Reh Business School UG. Like I said, it seems to be in both schools equally. You can also choose between 2 capstone projects leaning towards either management or engineering. Clarkson says that the degree is a perfect balance between Engineering and Business acumen needed for today’s technology-industry managers, but the people on CC seem to be questioning this.
Yes, is there a detailed curriculum? It’s along the same lines as what was said in one of the links about wanting to know what classes a potential employee has taken.
I’m not trying to persuade or dissuade you from anything, and think any opinions you get on CC should at most be a very tiny factor in your decision. Yours and your parents opinions are paramount.
Maybe a different way to look at it is, if I am hiring an engineer for a design or a testing position, I will look for a pure engineering grad. But perhaps an E&M grad wouldn’t even be applying for such a position, anyway.
Clarkson gives pretty good merit; Stevens gives pretty good FA. If you don’t quality for FA, Clarkson might be your less expensive option. But as @ucbalumnus advises, check the NPC.
RE WPI management/engineering undergraduate options:
Hunt around the discussions @ https://www.wpi.edu/academics/business/undergraduate One can come at these subjects from many directions. The business and engineering schools are integrated and you can blend options from a number of directions. You can virtually design your on program with faculty advisors.
Is Clarkson known or renowned nationally (outside NY), and do NYC employers like to hire a Clarkson engineering grad (vs. Binghamton or Buffalo, etc.)?
Also, like I asked before, if EM really puts me on the wrong track for jobs, can I do a master’s degree in a more traditional engineering discipline and then be OK?