<p>Got accepted at both. Majoring in mechanical engineering. I need help deciding. Thanks</p>
<p>any thoughts?</p>
<p>CU is the better engineering school. My son is a freshman aerospace major there now. My husband, who got his degrees from Mines and Colorado State, has worked as an engineer in Colorado for 25 years and he says he has never met or even heard of an engineering graduate of DU.</p>
<p>Hey FoColo, I’m a CU grad as well, not engineering, but I’ve heard their aerospace program is one of the very best. My D13 is planning to attend Mines - is it a school your husband would still highly recommend for engineering (she’s thinking environmental)?</p>
<p>^Definately!</p>
<p>I didn’t even know DU had an engineering school and my son is planning on majoring in engineering. He chose out of state schools though. Now he’s decided between his choices. But I saw your post and just wanted to give you an idea of what people in Colorado know. If we don’t know DU had an engineering school, I can assume it’s not that good. When I think DU, I think Law and Business… and Hockey.</p>
<p>How about DU vs. CSU?</p>
<p>CU tops all colorado schools for engineering… definitely DU over CSU though</p>
<p>I have degrees from both CSUs and CUs engineering colleges. Also have worked with a number of people that have gone to CO School of Mines. DU is a strong school for business, law, liberal arts, etc. but it is not well known for engineering. That is not to sau that you would not get a good education there - it is small program but not particularly well known. CSU has a terrific engineering school. In fact CU, CSU, and CO School of Mines are all very good in engineering. Some differences do exist - for example Mines is the only one with mineral engineering majors, CU has the only aerospace eng. program, CSU has the only biomedical engineering program. They all offer good civil, chemical, environmental, mechanical, and electrical programs.</p>
<p>I believe CSU only offers biomedical engineering as a minor. CU Boulder has biochemical engineering which is a little different than biomedical engineering, but seems like a good substitute if you are looking at all three schools and want to major in biomedical engineering.</p>
<p>DU is a good school overall, but is mostly known for its business programs. CU Boulder is much better for sciences and engineering.</p>
<p>CSU has offered a graduate biomedical engineering degree for a while now. However, they recently added an undergraduate biomedical engineering dual degree (biomedical added to mechanical or electrical or chemical).</p>
<p>This past summer my son and I visited CU, CSU and the Colorado School of Mines. Although we live in Florida, his mother has lived in Colorado for since his birth and as such, we are fortunate enough to qualify for in state tuition. That said, my son is interested in Mechanical Engineering. He is also quite active in sports, playing on his varsity golf and soccer teams. He has taken all the AP classes his high school offers in science and math and will be transferring with 15 credit hours in subjects like AP Physics, AP Calculus and AP Chemistry. After visiting the campuses of each school, he decided only to apply to CU and CSU. The reason he left out School of Mines was because it lacked the big college experience. As a member of the varsity golf and soccer team at his high school, he wanted to have the time to join an intramural team, or go skiing, or join a couple of clubs. The School of Mines seemed a bit too specialized and intense to allow for such a diverse education. Plus, I think the boy to girl ratios where the final straw. Anyway, this leaves CU and CSU. At this moment, we have only heard back from CSU where he was admitted. But given his academic standing, I don’t foresee any issue getting into CU. So…when we visited CU and CSU…we noticed some differences. From my son’s perspective, CSU was more of a hands on engineering school…where CU was more theoretical. It seemed that, at CSU, an undergraduate had numerous opportunities to get involved in research and/or projects than CU did. And while we did not get to tour the CU engineering labs because they were closed that day…what we did see was not that impressive. Especially if what I am hearing about the hand on experience at CU is taught through off campus internships. My question is…what is the difference between a CSU and a CU grad with an engineering degree? And…does anyone have any experience with the graduates from these two competing programs? And…is it true that the only mechanical engineering experience you will get from CU will be the off campus internship? And…would a engineering school graduate of CU be more or less likely than a CSU grad with the same engineering degree, to be groomed to lead a team of engineers? I guess what I am asking…does the prestige of CU mean anything in the real world…or will the hands on experience be more important?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance…</p>
<p>So glad I found this thread!! Taking S to see CSU, CU, and Mines over spring break. He wants to be near snowboarding 
and wants to study ChemE. Does anyone know the relative merits of CSU v CU v Mines for ChemE? Also, S plays soccer (high school and club) so would play at club level at CSU and CU, and might have a shot at varsity at Mines. Any info you have that would help force a decision (assuming acceptance at all 3) would be most appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Both these replies are probably late but hopefully they are useful to others.</p>
<p>First, to Bryan100.<br>
I don’t believe there is a lick of prestige difference between CSU vs. CU when it comes to industry. I say this as someone with a BSME from CSU and a MSME from CU (and familiarity of Mines, too - son goes there). I have supervised engineers who have gone to all three schools.</p>
<p>I do believe CSU may be more hands-on. CU more theoretical. CSU has better EIT/FE pass rates. CU is slightly more recognized. Both schools can get you a good engineering education assuming you survive the curriculum and graduate.</p>
<p>When I hire junior engineers, I have learned not to care about the school and instead look deeply at the individual instead. Work ethic, drive, composure, technical skills, communication skills, experience, references (if they have worked), etc. are far more important than the school they went to.</p>
<p>BfloGal,
For Chem E, all three schools are very good. I believe all three have Chem E. grad programs in the top 75 of US engineering schools (USNWR). Each school has had a somewhat different mission over the years but each one does offer a quality Chem E program. CU has been the traditional research university in CO, Mines has been a world class mineral engineering school, and CSU is the state’s land grant university with historical focus on land grant topics such as a agriculture and engineering.</p>
Another late reply, but perhaps this will be useful to prospective engineering students. I have attended both DU and CU Denver for Electrical Engineering. In my experience, I appreciate what DU has to offer over CU. I think that there is definitely a reputation that accompanies a degree from CU, and an even better reputation from School of Mines, but I was not seeking a reputation when I decided to pursue an engineering degree.
First of all, in every class I have ever taken at DU, the professor has learned my name (as well as all of the other students’ names). The small class size is the cornerstone of the advantage DU holds over other engineering schools. This also creates a strong bond among the students, which yields massive benefits when solving complicated and collaborative problems.
DU is currently constructing a 60 million dollar engineering building, The building will be completed in Spring 2016, and will be a state of the art facility. One of the advantages of attending DU is the massive fiscal donations from wealthy individuals who want to support a private institution. I foresee DU becoming one of the premier engineering institutions in the West over the course of the next ten years, in part due to the virtually inexhaustible capital resources the school has access to.
The educational philosophy at DU promotes the development of a multifaceted, or well rounded, education. Within the engineering department, all engineers obtain a fundamental understanding of all engineering disciplines. The mechanical students learn C++, are required to take circuits, and build autonomous vehicles that require programming in LabVIEW (which is unheard of at other universities). The Electrical and Computer students are required to take mechanics coursework (statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, thermo). While the senior engineering project is similar to many other universities, DU also requires junior engineers to take a course called, “Engineering Integration,” which is an additional yearlong group project, which is composed of an ME, EE and CE. The truth of the matter is that the engineering industry is becoming more and more integrated. No mechanical engineer will design systems that are isolated from electrical and computer components, and all electrical and computer engineers will need to actuate their systems with mechanical parts. Look, for example, at the driver-less cars being developed by automotive companies world-wide. These vehicles derive their power and maneuverability from mechanical systems, and are controlled by electrical and computer systems. Unlike the conventional education an engineering student obtains at a more traditional university, DU offers the student a multidisciplinary engineering education. After this foundation is laid, the student then completes subsequent coursework in his/her area of specialization.
Lastly, the Cherrington global scholars program enables the engineer to spend time abroad. DU has one of the highest percentages of students who travel abroad in the country (upwards of 75% of students). This fosters further multifaceted development, and yields tremendous insight into the ethics of engineering from a global perspective. The study abroad is available to engineers. Most universities make this type of travel difficult for an engineering student. At DU, many of the engineers partake in this opportunity.
I will not rag on CU or CSM here. I believe that they are both excellent schools. I believe that choosing the correct school is personal; there is no general rule. If you want a tight knit community of engineers that seek to comprehend all forms of engineering while integrating across a myriad of disciplines, then consider DU.
Lastly, look at the wikipedia page of DU alumni…would a school that yields such high caliber alumni endorse a program that was sub-par?