<p>That’s bizarre. Would I be graduating from Wash U then, technically?</p>
<p><a href=“UMSL / Washington University Joint Engineering Program | UMSL”>http://www.umsl.edu/divisions/engineering/</a></p>
<p>Interesting.</p>
<p>Not sure how employers would react to it. It is ABET accredited, though. Engineering people can probably better tell you what they think of it.</p>
<p>Only 3 majors, however.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think only having 3 would be limiting.</p>
<p>Employers will be totally accepting of this engineering program, because it is ABET accredited. It is as good as all but the most elite engineering degrees (MIT, CalTech, Carnegie-Mellon, etc…)</p>
<p>The fact that there are only three majors should not deter anyone interested in those majors, or closely related fields. Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical are three of the four core engineering majors (the other is Chemical). Almost all engineering work is based on some combination, refinement, or expansion of those four core majors. For example, aerospace engineering is basically a form of mechanical engineering.</p>
<p>Having said that, Optical Engineering is an exception. It is a super-specialized field. Personally, I would be cautious about studying it. If you are confident that you understand the career opportunities for Optical Engineering, then move ahead. If not, perhaps consider Electrical Engineering which is more flexible (or minor in EE, if possible). The engineering career has more than its share of ups and downs. The more specialized your knowledge, the higher the ups but the lower the downs.</p>
<p>By the way, because University of Rochester does not have Civil Engineering, I would consider it just as limiting as the UMSL/WUSTL program. As a whole, for most people.</p>
<p>On certain other forums I asked about optical engineering majors and it appears most have been successful in the field. However, I don’t think that is conclusive and I’ll try to find some data later. </p>
<p>One bigger issue with UMSL though is that I don’t really want to stay here. My mom says if I go somewhere here in STL I would be commuting, and that’s not really something I want to do if I’ll be living here. I’m not entirely too sure why that is, I think she just wants to save money wherever we can which is fine. </p>
<p>What do you guys think of the University of San Diego? I noticed they have engineering, albeit only 3 programs. However their engineering school is very new so I am doubting if that would be a good idea or not</p>
<p>Just commenting on what was brought up earlier, University of Arizona is arguably the best school in the country for Optics (Optical sciences/engineering) as well as Astronomy. Tucson area is nicknamed “optics valley” for a reason, and some VERY cool things happen down here that you can get involved in. Most graduates with an Optical Engineering degree from UA are guaranteed jobs right out of school starting at high salaries. Aside from optics it is an amazing school in all facets, definitely check it out!</p>