I was wondering if anyone can discuss engineering at Villanova. I know in the past they were in the top 10 for schools where PHDs were not offered, but now that they do there ranking has dropped significantly (to number 91). I was wondering if anyone knew a bit about the college of engineering?
Hello, my name is Sam Testa. I’m a recent graduate of Villanova University’s college of engineering currently working as a NASA design engineer at the Kennedy Space Center. I majored in mechanical engineering, with a concentration in dynamic system design, during my time as an undergraduate, and am currently a distance learning Villanova mechanical engineering graduate student. Villanova has, what I think is a very impressive engineering program. As an engineer at Nova, you will experience four years of mostly structured coursework, designed to teach you as much as possible about your engineering discipline. Freshman year, you will start off with gen ed type courses, sciences and math mainly, which will help create the foundation engineers will need for the next 3 years of classwork. You will also participate in a multidisciplinary engineering course which will expose you to all of the engineering majors offered at Villanova. This course is designed to inform new engineers of their options, as well as help them ensure they’re making the right choice in the type of engineering they have chosen to pursue. This course encompasses hands on engineering projects, including mechanical design, software writing, chemical engineering projects, etc. in your first year at school, which is hard to find at other universities. Villanova also has several well known engineering extra curricular activities, including undergraduate research opportunities and their Formula SAE team, both of which I was a part of for several years. Several of the professors you will have in your four years as a Nova student actively participate in on campus scientific and engineering research, which students are eligible to be involved in as research and technical assistants. This provides yet another avenue of hands on engineering experience, and the potential for a paid on campus job, as well as potential material for advanced degrees. The Formula SAE team is a on campus racing club. Each year, the team builds a formula one-style race car from the ground up, performing all of the design work, manufacturing, and assembly in-house with Villanova’s college of engineering machine shop. Once the car is designed and built, the team competes in races and design competitions against other university teams, most notably in Michigan at the international speed way. This is one of Villanova’s best features, as being a part of this team allows you immediately experience hands on engineering. There is no better way to learn how to be an engineer than to be working in a student run, interdisciplinary team of engineers, designing, manufacturing, and building a race car yourself. My time at Villanova was amazing, and although I am most definitely biased, I believed it offers one of the best engineering college experiences available. I have friends who attended other universities as engineers, and none seem to compare to the experiences I was offered. Villanova is also a huge part of why I am where I am today, a NASA engineer. I hope all of this information gives you a bit more insight into Villanova’s engineering program and good luck in your coming years! \V//