Going back to school for engineering

State Forums
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1

I want to earn a 2nd bachelor’s degree in some field of engineering, most likely mechanical. Anyway, I can go to pretty much any public school in FL with my credentials except UF. UF will not take students seeking a 2nd bachelor’s in engineering.

Anyway, I’ve narrowed the decision down to USF and UCF. I ruled FSU out because they don’t even have their own dedicated engineering department. I discarded all the smaller Florida universities such as FAU and FGCU because the more “mobile” my degree is, the better.

Can anyone comment on USF vs UCF mechanical engineering? From what I understand, UCF engineering is probably >> USF engineering. I keep reading horror stories about USF engineering’s advising department. And let’s not forget that many major companies are in Orlando, which would probably make finding an internship easier, and probably lends a little more recognition to a degree from UCF. On the other hand, I don’t exactly like Orlando itself. I’ve been to Orlando many times and even bought a car there, which someone almost crashed into 5 minutes after purchase. Tampa seems to be a better fit; it seems to be somewhat calmer/less NYC-like. And the constant construction in Orlando is horrible. Perhaps I’m just being silly here and I should just go to UCF, wrap up my engineering degree in 2-2.5 years (I have most of the ME prereqs finished) and get out of there if I desire.

Your thoughts?

2

Have you visited UCF? it is not in the city. It is the farthest east you could get with still calling it Orlando. It is a good 30 minutes away from all the tourists.

3

FSU and FAMU share an engineering division, but that shouldn’t matter if the ME major there is suitable for you (of course, you can enroll in either university to access it, which may matter if one is less expensive or some such).

4

UCF is very strong in engineering , and Oviedo has a "tech campus "with Lockheed Martin, and other Orlando firms. Oviedo is calmer than downtown by far. The US Navy hires out of UCF, as do many high tech firms, you cannot go wrong there, for both mechanical engineering and also material science is very strong at UCF, as is optics if you want a minor.

Just to the northeast of UCF, in Seminole County, there are beautiful state parks, see the Big Little Econ State Park, so lots of ways to get into the outdoors. Also, UCF is only 30 minutes from beaches. PLaylinda Beach is super nice as its a National Seashore north of Cape Canaveral. Also, the airboat rides on the St. John’s River just east of UCF are pretty cool!
Restaurants are really good in the UCF area. Many different types of food available.