<p>Does Cornell's College of Engineering put an emphasis on practical applications of engineering like Kettering University, or is it more theory and research oriented like Caltech or MIT?</p>
<p>I hear Cornell is much more theoretical, but it has a co-op option to give you a practical education also. Cornell is a research powerhouse, ranked #10 by pure research dollars, and 5th overall according to this: <a href="http://thecenter.ufl.edu/Rankings-I/2004_Top25_Natl.xls%5B/url%5D">http://thecenter.ufl.edu/Rankings-I/2004_Top25_Natl.xls</a></p>
<p>For Cornell Engineering faculty, the emphasis is almost completely on research, advising, and teaching, although most faculty also do some consulting and have applied engineering experience. Cornell explicitly strives to provide undergraduates with research experience and has a program that funds undergraduate research initiatives.</p>
<p>It changes from year to year, but roughly 40-50% of Cornell Engineering graduates go on to graduate school or professional school (PhD, MEng, MS, MBA, MD, JD, etc). Of these, about 35-40% (of the entire graduating class) go on for a PhD. I think this indicates a research emphasis. In Cornell undergraduate engineering, there is an emphasis on both mathematics and theory and on how to apply these to real-world problem-solving. Students are prepared for both research and the job market, whichever they choose.</p>
<p>Engineering at Cornell is selective for and emphasizes math ability. The average math SAT at Cornell Engineering is within 30 or 40 points of Cal Tech and MIT. I think this also indicates a research emphasis. The Engineering major is demanding and rigorous and the grading is tough. But, there is a lot of support and 95% of the freshmen who start in engineering graduate from engineering.</p>
<p>Some Cornell graduates seek an MEng which is an applied graduate degree. About 35-45 % of Cornell Engineering bachelors graduates are employed within one year after graduation. This shows that students are also grounded in practical applications. Thus, 75-85% are either employed or in grad school. About 3-5% go into things like the Peace Corps. About 10% are still seeking employment one year after graduation.</p>
<p>As in the other top 20 or so undergraduate engineering programs in the country, Cornell graduates are prepared for both research and applied engineering careers.</p>
<p>this would be a good question to ask some professors at Cornell's engineering school...</p>
<p>I attended Cornell's engineering school 100 years ago, and I didn't study engineering anyplace else, and I've never even heard of Kettering, so take this for what it's worth..</p>
<p>The class education for the first two years is mostly, but not entirely, theoretical.</p>
<p>When you start your major (mechanical, electrical, etc) there will be additional theoretical courses in the foundation subjects. for example, a Mech E major would take largely theoretical courses in Fluid Mechanics. but in the last two years there will be other electives you can take that can be either more theoretical or more practical (eg Applications of Thermodynamics). There are probably some courses that have projects as part of them. So you have some flexibility to direct your program of studies towards your goals.</p>
<p>When I attended,the M. Eng. degree was really intended to be the capstone of all of this theory. To get this degree you need to do a significant design project. </p>
<p>My guess is the program of engineering studies is quite similar across a large number of "good" engineering schools, particularly in the first two years. I doubt that the offerings at Cornell are much different from: U Illinois, Purdue, Carnegie Mellon, RPI, Berkely, Stanford, etc. There will be differences mostly in the amount of electives offered in the last two years, depending on the size of the school. The faculty at the various colleges will inevitably emphasize specific areas of research, and consequently available electives for various sub-specialties will vary by college. Bigger programs are likely to be less limiting in the last two years.</p>
<p>The most significant aspects of studying in the engineering college at Cornell, to me, is not so much the engineering program of studies itself (though this is quite strong and robust), but its place as part of Cornell University.</p>
<p>At Cornell you will be attending a world class university, with top students and courses in many areas of study outside of engineering. There may be more liberal arts electives required or available here than most other engineering schools.Your liberal arts electives may be more challenging than at some pure engineering schools, because. eg, your history class may be largely peopled by students with top verbal skills who are pre-law. This may be good or it may be bad, depending on you. </p>
<p>Cornell consists of a number of different colleges with particular missions, and you may find offerings in the other colleges that interest you that are not available at most other universities. I took courses in three different colleges during my undergraduate studies there.</p>
<p>If you decide your future rests elsewhere, there is a good chance you would not have to change universities to change your field of studies. Transfer between colleges is not automatic, but if you've done ok it is very feasible to transfer from the engineering college.</p>
<p>Engineering is frequently a male-dominated field. At Cornell, because of the large number of other colleges, the overall male-female ratio is pretty well balanced.</p>
<p>These type of features of one's school environment,to me, are more different between top engineering schools than the course of studies are different.</p>