<p>I am currently looking at the Engineering Dual Degree Program offered by Butler University. Butler shares an affiliation with Purdue's campus in Indianapolis (IUPUI), and according to the information I have read I will be able to obtain a degree in a Butler major of my choosing, as well as one from Purdue in one of 5-6 engineering disciplines offered. From my understanding, I will never have to transfer completely over to IUPUI, but I will have to commute for classes. For the first 3 years, all engineering classes are taught at Butler's campus by IUPUI professors, so naturally this seems like a solid option, seeing as I could potentially receive 2 degrees for less money than I would pay at Purdue's main campus. I have a few concerns, however:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Butler is a smaller school that is known for its music, dance, and pharmacy programs, and the campus lacks any type of engineering facility, save a computer lab with modeling software</p></li>
<li><p>For research opportunities, I would have to commute to IUPUI, which may be difficult as my courseload increases</p></li>
<li><p>The program has not been around for very long, and I am unsure as to whether or not an IUPUI engineering degree holds the same respect as a Purdue degree from the main campus</p></li>
<li><p>the students at IUPUI are a mix of ages, ranging from typical full-time undergrads to those who work full-time and are coming back to school. This may make it difficult to become involved in any group research, etc.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Overall, I guess I am just wondering if it would be worth it to give this a try, or if I would be better off attending Purdue or UW Madison, where I will not have to commute and most, if not all, of the opportunities I will need to succeed and get the most of my education are available on campus</p>
<p>I honestly don’t know that if offers anything that the other two cannot. The average financial aid given out in grants from Butler is around $20,000 if I remember correctly, so tuition would be much cheaper there.</p>
<p>What aspects of the IUPUI degree make it inferior to one from the Purdue flagship campus?</p>
<p>Also, I meant to say that I am currently in the program and am looking at the pros and cons of it. I talk about it as if I haven’t enrolled in it yet because I have not begun any true introductory classes save one on modeling software, etc. that I have basically taken in high school. Seeing as this year I am only taking gen-ed classes, would it be wise to start filling out transfer applications for next fall? I have only had a week of classes, but so far the “feel” of it seems wrong as I had originally looked at large engineering schools. I’m an athlete at Butler as well, so I want to get as much information as possible before I tell my coach that I may not be back next season.
UW Madison and U of I Urbana/Champaign are definitely options, and I believe I have the grades to get in either one, so it’s just a matter of deciding. Also, in the case of Wisconsin and Illinois, do their rankings in engineering matter (they are both in the top 15), or will both offer about the same undergrad education? I’m sorry that I have so many questions but I’m sort of nervous about my decision and want to be able to get out before it’s too late if I have to</p>
<p>IUPUI is inferior for a number of reasons. For starters, just because it is part of the Purdue university system and governed by the same board of trustees and president doesn’t make it the same school. It has different professors, different laboratory facilities, different classes, different entrance requirements, different textbooks… really, the fact that it says Purdue in the name and is part of the Purdue system and being in the state of Indiana are the only things it has in common with Purdue University - West Lafayette. </p>
<p>It is the same thing as saying that the University of Illinois at Chicago isn’t nearly as good at engineering as the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign or any other pair of schools (University of Texas - Arlington/University of Texas - Austin, University of California - Berkeley/University of California - Santa Cruz, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor/University of Michigan - Dearborn).</p>
<p>Now, this isn’t to say that IUPUI is a bad school. I know Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis, for example, recruits from there pretty regularly. It just isn’t going to have much of a reputation outside of the region in engineering. Don’t expect to go to work for Google or Lockheed from IUPUI.</p>
<p>Illinois and Wisconsin (and any other school up there in the upper echelon of engineering schools) will typically all be similar in quality for undergraduate education and will often have similar recruiting profiles. You can’t go wrong by going to any of them really. Sometimes it is better to go to one over the other for professional reasons if one just has an unbelievable department in your area, does research that you are incredibly interested in in your area or if you just feel more at home at that school, but as far as your future goes, you can’t go wrong.</p>
<p>Now, if you are in-state for either Purdue or Wisconsin, they will be cheaper than Butler / IUPUI, even with $20,000 grants from the latter. If you are out-of-state for both, consider Minnesota, at [$28,982</a> out-of-state](<a href=“http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/costsaid/tuition.html]$28,982”>Cost of Attendance | Office of Admissions). Virginia Tech and Cal Poly SLO are also worth looking into for lower out of state costs. But there is probably a low cost in-state public university that is good for engineering for you.</p>
<p>IUPUI also now has the only Motorsports engineering and has “energy” engineering programs. The degree from IUPUI in engineering is from PURDUE- it doesn’t differentialte which campus. that said, IUPUI is probably cheaper than Purdue West Lafayette campus as well.</p>
<p>In my opinion, the “branch” campuses could be used more for graduate programs and once you already have years of experience since there are less folks with graduate degrees. I do know that Penn State-Great Valley is making a KILLING on that graduate systems engineering program in the Philly/Jersey area.</p>