<p>Of the 8 Ivies, it is well understood that Cornell has, by far, the best engineering program. My question is, how do the rest of the Ivies follow? Correct me if I'm wrong, but Princeton is the next best, and apart from that I have no idea. Please keep in mind that I am asking about undergraduate engineering programs, with a focus on building fundamental knowledge. However, I intend to make the most of any research opportunities given (e.g. like UROP at MIT).
Thanks!</p>
<p>MIT,Caltech,Purdue are some great schools.
Purdue isn't Ivy, but its Engineering Programs are in the top 5</p>
<p>2008 US News and World Report rankings:
Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs
(At schools whose highest degree is a doctorate)
Rank/School/Peer assessment score (5.0 = highest)</p>
<ol>
<li> Massachusetts Inst. of Technology 4.9 </li>
<li> Stanford University (CA) 4.7 </li>
<li> University of California–Berkeley * 4.7 </li>
<li> California Institute of Technology 4.6 </li>
<li> Georgia Institute of Technology * 4.5 </li>
<li> U. of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign * 4.5
7. Cornell University (NY) 4.4 </li>
<li> University of Michigan–Ann Arbor * 4.4 </li>
<li> Carnegie Mellon University (PA) 4.2 </li>
<li> Purdue Univ.–West Lafayette (IN)* 4.2 </li>
<li> University of Texas–Austin * 4.2
12. Princeton University (NJ) 4.1 </li>
<li> Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison * 4.0 </li>
<li> Johns Hopkins University (MD) 3.9 </li>
<li> Northwestern University (IL) 3.9 </li>
<li> Virginia Tech * 3.9 </li>
<li> Pennsylvania State U.–University Park * 3.8 </li>
<li> Rice University (TX) 3.8 </li>
<li> Texas A&M Univ.–College Station * 3.8
20. Columbia University (NY) 3.7 </li>
<li> Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. (NY) 3.7 </li>
<li> Univ. of California–Los Angeles * 3.7 </li>
<li> Univ. of Minnesota–Twin Cities * 3.7 </li>
<li> University of Washington * 3.7 </li>
<li> Duke University (NC) 3.6 </li>
<li> Ohio State University–Columbus * 3.6 </li>
<li> Univ. of California–San Diego * 3.6 </li>
<li> Univ. of Maryland–College Park * 3.6 </li>
<li> North Carolina State U.–Raleigh * 3.5 </li>
<li> University of Florida * 3.5
29. University of Pennsylvania 3.5 </li>
<li> Univ. of Southern California 3.5
33. Harvard University (MA) 3.4 </li>
<li> University of California–Davis * 3.4 </li>
<li> University of Colorado–Boulder * 3.4 </li>
<li> University of Virginia * 3.4 </li>
<li> Arizona State University * 3.3 </li>
<li> Case Western Reserve Univ. (OH) 3.3 </li>
<li> Iowa State University * 3.3 </li>
<li> Lehigh University (PA) 3.3 </li>
<li> Univ. of California–Santa Barbara * 3.3
37. Yale University (CT) 3.3
43. Brown University (RI) 3.2 </li>
<li> Michigan State University * 3.2 </li>
<li> University of Notre Dame (IN) 3.2 </li>
<li> Vanderbilt University (TN) 3.2 </li>
<li> Washington University in St. Louis 3.2
48. Dartmouth College (NH) 3.1 </li>
<li> Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–New Brunswick (NJ)* 3.1 </li>
<li> University of Arizona * 3.1 </li>
<li> University of California–Irvine * 3.1 </li>
<li> Colorado School of Mines * 3.0 </li>
<li> University of Delaware * 3.0 </li>
<li> Univ. of Massachusetts–Amherst * 3.0 </li>
<li> University of Missouri–Rolla * 3.0 </li>
<li> University of Pittsburgh * 3.0 </li>
<li> Auburn University (AL)* 2.9 </li>
<li> Boston University 2.9 </li>
<li> Clemson University (SC)* 2.9 </li>
<li> Colorado State University * 2.9 </li>
<li> Drexel University (PA) 2.9 </li>
<li> Illinois Institute of Technology 2.9 </li>
<li> Northeastern University (MA) 2.9 </li>
<li> Tufts University (MA) 2.9 </li>
<li> University at Buffalo–SUNY * 2.9 </li>
<li> University of Illinois–Chicago * 2.9 </li>
<li> University of Iowa * 2.9 </li>
<li> University of Tennessee * 2.9 </li>
<li> Worcester Polytechnic Inst. (MA) 2.9 </li>
<li> Kansas State University * 2.8 </li>
<li> Michigan Technological University * 2.8 </li>
<li> Rochester Inst. of Technology (NY) 2.8 </li>
<li> SUNY–Stony Brook * 2.8 </li>
<li> University of Utah * 2.8 </li>
<li> Washington State University * 2.8 </li>
<li> Oregon State University * 2.7 </li>
<li> Polytechnic University (NY) 2.7 </li>
<li> Syracuse University (NY) 2.7 </li>
<li> University of Cincinnati * 2.7 </li>
<li> University of Connecticut * 2.7 </li>
<li> University of Kansas * 2.7 </li>
<li> U. of North Carolina–Charlotte * 2.7 </li>
<li> University of Oklahoma * 2.7 </li>
<li> University of Rochester (NY) 2.7 </li>
<li> Clarkson University (NY) 2.6 </li>
<li> New Jersey Inst. of Technology * 2.6 </li>
<li> Oklahoma State University * 2.6 </li>
<li> Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ) 2.6 </li>
<li> Texas Tech University * 2.6 </li>
<li> Univ. of Nebraska–Lincoln * 2.6 </li>
<li> University of New Mexico * 2.6 </li>
<li> Brigham Young Univ.–Provo (UT) 2.5 </li>
<li> George Washington University (DC) 2.5 </li>
<li> Louisiana State U.–Baton Rouge * 2.5 </li>
<li> University of Alabama * 2.5 </li>
<li> Univ. of California–Riverside * 2.5 </li>
<li> University of Houston * 2.5 </li>
<li> University of Kentucky * 2.5 </li>
<li> Univ. of Missouri–Columbia * 2.5</li>
</ol>
<p>Why the focus on the Ivies? You're better off just looking for great schools with great Engineering programs (NU, UIUC, Berkeley, etc.)</p>
<p>UCB, I cannot thank you enough for that list, as I only see the top 3 on the USNWR site. </p>
<p>Arbiter, my actual focus isn't on the Ivies at all, but as I have too long of a list of engineering schools to apply to at the moment, I'm just cutting them down to the ones that would cater to my interests, starting with a handful of Ivies</p>
<p>I'm currently aiming for MIT, which is somewhat of a reach, considering my ECs and my GPA in a top unranked public high school. Though Caltech is a bit too "hardcore" for me and UC Berkeley/Purdue have no appeal, I'm also applying to: reach schools like Stanford and Princeton; match schools like Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, Northwestern; and safety schools like UVA, Vanderbilt, and possibly VTech.</p>
<p>On a side note, part of the reason I have chosen some of the schools I did is because of my secondary interest in economics, and the slim possibility that I might want to do more than just take a few econ classes.</p>
<p>the ivies aren't necessarily the best place for industry-linked engineering, but offer the opportunity to learn engineering within a liberal arts environment. if this appeals to you, you might want to check out brown--which has the oldest undergrad engineering program in the country</p>
<p>otherwise, go with a true engineering school (MIT, Stanford, Michigan), or research-heavy ivy (cornell, penn, columbia)</p>
<p>princeton engineering is very theoretical, not much applied stuff</p>
<p>
Doesn't undergraduate research count as applied engineering? Princeton has "independent work" (an undergraduate research project) done in either junior or senior year, with a full-year thesis project required in several of the major engineering fields. Though my investigation has only taken me so far, this is about as close to MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) as I've seen.</p>
<p>Also, concerning UPenn, I have always had the impression that it's more of a graduate oriented school (being notably research heavy). Would you consider UPenn's undergrad engineering program at all comparable to those of true engineering schools?</p>
<p>Most Ivy engineers don't actually become engineers - much more often they go into finance or consulting. In this regard, the Ivies are at the top. For someone looking to be a developer at google or an EE at Boeing - they are not.</p>
<p>Most Cornell Engineers go into engineering directly or to grad school for engineering masters or PhD. Some go into finance, consulting, medicine, or even law. My former ECE roommate now works for Bank Suisse in NYC (not sure I spelled that correctly) and is making a ton of money but he is the exception. Another Collegetown housemate graduated in engineering and is now in med school.</p>
<p>Cornell is awesome for engineering.</p>
<p>number of Ivy bachelors grads in various engineering fields</p>
<p>Cornell's computer engineering is combined with electrical</p>
<p>School Cornell Columbia Penn Princeton Brown Yale Dartmouth Harvard
Agricultural 75 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Biomedical 0 52 61 0 16 21 0 0
Chemical 79 33 26 22 0 8 0 0
Civil 63 36 0 20 0 0 0 0
Computer 0 19 34 18 0 0 0 0
Electrical 112 30 39 30 0 5 0 0
Engineering Mechanics 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Engineering Physics 29 13 0 0 1 2 2 0
Engineering Science 0 0 0 0 0 19 0 34
Engineering General 14 0 0 0 52 0 54 0
Engineering Other 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0
Environmental 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 0
Industrial 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0
Materials 24 0 7 0 0 0 0 0
Mechanical 132 56 32 33 0 6 0 0
Metalurgical 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mining 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0
Operations Research 112 58 0 47 0 0 0 0
Systems 0 0 28 0 0 0 0 0
Total 567 316 244 170 69 63 56 34</p>
<p>^ Save for, of course, Cornell.</p>
<p>
School Cornell Columbia Penn Princeton Brown Yale Dartmouth Harvard</p>
<p>Agricultural 75 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Biomedical 0 52 61 0 16 21 0 0
Chemical 79 33 26 22 0 8 0 0
Civil 63 36 0 20 0 0 0 0
Computer 0 19 34 18 0 0 0 0
Electrical 112 30 39 30 0 5 0 0
Engineering Mechan 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Engineering Physics 29 13 0 0 1 2 2 0
Engineering Science 0 0 0 0 0 19 0 34
Engineering General 14 0 0 0 52 0 54 0
Engineering Other 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0
Environmental 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 0
Industrial 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0
Materials 24 0 7 0 0 0 0 0
Mechanical 132 56 32 33 0 6 0 0
Metalurgical 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mining 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0
Operations Research 112 58 0 47 0 0 0 0
Systems 0 0 28 0 0 0 0 0
Total 567 316 244 170 69 63 56 34
</p>
<p>hold on i 'm fixing it</p>
<p>wooo would have been easier if we just had the source</p>
<p>I'd stick to Cornell and Princeton. I was admitted to Cornell and was <em>extremely</em> impressed with their engineering program, research facilities, and the school in general. I think at the other Ivies you'll find that the majority of engineers wish to be Investment Bankers or something similar. I'm not saying you won't find that at Cornell, it is an Ivy league school after all, but definitely in a much lower proportion. Although I didn't get into Princeton, it's undergraduate educational focus is a huge draw and it still maintains a very respectable engineering program. I also know a few Princeton engineers and they really like the fact that they have a good liberal arts program along with its engineering. Though, if you're willing to expand your horizons a bit, come to Stanford. It's engineering program is better than both Cornell's and Princeton's (really only peers with MIT, Berkeley, and maybe few others) and is located in the Silicon Valley-home to many high tech jobs and internships. Furthermore, it is my opinion will offer a more well-rounded experience than MIT would, strong social sciences+strong engineering. Lastly, Stanford is pouring in a lot of dough for engineering by building new facilities in addition to it's already fantastic selection, look at the new Engineering Quad on Stanford's website-it's amazing! So, yeah. Happy Hunting!</p>
<p>thanks for the numbers collegehelp, and zhaos for making my eyes work less :P</p>
<p>cervantes, you've essentially confirmed my thoughts on engineering within the Ivies. I had the impression that Princeton takes care of its undergrads, and though still a liberal arts school, has much more of a science/engineering atmosphere than other Ivies. I haven't personally seen Princeton, but I saw Cornell a few weeks ago. Though its location was initially a turnoff, visiting the campus really gave me a greater appreciation for the school as a whole, not to mention it was clear that Cornell was the Ivy to go to for engineering.</p>
<p>As for your comments about Stanford...I'd be giving it much more consideration if I actually had any expectations of getting in. As it stands now, Stanford is probably the furthest of my reach schools (27% of applicants from my school got into MIT, vs. 18% for Stanford). Aside from that, Stanford is without a doubt among the ranks of MIT and CalTech</p>
<p>What about RPI vs. Columbia. Which is better for computer engineering? They both seem to be tied in the rankings.</p>
<p>Cornell Engineering Post Graduate Survey Results</p>
<p>Cornell</a> Engineering : Post Graduate Reports</p>
<p>Cornell has a strong undergraduate focus in its engineering school. At Cornell, 70% of the students are undergraduates. Yet, it has a strong grad program that provides undergrads with opportunities for research experience.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Though its location was initially a turnoff
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You could do much worse than to spend four years of your life in beautiful and inspiring Ithaca, NY.</p>
<p>Cornell's engineering is awesome for both those who want to go into the engineering field or do finance/consulting afterwards. I believe about 1/2 of all Cornell engineers end up doing research.</p>
<p>Princeton's engineering is not as far behind as you make it out to be. I'd say because Princeton has a really small number of students in engineering, you would get more personal attention so its engineering program is at least as good as Cornell's. I was rejected by Princeton but had I been admitted, I would have probably attended Princeton for this reason.</p>
<p>As per your question about Penn engineering, I was for the most part unimpressed when i visited (the bioengineering building, Skirkanich, was nice though) . Engineering seemed more like a path into banking/consulting at Penn rather than going into real engineering. I feel like Cornell gives you the opportunity to do both engineering or finance so I decided to turn Penn down for Cornell. I felt the same way about Columbia and decided to go to Cornell over Columbia instead as well. It's not that they're bad programs, but Cornell funds its engineering program much better than these schools.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Though its location was initially a turnoff
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I thought about this too when I was making my decision, but then I realized I have my entire life to spend in Philly or NYC. Might as well experience something unique with Ithaca, right? 13,000 undergraduates in "the middle of nowhere" is an awesome, unique experience.</p>
<p>
[Quote]
You could do much worse than to spend four years of your life in beautiful and inspiring Ithaca, NY.
[/Quote]
</p>
<p>It's great for some people, but it can be hell for people who don't like snow or wind. Though, if you're like me, location should not be a huge priority in choosing colleges, unless it's in Siberia.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It's great for some people, but it can be hell for people who don't like snow or wind.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>They aren't people. They are whiners. You have no idea how pampered and massaged the current generation of young folks are.</p>